The USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) tests biology at roughly the level of AP Biology plus first-year college general biology. The Open Exam is a fast 50 questions in 50 minutes, with no penalty for wrong answers — so coverage and speed matter as much as depth. A good study plan does three things in order: build the knowledge from a college text, drill the topics the exam actually weights, and convert that into marks with timed past papers. Here is how to put it together.
What USABO actually weights
You cannot study everything to the same depth in the time you have, and you do not need to. USABO weights its content unevenly, so your study time should follow the same weighting — spend the most time where the most marks are:
Read that as a priority list: animal anatomy and physiology (~25%), cell biology (~20%) and genetics and evolution (~20%) together account for around two-thirds of the paper. Plant biology (~15%) and ecology (~10%) come next, with behaviour and taxonomy (~5% each) rounding it out. A student who is solid on the top three and competent on the rest is already in strong shape.
A four-stage study plan
The plan below works for self-study and is the same shape a tutor would use. The key idea is that knowledge and exam technique are built in different stages — do not jump to papers before the foundation is there, and do not keep reading once it is.
- 1 · Build the foundation. Work through a college-level text — Campbell Biology is the standard — chapter by chapter, making concise notes. This is where your knowledge actually comes from; AP Bio resources are a useful companion.
- 2 · Drill topics by weight. Once the foundation is in place, spend your topic-practice time in proportion to the exam weighting above — most on animal physiology, cell biology and genetics.
- 3 · Work past papers under time. Sit real papers to the clock, then review every miss to name the gap. This is where knowledge becomes a score — our USABO past-papers hub has the free pack and a four-step method for using it.
- 4 · Use the January BBO as a checkpoint. Because the BBO shares ~90% of USABO's content and sits in January, it gives you a real, graded exam about ten weeks before USABO — the perfect mid-plan progress check.
Self-study or coaching?
A disciplined student can do all of this alone — the syllabus is public and Campbell is widely available. What a tutor mainly adds is pace and feedback: keeping you on the weighted plan, and reading your past-paper errors to spot the patterns you cannot see yourself. Our biology faculty are subject specialists — one holds a biology honours degree from the University of Toronto and a master's in plant biotechnology from Wageningen University; another is an AP-certified teacher who edits our USABO/BBO course notes. In the 2026 season, the cohort earned 26 BBO golds and five USABO US-region Semifinal places (per Hanlin's own records). Whichever route you take, the plan is the same: build from Campbell, drill by weight, and prove it on past papers.
Frequently asked questions
What level is the USABO?
About AP Biology plus first-year college general biology. The Open Exam is 50 multiple-choice questions in 50 minutes with no penalty for wrong answers, so breadth and speed matter.
Which textbook should I use?
Campbell Biology is the standard college text and the backbone of most USABO preparation; AP Bio materials are a helpful companion for exam-style practice.
What should I study first?
Follow the exam weighting: animal anatomy and physiology, cell biology, and genetics and evolution come first — together they are about two-thirds of the paper.
How do I get the USABO past papers?
Our past-papers hub has the free pack and a four-step method for using them — scan the QR code there to receive it.
This is an independent English-language guide for students preparing for the USA Biology Olympiad, operated by Hanlin Education. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education. Content weightings are indicative and cohort results are per Hanlin's own records; both can vary — confirm the current syllabus and format on the official USABO channels.