Rules & Regulations

The US Medicine & Health Olympiad (USMHO) is an online annual competition open to high school students worldwide (Grades 9–12), with a focus on students interested in medicine, biology, and the health sciences.

The USMHO serves as the official qualifying competition for participants to advance to the International Medicine & Health Olympiad (IMHO).

Participants are required to represent a country in which they hold citizenship or permanent residency (or equivalent). In cases of mismatch between citizenship and permanent residency, participants may select which country to represent at their own discretion.

There is no minimum or maximum number of participants per school or country. All eligible students are invited to participate.

The competition is conducted exclusively in English.

An Administrative Panel is responsible for the management of the competition, including oversight of proctoring and related activities.

Participants must register for the USMHO by completing the official Registration Form at imholympiad.org and submitting payment through the designated secure payment portal.

The following information is required at registration and will serve as the participant's identification throughout the competition:

It is the student's sole responsibility to provide accurate and complete registration information. The Administrative Panel bears no liability for issues arising from inaccurate or incomplete data. The IMHO Organizing Committee retains the right to disqualify participants who have submitted incorrect or incomplete information.

It is the student's responsibility to obtain consent from their legal guardian(s) regarding participation in the USMHO and the terms outlined in this document.

Participants will receive exam instructions and all competition announcements via the email address provided at registration.

Registration will only be accepted until the final deadline indicated in the Official Calendar (Annex I).

Students should carefully review the Official Calendar (Annex I) when registering.

The Administrative Panel may, at its sole discretion, make changes to the schedule. Any such changes will be communicated to participants via the email address on file.

The registration fee for all participants is paid via the secure Stripe payment portal on the IMHO website. This fee contributes directly to the cost of running the competition — including question writers, the exam platform, and advanced proctoring software.

If any problem arises during registration, the student must contact the IMHO Administrative Panel at support@imholympiad.org.

Registrations submitted through channels other than the official Registration Form may be declined at the discretion of the Administrative Panel.

The Administrative Panel does not assume responsibility for unprocessed, incomplete, or failed registrations arising from technical issues within the student's own computer systems or internet connection.

Students must hold citizenship or permanent residency in the country they choose to represent.

If a student's education takes place outside their home country's standard secondary system, they must convert their school year to the equivalent grade in the US high school system (Grades 9–12).

Participants must be 20 years of age or younger at the time of the competition (below 21).

The USMHO Open Exam serves as the qualifying examination for the International Medicine & Health Olympiad. The exam consists of three question types:

Questions left blank will not receive any credit. For MCQ questions, no penalty is applied for incorrect answers. Partial credit may be awarded on SAQ and FRQ questions at the discretion of graders.

The primary subject areas tested include, but are not limited to: Not all subject areas will be represented equally in the exam.

The Open Exam has a duration of 3 hours, beginning from the moment the student opens the exam. A visible countdown timer will be displayed throughout.

Once opened, the timer counts down uninterruptedly. The exam will close automatically when time expires.

The Administrative Panel bears no responsibility for incomplete or incorrect submissions by participants, regardless of cause.

In the event of internet or power disruptions after the exam is opened, time will continue to elapse. No extension or re-sit will be granted for time lost due to technical issues on the participant's end. If connectivity is restored, the student may re-access the exam and continue within the remaining time. The Administrative Panel reserves the right to nullify a student's score if the integrity of the examination is deemed compromised.

The exam is accessible within a 12-hour window (12:00 PM – 11:59 PM Eastern) on the competition date (see Annex I). Participants may begin at any point within this window, which is designed to accommodate all time zones.

Once the exam is submitted — either by the time limit expiring or by pressing the "Submit" button and confirming — no further modifications to any answers may be made.

The USMHO will award Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention distinctions to top-performing students. A minimum of 10% of all participants will receive an award.

To compete in the International Medicine & Health Olympiad (IMHO), participants must be selected from the USMHO stage as one of the top-performing individuals from their respective country.

Students qualifying for the IMHO must provide documentary evidence of citizenship or permanent residency (e.g., a passport or equivalent identifying document) and proof of age. Failure to provide this documentation will result in disqualification. The IMHO retains the right to request identification from any participant. Participants who provide false documentation or engage in deceptive practices may have awarded distinctions rescinded and may be prohibited from future participation.

Qualifying students will receive an invitation to the IMHO. Attendance at the IMHO is entirely optional. If a qualifying student declines, the invitation passes to the next highest-ranked eligible participant from that country.

The International Medicine & Health Olympiad (IMHO) operates under the same structure as the USMHO. The international exam is designed to be more rigorous than the qualifying exam, befitting the prestige of representing one's country on an international stage.

The IMHO will award Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention distinctions to top-performing students. A minimum of 20% of all IMHO participants, or 10 students (whichever is fewer), will receive gold medals. Additional silver and bronze distinctions and honorable mentions will also be awarded.

Official USMHO results, including rankings and medal awards for the Open Exam, will be posted on the IMHO website. IMHO international results will similarly be posted on the IMHO website following the international exam.

All questions, comments, concerns, or requests regarding results may be directed to support@imholympiad.org.

For the USMHO Open Exam, a minimum of 10% of all participants will receive an award (Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Honorable Mention). Every participant receives an official certificate of participation.

For the IMHO International Exam, a minimum of 20% of all participants, or 10 students (whichever is fewer), will receive Gold medals. The IMHO also awards Silver and Bronze distinctions and Honorable Mentions to additional top performers.