Most Competitive Science Olympiad Event

[astro124]

What do you guys consider to be the most and least competitive competitive Science Olympiad events?

For me, I would have to go with Chem Lab or Anatomy because those events have honors and AP classes in high school that a good portion of people take.

[SOnerd]

Maybe Anatomy or Heredity?
Those seem to be the most popular, so there's a lot of competition as to who gets to do them at state/regionals.
Also possibly Meteorology.

[zyzzyva980]

Competitiveness varies from competition to competition because tests can be easier or harder. Easier tests (and simpler events) tend to be more competitive because more teams are able to answer more of the questions. Events like WIDI could be argued to be the most competitive because there's no consistency at all from tournament to tournament- you never know who's going to medal.

As for popularity, there are a few events that just seem to attract a lot of people. Anatomy, Astronomy, Dynamic Planet, Disease Detectives, and the ID events are included in this set, at least from my own six years of observation.

[caseyotis]

I don't know if Water Quality being a historically low-scoring event makes it more competitive, but it might.

[ThatRoboGuy]

With just building events, Robocross as most competitive. Maybe boomilever as least?
Saying this because Robo is a 2-3 minute event performed on the spot where anything can go wrong. If you think it isnt stressful...you havent competed.

[gh]

Back in my day, we had tournament style events in Division B. I recall competing in the mano-a-mano gladiatorial event, Survival of the Fittest.

You took first place by being the last competitor standing. Settling for silver, or first place loser, was not an option because it meant you were dead. Nor was bronze a palatable option—it also meant you were dead. In fact, getting any place other than first meant you were dead.

How's that for competitive?

[Flavorflav]

With just building events, Robocross as most competitive. Maybe boomilever as least?
Saying this because Robo is a 2-3 minute event performed on the spot where anything can go wrong. If you think it isnt stressful...you havent competed.

In my region, though, teams don't have to enter every event, and you are likely to see three times as many boomis as robots, so a bad robot gets ranked way higher than a bad boomi.

I'm going to have to go with gh on this one, though. I used to have to clean up after Survival of the Fittest, and the blood never did come out of some of those clothes.

[sciencegeek100]

building events are most competitive

studying events are usually as certain people's knowledge will complete out do other people
the worse thing is when the test is so easy... 1 minor error drops u 5-10 places

[PacificGoldenPlover]

Most competitive: Astronomy
Least competitive: Dynamic Planet

[tangentline]

Yeah, Anatomy and Physiology makes a good bet because the more effort you put into it, the more directly it correlates to a better place.

Why must competitions make circuits tests at the AP Physics level? Schools stop this far and get away with a medal. In circuits, you technically only have to study so much--this is why I felt I could pass on what I know for circuits to the next year's team in a day or two's span. Make the tests overall much harder (oh I thought I had mastered circuits in high school, but a few weeks of the college course is eye opening to how much practice is actually required with really really difficult circuits) -- and I say some people might just study the same amount because that is all is really needed, but a sharp problem solving mind.

Anatomy and physiology I feel is quite linear via the proportion of the entire bank of content that you cover. Circuits you don't know when to stop, but often it is clear that high school physics is when you stop.