How To Enter

Registration for 2026 is now open!

Registration Deadline is February 23, 2026.

PhysiscsBowl exams are $10 per student. You will need five students to qualify for team competition.

You have two options for how to receive the exam. The PhysicsBowl exam will be available via the Educational Vistas (EdVistas) website. The exam will be available as a web based online exam, or as a printable PDF with a printable answer sheet.

  • For the printable PDF, you will need to be able to scan the completed answer sheets, and upload them to EdVistas website.
  • For the web based online exam, students will need access to the internet, but no additional software will be needed.
  • Teachers should reserve a room and arrange for supervision of the test any one day between March 18 and April 3, 2026, students should take the exam at the same time.
  • See a list of FAQ's at this LINK.
REGISTRATION

Registration Deadline is February 23, 2026.

Register Online with a credit card!

or

Register with a Printable PDF registration form for checks or purchase orders! If mailing form, please also email the form to programs@aapt.org

Proctoring Requirements for the PhysicsBowl Contest

The PhysicsBowl exam MUST be proctored. Parents, relatives, or close friends and acquaintances of students are not acceptable proctors. It is expected and preferred that competitors will take the exam at their local school, though they may take the exam elsewhere if needed.

Homeschooled students should contact community colleges, universities, or libraries to ask if they have proctoring services. PARENTS OR RELATIVES OF HOMESCHOOLED STUDENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE PROCTORS. Parents of homeschooled students may register their children for the exam, but they must provide information for an alternative proctor.

In order to verify the identity of exam proctors, we ask that email addresses be official school email addresses, ideally associated with a school district or an accredited private school. Personal email addresses are not acceptable.

If you are unable to provide an official school email, then you will need to provide additional contact information for your organization in order to verify your identity and the identity of the organization

Proctors cannot be relatives of the student(s) taking the exam. Proctors should have at least a 2-year degree, though this degree does not need to be related to physics. Libraries may proctor the test at a public library, provided they can observe the test to ensure the integrity of the process.

Testing centers must acknowledge their status as a testing center and provide a web address for verification purposes.

It's crucial to note that the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) does not have any affiliation with, does not endorse, and does not recommend any test centers, schools, or other locations that offer proctoring services.

Furthermore, please be aware that AAPT does not facilitate or arrange test centers, teachers, or proctors for the PhysicsBowl exam. We do not maintain a shareable listing of centers or teachers that have participated or will participate in the exam.

School, Teacher, and Student Awards

  • Certificate of Participation will be provided as a printable PDF for all teachers and students competing.

* School team scores are determined by the sum of the scores of the top five students competing.

 

For more details and information about the PhysicsBowl, please contact AAPT's Programs department at 301-209-3340 or programs@aapt.org