Complete competition pathway and past papers for Imperial Engineering preparation
IPC Warm-up
Intermediate Physics Challenge — Year 11
1-hour paper, multiple choice + short answer. Designed to stretch GCSE-level physics thinking. First exposure to Olympiad-style problems.
Target: Gold (top 15%)
SPC Bridge
Senior Physics Challenge — Year 12 (Jan-Mar)
1-hour paper, harder than IPC. Tests AS-level physics application. Great prep for Round 1 pacing and problem style.
Target: Gold
Round 1 Main Event
BPhO Round 1 — Year 12 (November)
2 sections: S1 (20 MC, 40 min) + S2 (4 long-form, 80 min). The one that counts for UCAS. Top ~100 advance to Round 2.
Target: Top Gold / Round 2
Now (Jul 2026)
Start weekly IPC past paper practice — 1 paper every 2 weeks, untimedNOW
Sep 2026
Ask Miss Streule to register Diya for IPC at Headington Rye (school must be BPhO-registered)Next
Jan–Feb 2027
IPC exam — target Gold. After this: transition to SPC past papers over summer
Mar 2027
SPC exam (school-registered). Transition to Round 1 prep immediately afterKey
Summer 2027
Intensive Round 1 training. Book: 200 Puzzling Physics Problems. Isaac Physics board: BPhO prepCritical
Nov 2027
BPhO Round 1 — results before UCAS deadline. This is the main battleTarget