What is BPhO Senior Physics Challenge - Online?
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The British Physics Olympiad is a charitable trust overseen by a committee of trustees. This is the most competitive national physics Challenge in the UK.
The Senior Challenge is an exciting opportunity for students to stretch their lateral thinking skills and apply fundamental physics principles to novel situations.
The paper includes short answer questions that provides an excellent tool to assess and challenge student's ability to work at Key Stage 5 and beyond. This is not merely for the very top students, but for all those who like to engage in problem solving questions and developing those skills. The best preparation is through working through part of past papers.
Eligible year groups: Year 11-12.
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Exam format: Online​
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Exam Length - 60mins
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Two sections, each lasting 30 minutes
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Each section contains 20 multiple-choice questions.
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One point for each question, zero point for mistakes.
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The questions focus on physics concepts while encouraging wider reading and interest in the subject.
Purpose of Competetion
The Senior Physics Challenge for Year 12 students and below.
This is an exciting opportunity for students to stretch their problem solving skills and apply fundamental physical principles to novel situations. Over 6000 students take part in the competition each year.
The SPC Challenge is a single, one-hour paper that provides an excellent tool to assess and challenge students’ ability to work at a high level in Key Stage 5 and beyond.
It consists of several short questions followed by one or two longer questions that test only core subject knowledge and application.
Little knowledge of new Year 12 topics is required, whilst the style of questions is more advanced than students will generally be acquainted with.
Why Participate?
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Enhance Your Profile and Boost University Applications
As a competition closely associated with Oxford, the BPhO is highly regarded when applying to UK universities for science and engineering programs, particularly in physics, engineering, and materials. Historical data indicates that approximately 70% of BPhO participants were admitted to Oxford's Department of Physics and Engineering. Furthermore, BPhO questions are closely related to those found in interviews at Oxford and Cambridge, providing valuable preparation for both the written exams and interviews at these prestigious universities. The difficulty level of BPhO questions is roughly equivalent to the physics entrance exams for Oxford and Cambridge, including some A2-level content, according to past participants' experience.
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Improve Academic Skills
Participating in the BPhO enhances students' academic skills by focusing on the flexible application of physics knowledge. Engaging in a physics competition is also an effective way to increase competitiveness when applying to physics programs.
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Enhance Competitive Background
Participating in the BPhO not only boosts personal competition experience and increases the success rate in applications but also strengthens students' understanding of physics concepts and problem-solving skills. In today's competitive job market, having an outstanding competition background and solid academic foundation is crucial. Competing in a prestigious and widely recognized competition like the BPhO is a great way to achieve these goals.
Awards
• Gold
• Silver
• Bronze
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can the students bring a calculator?
Students can use calculators, but not programmable calculators (ones which include 'solve' or 'integration' functions or the display shows more than 3 lines)
2. Can the students bring a dictionary?
The students can bring a printed version dictionary.