German selection process

The German team is selected in 4 rounds and this selection process already starts one year in advance. The Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) is responsible for selecting Germany's chemistry talents. The competition is supported by the Ministry of Education. Tasks of the German selection process can be found in the folder National.

Round 1

The first round consists of several homework problems. The students are expected to use standard chemistry books to come up with the right solution. The exercises are designed to be attractive to a large group of high school students while they already reflect the advanced difficulties of the following rounds.

Round 2

Students that successfully passed the first hurdle, are required to solve a second set of questions. This time, the level often goes far beyond topics that are covered in class and a lot of endurance is required from the students to master the problems.

Round 3

In the 3rd round the best 60 students are invited to a national seminar week in which - apart from interesting scientific talks, excursions and social events - 15 students are selected in two written exams for the final round.

Round 4

The remaining 15 students are invited for a week to the chemistry laboratories of the Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) in Kiel. There, the four students are selected who will form the team to represent Germany at the next International Chemistry Olympiad.