The American Regional Biology Competition is a national biology competition that tests students on their knowledge in cell structure, interactions between organisms, homeostasis, genetics, and evolution.
The ARBC will be a regionally based competition so each team should register under their region. Visit our regions page to learn more.
There will be 4 official rounds of competition intended for teams of 3-4 people.
In the Individual Round, each competitor will complete a timed exam consisting of 60 multiple choice questions. These questions will test on a variety of topics, a list of which will be announced at the start of the season. This round will test each competitor’s speed and ability to recall basic biological concepts. Each competitor will have 60 minutes to complete as many questions as possible without the help of their books or teammates! Scientific calculators are allowed and highly recommended to help with certain questions.
In the Team Round, each team will be given a set of 10 passages, and will have to answer 2-5 questions for each passage. These questions will test the competitors’ depth of understanding and problem solving capabilities. Teamwork and collaboration is strongly recommended. Every team will have 60 minutes to complete this round.
In the Paper Round, each team will be given 2 published scientific papers or excerpts to read through. These papers will involve current findings in biological fields of study. Each team will have 40 minutes to read through the papers and answer select questions designed to test comprehension, interpretation, and inference. This round will be open internet, notes and most of all, friends!
In the Wave Round, team members answer questions one by one. The team must fully answer one question before they receive the next question. The added element of time pressure means teams must optimize time spent per question with number of questions answered to get the most points they can in this round.
Individual regions may run additional, unscored or scored rounds so make sure to keep up with news as it comes out for your region. Sign up for our mailing list here.
Our Subject Breakdown will be as follows. Each Section will be weighted equally.