Science (UIL test)
Encyclopedia
Science is one of several academic events sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League
. It is also a competition held by the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association
, using the same rules as the UIL.
Science is designed to test students' knowledge of scientific fact, understanding of scientific principles and the ability to think through scientific problems.
For competition purposes, Grades 7 and 8 compete in separate divisions (Division I for Grade 7 and Division II for Grade 8) while Grades 9-12 compete together, with separate subjects covered on each test as follows:
Each school may send up to three students for each junior high division. In order for a school to participate in team competition, the school must send three students.
For Grades 9-12 each school may send up to six students; students qualify for the next level if they are on the winning team, score in the top three individuals at a meet, or place first in biology, chemistry, or phyiscs. In order for a school to participate in team competition, the school must send at least three students. Team scores are found by adding the scores of the top 3 individuals from a school.
The questions may be answered in any order; there is no penalty for skipping questions.
Scoring is five points for each correct answer, and two points deducted for each incorrect answer. Unanswered questions are not scored.
The questions may be answered in any order; there is no penalty for skipping questions.
Questions must be answered to the proper number of significant digits, with "small variation" in the final significant digit acceptable.
The test booklet includes a periodic table of the elements, including atomic weight
s and atomic number
s, plus other scientific relationships, such as the vacuum speed of light or the gravitational constant, which may be used by the student.
Scratch paper is allowed in the contest, and notations may be made anywhere except on the answer sheet. Students may bring one calculator plus one spare, so long as it does not need external power. Hand-held computers are not allowed, nor are any calculators with factory-installed memory or with the ability to accept memory cards or memory sticks.
Scoring is six points for each correct answer, and two points deducted for each incorrect answer. Unanswered questions are not scored. In addition to the total score, each subsection (biology, chemistry, and physics) is scored separately.
There are no tiebreakers for either individual or team competition.
For individual competition (overall and for each subsection), the tiebreaker is percent accuracy (number of problems answered correctly divided by number of problems attempted, defined as any question with a mark or erasure in the answer blank). In the event a tie remains, all remaining individuals will advance.
For team competition, the score of the fourth-place individual is used as the tiebreaker. If a team has only three members it is not eligible to participate in the tiebreaker. If the fourth-place score still results in a tie, the individual tiebreaker rules will not apply, and all remaining tied teams will advance. At the state level ties for first place are not broken.
For district meet academic championship and district meet sweepstakes awards, points are awarded to the school as follows:
The winningest student in the history of the competition is Kieran Fitzgerald from Friendswood High School, who achieved the highest score in any division three years in a row: 2003-2004, 2004-2005, and 2005-2006.
University Interscholastic League
The University Interscholastic League is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the American state of Texas....
. It is also a competition held by the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association
Texas Math and Science Coaches Association
The Texas Math and Science Coaches Association or TMSCA is an organization for coaches of academic University Interscholastic League teams in Texas middle schools and high schools, specifically those that compete in mathematics- and science-related tests....
, using the same rules as the UIL.
Science is designed to test students' knowledge of scientific fact, understanding of scientific principles and the ability to think through scientific problems.
Eligibility
Students in Grade 7 through Grade 12 are eligible to enter this event. Students in Grade 6 may compete with permission of the district executive committee, but can only compete in each junior high division (see below) only one time throughout their academic career.For competition purposes, Grades 7 and 8 compete in separate divisions (Division I for Grade 7 and Division II for Grade 8) while Grades 9-12 compete together, with separate subjects covered on each test as follows:
- The test for Grades 6-8 covers matter and energy, equilibrium, force and motion, physical and chemical properties, the relationship between organisms and the environment, the components of our solar system, and the composition of matter and genetics.
- The test for Grades 9-12 covers biologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, chemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, and physicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, with 20 questions in each general field (though physics and chemistry often overlap).
Each school may send up to three students for each junior high division. In order for a school to participate in team competition, the school must send three students.
For Grades 9-12 each school may send up to six students; students qualify for the next level if they are on the winning team, score in the top three individuals at a meet, or place first in biology, chemistry, or phyiscs. In order for a school to participate in team competition, the school must send at least three students. Team scores are found by adding the scores of the top 3 individuals from a school.
Rules and Scoring
As the format and rules differ significantly for the junior high and high school levels, each is discussed separately below.Junior High Level
The test consists of 35 questions, which must be completed in 45 minutes. A time warning is given at 30 minutes. At the stop signal, incomplete answers cannot be completed. Calculators are not allowed.The questions may be answered in any order; there is no penalty for skipping questions.
