Experimental Design

Welcome to Experimental Design! This event will determine the participant’s ability to design, conduct, and report the findings of an experiment entirely on-site.

The information below should not be interpreted as an extension of the rules. You can find free online copies of the current rules for download on the 2027 Rules page of the Science Olympiad website. The official rules in the current Rules Manual take precedence.

Resources & Links

Current Season Resources 

• Coming soon!

Previous Seasons Resources 

• Simple Experiment for Middle School
• 2026 Division B Student Report Form - updated 1/6/26
• 2026 Division B Experimental Instructions Template - updated 12/9/25
• 2026 Experimental Design Checklist for Division B  - updated 12/9/25
• Division B Experimental Design Scoring Explanation
• Using Claim/Evidence/Reasoning in Scientific Communication
• The Basics of Experimental Design
• The Basics of Experimental Design Powerpoint - Spanish Version

Science Olympiad Store Materials 

• 2027 National Test Packet
• 2026 National Test Packet
• 2025 National Test Packet
• 2024 National Test Packet
• 2023 National Test Packet
• 2022 National Test Packet

Practice Problems & Tests

• Practice Test - 2026 BullSO Invitational
• Practice Test - 2026 Berkeley Invitational
• Practice Test - 2026 Pembroke Hill Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 Bulls SO Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 Purdue Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 USC Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 UT Austin Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 Mason High School Invitational
• Practice Test - 2023 Brown University Invitational
• Practice Test - 2023 Archimedean Invitational
• Practice Test - 2023 Sierra Vista Invitational
• Practice Test - 2023 University of Michigan Invitational
• Practice Test - 2023 University of Chicago Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 UT Austin Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 Highlands Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 BullSO Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 National Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 UChicago Invitational
• Practice Test - 2021 UT Austin Invitational
• Practice Test - 2021 Troy High School Invitational
• Practice Test - 2021 BirdSO Invitational

Event Supervisor Resources 

In addition to the resources on the Event Supervisors page, Experimental Design Event Supervisors should be sure to use the following resources:

• Event Logistics Resource - coming soon!
• 2026 Score Sheet & Event Checklist

Career Connections

• Growth Potential & Career Trajectories | Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute 
• Clinical Research Coordinator Career Path | CCRPS 
• Career Paths To and From Technical Writing | MadCap Software 
• How to Become a Technical Writer: Diverse Career Paths and Opportunities
• CareerOneStop - Research Coordinator Career Video
• CareerOneStop - Technical Writers
• STEM Expo Talk: Jordann Brandner - How I Use the Skills I Learned in Science Olympiad Every Day
• STEM Expo Talk: Miyo Sun - Success in Research Starts with an Open Mind
• A day in the life of a Technical Applications Scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific I Mai Khuong