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Q: What is the IPhO (International Physics Olympiad)? A: The IPhO (International Physics Olympiad) is the premier annual physics olympiad for pre-university students. Each country sends up to 5 contestants. The contest has two five-hour exams: a theoretical paper (3 problems) and an experimental exam. Contestants must be under 20 on 30 June of the competition year and not yet in tertiary education. Singapore students are selected via national trials - check singaporephysics.wordpress.com for the current selection pathway.
TL;DR The IPhO is the annual physics contest for pre-university students. Per the statutes: each country may send up to five contestants with two leaders; contestants must be under 20 on 30 June of the competition year and not yet in tertiary education; the contest uses two five-hour exams (one theoretical paper, one experimental paper) on separate days; medal boundaries are set so that gold starts near the top 8%, gold + silver near 25%, and all medals near 50%, with honourable mentions for contestants who fully solve at least one problem.
Sync your prep with the drills in our IP Physics tuition hub so Olympiad practice reinforces the same mechanics, fields, and experimental skills assessed in school.
Status: IPhO statute and official site checked 2026-01-26 - team size (≤5 contestants + 2 leaders), eligibility (under 20 on 30 June, pre-tertiary), and two 5-hour exams (theory + experiment) remain unchanged; medal guidance remains approx. 8% gold, 25% gold+silver, 50% total medals. Host city/dates are year-specific-verify on official organiser pages.
International science olympiad: an annual physics olympiad with published statutes and a rotating host organiser.
Delegations: up to five contestants with two leaders; observer(s) may accompany the team (IPhO statutes §3.1–§3.4).
Eligibility: contestants must be under 20 on 30 June of the competition year and must not have entered tertiary education (statutes §2.1).
Format: two five-hour exams on different days - a theoretical paper with three problems and an experimental exam with one or more experiments (statutes §4.1–§4.2).
2 Medal & Award Thresholds
Medal boundaries are set annually by the International Board after moderation:
Award type
Cumulative share (per statutes)
Gold
approximately top 8%
Gold + Silver
approximately top 25%
Gold + Silver + Bronze
approximately top 50%
Contestants who are not awarded a medal may receive an Honourable Mention if they achieve full marks on at least one theoretical or experimental problem (statutes §6.16, §6.20). See the statutes for the exact procedure.
3 Singapore's path to the IPhO
Singapore fields a team through a national selection and training process. Treat the exact steps and timeline as year-specific, and check the organiser’s published announcements for the current cycle: https://singaporephysics.wordpress.com/.
What is the IPhO (International Physics Olympiad)?
The IPhO (International Physics Olympiad) is the annual international physics competition for pre-university students, run under the IPhO statutes by a rotating host country. It is the most prestigious high-school physics olympiad worldwide, with over 80 participating countries.
What does IPhO stand for?
IPhO stands for International Physics Olympiad.
When is IPhO 2026?
IPhO 2026 dates and the host country are announced on the official IPhO site. Check ipho-new.org for the confirmed 2026 location and schedule.
What is the IPhO format?
IPhO has two five-hour exams on separate days:
Theoretical paper: 3 problems covering mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, optics, and modern physics
Experimental exam: 1 or more experiments testing practical physics skills
No calculators are permitted; contestants may be given approved formula sheets depending on the host's rules. See the IPhO statute for the official format.
What are the IPhO eligibility requirements?
Per the IPhO statutes:
Contestants must be under 20 years old on 30 June of the competition year
They must not have entered tertiary education
Each country may send up to 5 contestants and 2 leaders
How does Singapore select its IPhO team?
Singapore fields a team through national physics olympiad selection and training. The selection pipeline typically runs through the Singapore Physics Olympiad (SPhO). Check singaporephysics.wordpress.com for the current year's selection announcements, trial dates, and training programme.
What are the IPhO medal thresholds?
Medal boundaries are set annually by the IPhO International Board after moderation:
Gold: approximately top 8% of all contestants
Gold + Silver: approximately top 25%
Gold + Silver + Bronze: approximately top 50%
Honourable Mention: contestants who achieve full marks on at least one theoretical or experimental problem but do not earn a medal
Where can I find IPhO past papers?
IPhO does not maintain a single official past-paper repository, but:
The host country typically publishes problems and solutions after each IPhO
Many national olympiad sites and physics training resources compile IPhO past problems by topic
What topics does IPhO test?
IPhO covers the full pre-university physics curriculum and beyond:
Mechanics (Newtonian, rotational, oscillations)
Thermodynamics and statistical physics
Electromagnetism (fields, circuits, waves)
Optics (geometric and wave)
Modern physics (special relativity, quantum, atomic/nuclear)
Experimental skills (measurement, uncertainty, data analysis)
Is IPhO different from the Singapore Physics Olympiad (SPhO)?
Yes. SPhO is a national-level competition that also serves as the selection trial for Singapore's IPhO team. IPhO is the international competition where national teams compete. Strong SPhO performance is the main pathway for Singapore students to reach IPhO.
5 DSA / Admissions Value
IPhO is the most prestigious pre-university physics competition globally. An IPhO medal (or even selection for the national team) is an exceptional achievement that significantly strengthens university admissions portfolios, scholarship applications, and any STEM-oriented career pathway. In Singapore, students selected for IPhO training camps have typically already demonstrated strong performance in the Singapore Physics Olympiad (SPhO) and Singapore Junior Physics Olympiad (SJPO). These achievements are recognised by local universities and by overseas institutions for undergraduate admissions. Document your selection stage, training involvement, and any results when preparing applications.
6 When to Start Preparing
The path to IPhO typically spans several years. Most Singapore IPhO team members begin serious physics olympiad training in Secondary 3 or 4, building on a strong foundation in H2 Physics and Additional Mathematics. A realistic timeline: start with the SJPO in lower secondary, progress to SPhO in upper secondary, and enter the national IPhO selection process in JC1 or JC2. Students should be comfortable with university-level mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, and modern physics well before the selection trials. Consistent problem-solving practice using past IPhO, APhO, and SPhO papers - alongside the A-Level Physics and A-Level Maths syllabuses - is essential. Experimental skills also matter: IPhO's 5-hour experimental paper requires fluency with measurement, uncertainty analysis, and data interpretation.
7 Pathway Progression
IPhO sits at the top of the Singapore Physics Olympiad pathway: SJPO (lower secondary) leads to SPhO (upper secondary / JC), which feeds into APhO and IPhO selection. Students interested in the maths olympiad track can pursue a parallel path via the Maths Olympiad Pathway. See the 2026 Competition Calendar for scheduling context across competitions.
