Apply
More information for the 2026-2027 applications and tryouts will be out later.
The official 2026-2027 event slate can be seen here.
Tryouts
Tryouts will consist of the following components:
Diagnostic Testing
- You will choose 2 out of the 4 subject tests to attempt, each divided by events:
- Biology: Anatomy and Physiology, Botany, Designer Genes, Disease Detectives, Water Quality
- Chemistry: Chemistry Lab, Forensics, Protein Modeling
- Earth & Space Science: Astronomy, Dynamic Planet, Remote Sensing, Rocks and Minerals
- Physics & Math: Circuit Lab, Codebusters, Thermodynamics
- Each test will have 60 multiple-choice questions and should take 50 minutes to complete.
- Pure build events and Engineering CAD will not be tested.
- Check the 2027 National Tournament event conflicts to make sure that the events you are interested in won't overlap.
Essay Writing
- Long-answer questions.
- Designed to test your ability to communicate, collaborate, think outside the box, and persevere.
- Not intended to be prepared for. We are interested in learning about your character.
Experimental Design Challenge
- A team-based challenge designed to assess your ability to work as part of a team.
- Not intended to be prepared for. We are interested in your ability to collaborate.
Build Supplement (optional)
- An optional individual engineering challenge, highly-recommended for applicants interested in build events.