Scoring is five points for each correct answer, and two points deducted for each incorrect answer. Unanswered questions are not scored.
High School Level
At the high school level, the test consists of 60 questions, which must be completed in two hours. The first 20 questions involve biology, the second twenty questions involve chemistry, and the final twenty questions involve physics. No time warning is given, except that tests cannot be turned in until the proctor announces that 30 minutes have passed.The questions may be answered in any order; there is no penalty for skipping questions.
Questions must be answered to the proper number of significant digits, with "small variation" in the final significant digit acceptable.
The test booklet includes a periodic table of the elements, including atomic weight
Atomic weight
Atomic weight is a dimensionless physical quantity, the ratio of the average mass of atoms of an element to 1/12 of the mass of an atom of carbon-12...
s and atomic number
Atomic number
In chemistry and physics, the atomic number is the number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom and therefore identical to the charge number of the nucleus. It is conventionally represented by the symbol Z. The atomic number uniquely identifies a chemical element...
s, plus other scientific relationships, such as the vacuum speed of light or the gravitational constant, which may be used by the student.
Scratch paper is allowed in the contest, and notations may be made anywhere except on the answer sheet. Students may bring one calculator plus one spare, so long as it does not need external power. Hand-held computers are not allowed, nor are any calculators with factory-installed memory or with the ability to accept memory cards or memory sticks.
Scoring is six points for each correct answer, and two points deducted for each incorrect answer. Unanswered questions are not scored. In addition to the total score, each subsection (biology, chemistry, and physics) is scored separately.
Junior High
Scoring is posted for only the top six individual places and the top three teams.There are no tiebreakers for either individual or team competition.
High School Level
The top three individuals and the top team (determined based on the scores of the top three individuals) will advance to the next round. In addition, within each region, the highest-scoring second place team from all district competitions advances as the "wild card" to regional competition (provided the team has four members), and within the state, the highest-scoring second place team from all regional competitions advances as the wild card to the state competition. Members of advancing teams who did not place individually remain eligible to compete for individual awards at higher levels. Furthermore, the individuals with the top score in each subsection will also advance.For individual competition (overall and for each subsection), the tiebreaker is percent accuracy (number of problems answered correctly divided by number of problems attempted, defined as any question with a mark or erasure in the answer blank). In the event a tie remains, all remaining individuals will advance.
For team competition, the score of the fourth-place individual is used as the tiebreaker. If a team has only three members it is not eligible to participate in the tiebreaker. If the fourth-place score still results in a tie, the individual tiebreaker rules will not apply, and all remaining tied teams will advance. At the state level ties for first place are not broken.
For district meet academic championship and district meet sweepstakes awards, points are awarded to the school as follows:
- Individual places:
- Overall score: 1st--15, 2nd--12, 3rd--10, 4th--8, 5th--6, and 6th--4.
- In addition, the school with the top scorer in a subsection receives 3 points. A school can earn multiple subsection points even if the same student is the top scorer in two, or all three, of the subsections.
- Team places: 1st--10 and 2nd--5.
- The maximum number of points a school can earn in Science is 42.
The winningest student in the history of the competition is Kieran Fitzgerald from Friendswood High School, who achieved the highest score in any division three years in a row: 2003-2004, 2004-2005, and 2005-2006.
