BPhO Round 2 Past Papers & Solutions
British Physics Olympiad Round 2
BPhO Round 2 past papers and solutions from 2003 to 2024 — direct PDF links to every problem paper and available solution booklet, plus mentor-led derivation coaching.
- Eligibility
- Invited BPhO Round 1 high scorers (Year 12–13)
- Format
- Long multi-part physics problems requiring full derivations
- Duration
- About 3 hours
- Scoring
- Marked on written working; used for UK IPhO squad selection
BPhO Round 2 is the UK's IPhO selection round: a handful of very long problems that each unfold over many parts, where the physics is A-Level plus calculus but the reasoning is olympiad. Every year below links straight to the official problem paper PDF, with the solution booklet where BPhO has published one. Work a paper untimed first, write every step symbolically, then compare your derivation line by line with the solutions.
BPhO Round 2 past papers and solutions by year
Every link below opens the official BPhO PDF directly. Sit the paper timed, mark it against the solutions, then read the extended solutions once you have written up your own attempt.
Stuck on a BPhO Round 2 question?
Send us the question number. A mentor who has sat and medalled in BPhO Round 2 will reply with a step-by-step walkthrough and the faster competition method.
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What the paper tests
Mechanics & rotation
Electromagnetism
Thermal physics
Waves & optics
Astrophysics
Derivation craft
Where it leads: Round 2 performance decides the UK squad for the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO). See our coaching programme.
Book personalised BPhO Round 2 classes
Past papers show you the gap; a mentor closes it. Our BPhO Round 2 mentors are medal winners who walk through every solution 1-to-1, then set targeted practice on the archetypes you lost marks on.
Want the full BPhO Round 2 paper pack and score guide?
Tell us your target and we will send the BPhO Round 2 paper list, the official scoring rules and a preparation plan built around the questions you keep losing marks on.
Free to ask. No spam, ever — we only reply about your question.
Frequently asked questions
- Where can I find BPhO Round 2 past papers?
- Every year on this page links directly to the official BPhO Round 2 problem paper PDF, with the published solution booklet where one exists. We link the official files rather than re-hosting them.
- How do I prepare for BPhO Round 2?
- Do fewer papers, more slowly. One Round 2 problem worked completely — with every step justified symbolically and checked dimensionally — teaches more than three rushed attempts.
- How much calculus is needed?
- Comfortable differentiation and integration, including simple differential equations, are effectively assumed at Round 2.