USABO SEMIFINALS 2024 PREPARATION FROM NERDUS BIOLYMPIADICUS, A.K.A. MARTYNA!
Congratulations to everyone who qualified for the USABO Semifinals 2024! \*V*/
Congratulations to all of those who did not qualify, too – you did a great job and gained a lot of experience for the following years! Keep up the good work and you will qualify next year. 😉
Many students are wondering what the best way to prepare for the USABO semifinals is. To those who are trying to prepare for semis, keep in mind an important date: April 4, 2024. This means you’ve got only a few weeks and your preparation should be very focussed. I am sharing the key pointers to peprare successfully.
- I put together a folder with the key materials for semifinals. You can download it here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15Vuzz9aIKHvBAb1U4lr0nKnf9f91nY7F?usp=share_link, but I warn you it’s massive!
- Review SOLVED MIT OCW exams and assignments.
- Review textbook notes.
- Study those topics that are hard for you and put less emphasis on those which are easier for you.
- Cram Campbell illustrations.
- Check our problem-solving camp https://biolympiads.teachable.com/p/problem-solving-in-biology-olympiads for extra skills in stats, maths, and critical thinking.
- Focus only on the key chapters from textbooks https://biolympiads.com/recommended-chapters-from-key-biology-textbooks/. Don’t just waste time reading everything.
- Instead of working on full textbooks, review only textbook notes at https://biolympiads.com/textbook-outlines/. I uploaded many of them on Google Drive because external websites usually remove their materials after some time. So some links may be broken.
- Do past semifinal exams from 2012 upwards. Older exams are of a different style and will be less useful.
- Consider joining our USABO Semifinals Bootcamp in which we will teach you how to answer USABO semifinal questions fast and effectively. We will analyze USABO 2018-2021 exams in addition to some extra USABO-style questions. The details about the Bootcamp are here https://forms.gle/ugBQh56gNkFRYG4i8.
- Review our WORKED SOLUTIONS for USABO semifinals at www.biolympiads.com/shop. We ship hard copies, so order early!
May your knowledge of biology be as unshakeable as the bond between avidin and biotin!
Make your understanding of biological complexities as deep-rooted as the mycorrhizal symbiosis between fungi and plant roots!
Let your approach to USABO preparation be as systematic as a PCR protocol, amplifying your understanding with each question tackled!
Keep pushing boundaries and expanding your horizons like a population undergoing natural selection!
Don’t give up!
With DNA helix hugs,
Nerdus biolympiadicus