Individual (Overall)
NOTE: For privacy reasons, only the winning school is shown. The 1958-59 winner was an "all schools" winner; beginning with the 1959-60 academic year winners were held in all five classifications. The classifications were renumbered in 1980-81, with Class B becoming Class A and the other classes adding one letter (thus, Class A became Class AA, and so forth).| School Year | Class A | Class AA | Class AAA | Class AAAA | Class AAAAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-81 | Paint Rock | Wolfe City | New Braunfels | Brownfield | Houston Westchester |
| 1981-82 | Paint Rock | Lindsay | Kermit | College Station A&M Consolidated | Plano |
| 1982-83 | Roby | Anna | North Lamar | Alamo Heights | Houston Stratford |
| 1983-84 | Lindsay | Springlake-Earth | Pflugerville | New Braunfels | Arlington Lamar |
| 1984-85 | Gold-Burg | Baird | North Lamar | Corpus Christi Flour Bluff | Lubbock |
| 1985-86 | Lenorah Grady | Baird | Slaton | Austin Westlake | Arlington |
| 1986-87 | Lindsay | Liberty Hill | Slaton | Denison | Houston Stratford |
| 1987-88 | Lindsay | Clifton | Lampasas | Cedar Hill | Houston Stratford |
| 1988-89 | Plains | Redwater | Lampasas | Granbury | League City Clear Creek |
| 1989-90 | Avery | Redwater | Bishop | Kerrville Tivy | Houston Memorial |
| 1990-91 | Valley Mills | Springlake-Earth | Lampasas | Kerrville Tivy | League City Clear Creek |
| 1991-92 | Valley Mills | Canadian | Troy | Carthage | Klein |
| 1992-93 | Lindsay | Wimberley | Seminole | Kingsville | San Antonio Holmes |
| 1993-94 | Lindsay | Florence | Cuero | Kingsville | San Antonio Holmes |
| 1994-95 | Rule | Troup | Waco Connally | Mesquite Poteet | Fort Worth Dunbar |
| 1995-96 | Rule | Franklin | Wimberley | Austin Johnson | Sugar Land Elkins |
| 1996-97 | Garden City | Canadian | Commerce | Austin Anderson | Humble |
| 1997-98 | Lenorah Grady | Sundown | Bridgeport | Austin Johnson | College Station A&M Consolidated |
| 1998-99 | Lenorah Grady | Rogers | Alvarado | Austin Johnson | Tyler Lee |
| 1999-2000 | Water Valley | Salado | La Feria | Gregory-Portland | Houston Bellaire |
| 2000-01 | Lenorah Grady | Stinnett West Texas | Seminole | Kingsville | Arlington Lamar |
| 2001-02 | High Island | Pattonville Prairiland | Seminole | Cedar Park | South Texas Science Academy |
| 2002-03 | Port Aransas | Argyle | Wimberley | White Settlement Brewer | Brazoswood |
| 2003-04 | Avery | Argyle | Ballinger | Friendswood | Klein |
| 2004-05 | Port Aransas | Argyle | Seminole | Friendswood | Sugar Land Clements |
| 2005-06 | (tie) Garden City/Nueces Canyon | Argyle | Cuero | Friendswood | Katy Taylor |
| 2006-07 | Garden City | Floydada | Cuero | Highland Park | San Antonio MacArthur |
| 2007-08 | Moulton | Vanderbilt Industrial | Wimberley | Friendswood | Sugar Land Clements |
| 2008-09 | Canadian | White Oak | Wimberley | Austin Lake Travis | Arlington Martin |
Individual (Biology)
NOTE: For privacy reasons, only the winning school is shown. The UIL did not score individual subsections until the 1985-86 scholastic year.| School Year | Class A | Class AA | Class AAA | Class AAAA | Class AAAAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-86 | Ropesville Ropes | Waskom | Slaton | Dayton | Sugar Land Dulles |
| 1986-87 | Lindsay | Waskom | Slaton | Corpus Christi Flour Bluff | Killeen Ellison |
| 1987-88 | Lindsay | San Antonio Lackland | Lampasas | Cedar Hill | Arlington |
| 1988-89 | Wheeler | Van Alstyne | Lampasas | Andrews | Lubbock |
| 1989-90 | (tie) Avery/Petrolia/Medina | Redwater | Wylie | North Lamar | Jersey Village |
| 1990-91 | Valley Mills | Waskom | Lampasas | Kerrville Tivy | League City Clear Creek |
| 1991-92 | Lindsay | Ingram Tom Moore | Halletsville | (tie) Carthage/Highland Park | (tie) Klein/Langham Creek |
| 1992-93 | Lindsay | Canadian | Rockdale | North Lamar | Sugar Land Clements |
| 1993-94 | Lindsay | Valley Mills | Pearsall | North Lamar | Fort Worth Dunbar |
| 1994-95 | Rule | Troup | Wimberley | (tie) Mesquite Poteet/North Lamar | Fort Worth Dunbar |
| 1995-96 | Rule | Franklin | Kirbyville | (tie) Port Lavaca Calhoun/Austin Johnson/North Lamar | College Station A&M Consolidated |
