British Physics Olympiad
About British Physics Olympiad
The British Physics Olympiad (BPhO) began in 1979, and in 1983, it officially became the competition to select the UK national team for the International Physics Olympiad. The BPhO organizing committee is primarily composed of the University of Oxford, the Institute of Physics (IOP), and the Ogden Trust, with its office located in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford. The British Physics Olympiad places great emphasis on the flexible application of physics knowledge, with all questions being proof-based. Students are required to use their acquired physics knowledge to tackle the challenges, which cover a wide range of topics. The competition does not expect participants to complete all the questions but encourages them to choose and solve the sections they excel in based on their interests and scope of study. Outstanding participants with British nationality will represent the UK as part of the national team in the International Physics Olympiad.
Competition Categories and Exam Schedule
The competition consists of two sections: Section 1 and Section 2：
• Section 1: Includes approximately 15 questions, with each question assigned different point values (ranging from 3 to 10 points) based on difficulty. The total points for this section are around 94 points. Contestants only need to answer questions worth 50 points in total. The maximum score for this section is 50 points.
• Section 2: Consists of around 5 large questions, each divided into several sub-questions with varying point values. Each large question is worth 25 points in total. Contestants must choose and answer any 2 questions from this section.
• The maximum total score for the competition is 100 points.
Exam Date: Held annually around mid-November.
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