Intermediate & Senior Physics Challenge
The most competitive national physics Challenge in the UK
Top UK and international students compete together for the top awards
Beneficial for applying STEM majors in top universities
IPC&SPC Online: Jan. 31, 2025 (60 mins)
IPC&SPC: Mar. 6, 2025 (60 mins)
Introduction
The British Physics Olympiad is a charitable trust overseen by a committee of trustees. It was initiated in 1979,and has been used as a qualifier for the selection of the UK Physics Team for the International Physics Olympiad since 1983.
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.
The Intermediate Physics Challenge is a single, one-hour paper that is suitable for Grade 9-10 students (Standard Grade or equivalent level). The paper includes traditional problem based set of questions that aim to test students knowledge and understanding of basic physics principles. The paper is suitable for students who have studied GCSE Science + Additional Science or GCSE Physics or equivalent.
Supported Organizations
Administration
The University of Oxford
Institute of Physics (IOP)
Sponsorship
Rolls-Royce
Event and training
The University of Cambridge
The University of Oxford
National Physical Laboratory
Texas Instrument
List of Challenges
| Challenge Name | Time | Form | Question Type | Eligibility |
| Intermediate Physics Challenge Online | Jan. 31, 2025（60 minutes） | Online | Multiple Choice Questions | Grade 9-10 or other equivalent grades |
| Senior Physics Challenge Online | Jan. 31, 2025（60 minutes） | Online | Multiple Choice Questions | Grade 10-11 or other equivalent grades |
| Intermediate Physics Challenge | Mar. 6, 2025 （60 minutes） |
Online | Multiple Choice Questions, Free Response Questions | Grade 9-10 or other equivalent grades |
| Senior Physics Challenge | Mar. 6, 2025 （60 minutes） |
Online | Multiple Choice Questions, Free Response Questions | Grade 10-11 or other equivalent grades |
| Intermediate Physics Challenge Final | June, 2025 | Online | Experimental questions | Grade 9-10 or other equivalent grades |
| Senior Physics Challenge Final | June, 2025 | Online | Experimental questions | Grade 10-11 or other equivalent grades |
Intermediate & Senior Physics Challenge（Online）
Online Challenge is a new activity that is a preliminary challenge to the IPC&SPC. Students can participate in both groups of challenges (IPC&SPC Online / IPC&SPC).
Unlike the Intermediate & Senior Physics Challenge, the Online Challenge is a new online challenge. It consists of multiple choice questions which are largely about physics ideas, but also encouraging some wider reading and interest in the subject. It is an opportunity for students to take part in physics competition and to develop their confidence in the subject. It is definitely a quiz for participation, which is accessible to sound students but is not an ''Olympiad Challenge''. The Challenge is not just for students who are very good at studying physics, but for all students who are interested in studying and developing in physics.
Time： Jan. 31, 2025 (60 mins)
Form：Online
Language：English
Tpye：Multiple choice questions, 1 point for each, no deduction for wrong answers
Eligibility：
-
Intermediate Physics Challenge (Online): Grade 9-10 or other equivalent grades
-
Senior Physics Challenge (Online)：Grade 10-11 or other equivalent grades
Awards：（IPC&SPC separate awards）
• Gold
• Silver
• Bronze
Registration Phase:
-
The School can apply for partner school and students can directly register via School.
-
The Registration Deadline will last until 2 weeks before Exam Date of each competitions.
About Payment
Schools can submit the registration form and issue the payment accordingly before the registration deadline.
IPC&SPC Rules
Language
English
Date
Mar. 6, 2025 (60 mins)
Eligibility
-
Intermediate Physics Challenge: Grade 9 - 10 or other equivalent grades
-
Senior Physics Challenge: Grade 10 - 11 or other equivalent grades
Format
Individual online test
Type of Questions
multiple choice questions, short answer questions
Awards
Global Awards:
• Gold
• Silver
• Bronze I
• Bronze II
(The global awards will be determinded by the thresholds based on the performance of UK students, and students from other countries will be assessed against these thresholds to decide if they are eligible for awards.)
Registration Phase:
- The School can apply for partner school and students can directly register via School.
- The Registration Deadline will last until 2 weeks before Exam Date of each competitions.
About Payment
Schools can submit the registration form and issue the payment accordingly before the registration deadline.
IPC&SPC Final Rules
Language
Question Language: English
Answer Language: either English or Chinese
Date
June 2025
Form
Online
Eligibility
-
IPC&SPC global gold, silver and bronze awards
Type of Questions
Physics experiments. Each round will focus on a different aspect of the experiment, such as the application of physics knowledge, logic, standardization and results of the experiment.
Global Awards
-
Gold
-
Silver
-
Bronze
Deadline
2 weeks before the competition
Sample Problems
IPC&SPC Online Performance Report/Award List
IPC&SPC Winners
Exam Centers
ASDAN EPQ Scholarship
3000RMB/std
Gold
2000RMB/std
Silver
1000RMB/std
Bronze
Noted：The ASDAN Scholarship is only available to Year 10, 11 and 12 students for participating ASDAN Extended Project Qualification(EPQ). EPQ is recommended by the G5 group and many leading universities as a competitive academic experience. Scholarships cannot be exchanged for cash. For further details see:http://www.seedasdan.org/epq/。
FAQ
1、Can the students bring a calculator to GCSE & AS?
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 to GCSE & AS?
The students can bring a printed version dictionary.
3、Refund policy
If, for some reason, the student is unable to attend after paying the fee, please contact us. If you apply before the registration deadline, 25% of the registration fee will be deducted as academic materials and service fees. If you apply after the registration deadline, no refund will be given.
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