| 1996-97 | Garden City | Yorktown | Commerce | Longview Pine Tree | (tie) Houston Bellaire/Sugar Land Clements |
| 1997-98 | Lenorah Grady | Lexington | Wimberley | Bay City | Corpus Christi Carroll |
| 1998-99 | Lenorah Grady | Callisburg | Shallowater | (tie) Midlothian/Sulphur Springs | Austin Westlake |
| 1999-2000 | Lenorah Grady | Coleman | Kirbyville | Gregory-Portland | Houston Bellaire |
| 2000-01 | Lenorah Grady | Callisburg | Kirbyville | Longview Pine Tree | Sugar Land Clements |
| 2001-02 | (unavailable) | Comfort | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) |
| 2002-03 | (unavailable) | Comfort | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) |
| 2003-04 | Shiner | Junction | Wimberley | Friendswood | Taylor |
| 2004-05 | Martin's Mill | Teague | La Grange | Friendswood | Clements |
| 2005-06 | Garden City | Floydada | Pleasant Grove | Highland Park | Clements |
| 2006-07 | Garden City | Floydada | Graham | Highland Park | San Antonio MacArthur |
| 2007-08 | Muenster | Elysian Fields | White Oak | Highland Park | Sugar Land Clements |
| 2008-09 | Flatonia | White Oak | Whitney | Austin Lake Travis | Sugar Land Clements |
| 2009-10 | Muenster | White Oak | La Feria | Wichita Falls | Sugar Land Clements |
Individual (Chemistry)
NOTE: For privacy reasons, only the winning school is shown. The UIL did not score individual subsections until the 1985-86 scholastic year.| School Year | Class A | Class AA | Class AAA | Class AAAA | Class AAAAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-86 | Bronte | Liberty Hill | Slaton | Austin Westlake | Sugar Land Dulles |
| 1986-87 | Lindsay | Liberty Hill | Slaton | Cedar Hill | Dallas Skyline |
| 1987-88 | Happy | Clifton | Lampasas | Cedar Hill | Lubbock |
| 1988-89 | Plains | Abernathy | Lampasas | McKinney | Brazoswood |
| 1989-90 | Valley Mills | Van Alstyne | Bishop | Highland Park | Fort Worth Dunbar |
| 1990-91 | Valley Mills | Canadian | Abilene Wylie | (tie) Carthage/Kerrville Tivy | (tie) League City Clear Creek/Lubbock/Pasadena Dobie/Houston Strafford |
| 1991-92 | Valley Mills | Canadian | Troy | Highland Park | Langham Creek |
| 1992-93 | Vega | Canadian | Dripping Springs | Kingsville | San Antonio Holmes |
| 1993-94 | Lindsay | Stinnett West Texas | Bridgeport | Corpus Christi Flour Bluff | San Antonio Holmes |
| 1994-95 | Lindsay | Stinnett West Texas | Bridgeport | Mesquite Poteet | Sugar Land Elkins |
| 1995-96 | Rule | Franklin | Kirbyville | Austin Johnson | Round Rock Westwood |
| 1996-97 | Moulton | Stinnett West Texas | Wimberley | (tie) Highland Park/Waco Midway/Willis | Humble |
| 1997-98 | Moulton | Stinnett West Texas | Kirbyville | Highland Park | Tyler Lee |
| 1998-99 | San Antonio Lackland | Jourdanton | Alvarado | (tie) Gregory-Portland/Sulphur Springs | Arlington Lamar |
| 1999-2000 | Water Valley | Stinnett West Texas | Orangefield | Gregory-Portland | Houston Bellaire |
| 2000-01 | Hedley | Stinnett West Texas | Seminole | Kingsville | Klein |
| 2001-02 | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) |
| 2002-03 | (unavailable) | (Comfort) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) |
| 2003-04 | Avery | Argyle | Wimberley | Friendswood | Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North High School Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North High School is a public school in Pharr, Texas . It is part of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District and is one of the district's three high schools.Located at 500 E... |
| 2004-05 | Academy | Floydada | Wimberley | Friendswood | College Station A&M Consolidated |
| 2005-06 | Avery | Harmony Science Academy | Cuero | Friendswood | Oak Ridge |
| 2006-07 | Houston Harmony Science Academy | Floydada | Cuero | North Richland Hills Birdville | (tie) San Antonio MacArthur/Sugar Land Clements/College Station A&M Consolidated |
| 2007-08 | Moulton | New Boston | Wimberley | North Richland Hills Birdville | Plano |
| 2008-09 | Lindsay | White Oak | Wimberley | Frindswood | (tie)Plano/Sugar Land Clements |
Individual (Physics)
