Welcome to the second year of the US Geography Olympiad! We’ve had a great summer, bringing the first US team ever to the International Geography Olympiad, and getting set for the 2013-14 competition season. Last year, hundreds of students throughout the USA participated in the first ever US Geography Olympiad, and we are looking forward to even more students joining in for this year. The structure of USGO will remain very much the same for 2013-14, with 3 separate versions of the National Qualifying Exam being used to qualify for our National Championships on Friday, April 25, 2014 in Arlington, VA. All you need to do is finish in the top 50% in your division (either Varsity or JV) of competing students either at your site, or on that version of the NQE throughout the USA (as of all tournaments completed by March 2). You are welcome to take the NQE up to 3 times, as long as you take a different version of the NQE each time. To qualify for Nationals, you just need to finish in the top half (either at your site or nationally) on any one version of the NQE.
For 2013-2014, the format of our National Championships will likely change slightly, so that the exam portion consists of a 100 question multiple choice test (as opposed to 50 multiple choice questions, and 50 fill in the blank questions). It is likely then, that the top exam scorer, the top two students in the quizbowl tournament, and the overall champion in the Varsity Division will qualify for Team USA; a final decision on this will be forthcoming by November.
Overall, we anticipate having over 100 National Qualifying Exam sites, held as last year, in conjunction with Regional and State tournaments of the National History Bee and Bowl’s High School Division. This will make it even easier for more students to take part this year. For more information, please explore the website, or email info@geographyolympiad.com Good luck, and hope to see you at a National Qualifying Exam site soon!
