piccolojunior

Haha, by percentages alone (20/900 v. 20/600) USNCO is harder to obtain. However, USABO is more variable (past finalists have not qualified in later years, whereas this phenomenon is rarer in USNCO)...you cant go wrong with either camp (although at least USNCO honors the top 50 and top 100 scorers).

And yeah nationals is harder than the local exam lol...the free response is what kills people who score very well on the local test but do poorly in the next round (it's where the "higher-level" thinking comes into greater play)

BTW...usually you need an 85% or higher to qualify for USNCO camp as opposed to only 65% for USABO.

blah1290

hmm I would say MOP is defiently the most valued of all those Olympiad camps (since more than 500,000+ people take the AMCs to begin with), but I dont know...if you make any olympiad camp, its amazing...

definitely more impressive (like 10x) than a 2400 SAT and 4.0 GPA.

chemnerd57

Hey piccolo jr, what did u think of the usnco? Were u a camper last year?

piccolojunior

I was not, unfortunately, a camper last year. Much of this has to do with a huge mistake I hope no one else makes (doing all the work on scrap paper instead of the Blue Book, where the answer actually counts). Had I not done that, I might have been invited (and gone of course).

I cannot go into specifics until the 22nd of April (next tuesday). If you have any other questions, PM me or hit me up on AIM.

2by2

piccolojunior: How do you find out how you did? I realize that they call the campers- but if you aren't planning to get to the camp and are interested in how you scored (honors or high honors) how do you find that out? Do they tell you at some point how you scored and how that score related nationally?

piccolojunior

You get your MC score returned to you by the local section. I doubt there is any way to get the FR and labs returned...although I could be dead wrong on that.

jdlkem

the answers are posted sometime in May. you could easily check your MC answers, but it is unlikely for you to be able to check your FR or lab.

there is ABSOLUTELY no way in the history of usnco that FR/labs are returned (maybe thats a little of an overstatement -__-).

Equilibrium

I just took the national test. I know i bombed it since it's my first year of chem but I really really really bombed the lab section, especially the second part. (I'd be VERY happy to get 1/3-1/2 credit total in the lab section.) How much is the lab section worth?

piccolojunior

Usually very little. There is no 1/3 credit on them though...just "below average" "average", "above average", and "excellent"

2by2

Sorry to keep bothering you Piccolojunior but I guess you rec'd some sort of honor last year since you felt that you just missed the cut off- how did they notify you of that? And when would they notify you or is it all done by the local section?

piccolojunior

No, no honor for me last year. Only 30 points worth of work was actually on the blue book at the end of the allotted time for the FR.

Top 100 scorers = honors
Top 50 = high honors
Top 20 = camper

The local section notifies you, although im not sure about that (jdlkem, who called you last year?)

Echelon32

So is it true then that Part I and II are much more important than Part III - lab? I know of a national qualifier who claimed that his success last year was because of his success on the lab section, and that he had missed ~15 on MC. From what I have heard, I thought that a stellar performance on lab wouldn't make up for problems...

I ask because I will be taking the USNCO tomorrow, and if the lab section truly isnt worth it, I might as well just prepare the MC/problems so that I at least have a chance.

Equilibrium

Piccolo, Thanks for telling me..but by very little do u mean like 5% - 10%?..... Also, how'd u find out how much it's worth?

Edit: Echelon: I've heard that it's worth very little from many people... It's up to you.. From what i've heard.. a score of average-above average is good enough.. Just don't completely mess it up. The lab section is easy if you know lab procedures (Titrations, Predicting reactions, memorizing colors of stuff)

jdlkem

eh...
there's DEFINITELY points attributed to having certain things on everything, INCLUDING the lab portion.
it's just taboo to talk about points from the national test and on.

The lab results do not matter for the most part. What counts the most on the lab portion of the test (at least what is believed) is the clarity and organization of the procedure and data.

Generally speaking though, it is better to practice using the past exams. That and going through Atkins's book helped immensely in my 3-week cram for the nationals last year (I DO NOT CONDONE SUCH A METHOD OF STUDYING...IT IS NOT MEANT FOR THE WEAK-HEARTED).

I was called last year by the section coordinator the Monday after the Monday after the test (took it during the weekend) at 9:14 am at school. Hopefully, something as rewarding as *the* telephone call on the day of three tests occurs this year as well...

now, back to studying for tomorrow's suicide

piccolojunior

Just hold your own on the labs and you'll be fine. It's really hard to get below an "average" unless you've never been inside a lab...although again, beasting the FR is probably the critical step. Getting a 45+ on the MC is enough if you can do very well on the FR(90+).


Good luck to everyone tomorrow!