NOTE: For privacy reasons, only the winning school is shown. The UIL did not score individual subsections until the 1985-86 scholastic year.| School Year | Class A | Class AA | Class AAA | Class AAAA | Class AAAAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-86 | Lenorah Grady | Plains | Pflugerville | San Antonio Southwest | Arlington |
| 1986-87 | Moulton | Liberty Hill | Slaton | Buda Hays Consolidated | Houston Stratford |
| 1987-88 | Lindsay | Eastland | Lampasas | Cedar Hill | San Antonio Clark |
| 1988-89 | Falls City | Iraan | Lampasas | Dickinson | (tie) Houston Bellaire/San Antonio Clark |
| 1989-90 | Plains | Blanco | Bishop | Saginaw Boswell | League City Clear Creek |
| 1990-91 | Valley Mills | Springlake-Earth | Van | Kerrville Tivy | (tie) Lubbock/Tyler Lee |
| 1991-92 | Lindsay | (tie) Ingram Tom Moore/Wimberley | Troy | Highland Park | Pasadena Dobie |
| 1992-93 | Lindsay | Wimberley | Seminole | Kingsville | San Antonio Marshall |
| 1993-94 | Lindsay | Florence | Wylie | Red Oak | Fort Worth Dunbar |
| 1994-95 | Rule | Eldorado | Waco Connally | Stephenville | Fort Worth Dunbar |
| 1995-96 | Thorndale | Boling | Wimberley | Austin Johnson | (tie) Houston Bellaire/Sugar Land Elkins |
| 1996-97 | Evadale | Eldorado | Bridgeport | Carthage | (tie) College Station A&M Consolidated/Fort Worth Dunbar |
| 1997-98 | Moulton | Sundown | Bridgeport | Austin Johnson | Humble |
| 1998-99 | Valley View | Rogers | (tie) Alvarado/Stafford | Wichita Falls Rider | Austin Westlake |
| 1999-2000 | Valley View | Universal City Randolph | Vanderbilt Industrial | Highland Park | Houston Bellaire |
| 2000-01 | Lenorah Grady | Stinnett West Texas | Seminole | Carthage | South Texas Science Academy |
| 2001-02 | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) |
| 2002-03 | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) | (unavailable) |
| 2003-04 | Spring Lake | Argyle | China Spring | Johnson | Klein |
| 2004-05 | Valley View | Argyle | Cuero | Friendswood | College Station A&M Consolidated |
| 2005-06 | Garden City | Argyle | Hardin-Jefferson | Friendswood | College Station A&M Consolidated |
| 2006-07 | Garden City | Three Rivers | Cuero | Katy Seven Lakes | College Station A&M Consolidated |
| 2007-08 | Yantis | Irving North Hills | Argyle | Friendswood | Beaumont West Brook |
| 2008-09 | Perrin-Whitt | White Oak | Argyle | Austin Lake Travis | Arlington Martin |
Team
NOTE: UIL did not recognize a team championship in this event until the 1990-91 scholastic year.| School Year | Class A | Class AA | Class AAA | Class AAAA | Class AAAAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-91 | Valley Mills | Canadian | Lampasas | Waco Midway | Lubbock |
| 1991-92 | Valley Mills | Canadian | Troy | Highland Park | Lubbock |
| 1992-93 | Lindsay | Wimberley | Seminole | Kingsville | San Antonio Holmes |
| 1993-94 | Lindsay | Canadian | Cuero | North Lamar | Fort Worth Dunbar |
| 1994-95 | Lindsay | Troup | Waco Connally | North Lamar | Plano |
| 1995-96 | Rule | Canadian | Wimberley | Austin Johnson | Houston Bellaire |
| 1996-97 | Vega | Stinnett West Texas | Bridgeport | Waco Midway | Humble |
| 1997-98 | Moulton | Stinnett West Texas | Wimberley | Highland Park | Humble |
| 1998-99 | Lenorah Grady | Lindsay | Wimberley | Highland Park | Arlington Lamar |
| 1999-2000 | Hedley | Stinnett West Texas | Bridgeport | Gregory-Portland | Houston Bellaire |
| 2000-01 | Lenorah Grady | Seymour | Bridgeport | Carthage | Arlington Lamar |
| 2001-02 | (tie) Sudan/Vega | Argyle | Seminole | Fredericksburg | South Texas Science Academy |
| 2002-03 | Port Aransas | Argyle | Wimberley | Jacksonville | Fort Bend Hightower |
| 2003-04 | Vega | Argyle | Ballinger | Wichita Falls | Katy Taylor |
| 2004-05 | Kingsville Academy | Argyle | Wimberley | Friendswood | Sugar Land Clements |
| 2005-06 | Garden City | Argyle | Cuero | Highland Park | Sugar Land Clements |
| 2006-07 | Garden City | Floydada | Cuero | Highland Park | Sugar Land Clements |
| 2007-08 | Harper | Floydada | Argyle | Highland Park | Sugar Land Clements |
| 2008-09 | Lindsay | (tie) North Hills School Irving/White Oak | Whitney | Highland Park | Sugar Land Dulles |
| 2009-10 | Canadian | North Hills School Irving | (tie) La Feria/Whitney | Highland Park | Sugar Land Clements |