How to Succeed at a Science Fair: Choose a Strong Topic and Hypothesis.
Another key to a winning science fair project is to choose an appropriate topic and to construct a strong hypothesis.
“Let your project reflect your curiosity—and keep your hypothesis testable and concise.”
Choosing a Strong Topic
When deciding on the topic that you want to study and then present at a competition, the first consideration is that the project should be personally interesting to you and that the project should encourage curiosity for both you and the audience. Other things to consider,
Is the project safe and ethical?
Is the project appropriate for your age? Will the judges believe that you conceived the project, designed and executed the experiments?
Is the hypothesis testable?
Is your project simple or too multifaceted?
Are the materials affordable and easily obtainable?
Can your project be completed in a timely fashion?
Below is a table that summarizes when science fair competitions typically occur during the school year; this will help guide you in choosing your project.
Free Resource: You may download a PDF of this Timeline here.
Science Fair Timelines (Grades 5-12):Progression of Science Fairs from School Level to National Competitions
| Competition Level | Application/Submission Period | Competition Date |
|---|---|---|
| School Level | January-February | January-February |
| District/Regional | December-February | February-Early March |
| State | December-February | Early March |
| National (ISEF) | Via State Qualifiers | May 10-16, 2025 (Phoenix, AZ) |
| Broadcom (ISEF) | Nomination Via Regionals | May 10-16, 2025 (Phoenix, AZ) |
Building a Strong Hypothesis
Now that you have made an observation and asked a question about the phenomenon that you will be analyzing in the next few weeks or months, you will need to come up with a strong hypothesis. Remember, a hypothesis is an idea that can be tested, so your idea should be testable. Keep your hypothesis simple; if you add too many variables to your hypothesis, it may become more difficult to design your experiments and interpret the results of these experiments. If you remember the “Our car will not start” scenario from the previous blog, we proposed only one hypothesis. The results of the experiments may or may not support your original hypothesis and prediction(s); and that is the time to devise a new hypothesis if you have time to conduct additional experiments before the competition. If you are short on time, the Discussion (or Draw Conclusions) section is the time to introduce alternative approaches.
When you construct a hypothesis, you should be able to make a prediction of what you expect the results (data) to be based on your experiments. You should avoid using vague predictions; I suggest that you use the “If…, Then…” structure, as we used in the car scenario in the last blog. A hypothesis is evaluated by a set of fair experiments; the purpose of these experiments is not to PROVE that one’s prediction is correct.
Final Thoughts
As you choose your topic and design your project, remember that SCIENCE is about enjoying the process of discovery, this is accomplished by choosing a subject that you like and find interesting and by adhering to proper scientific method.
If you or your student needs help getting started, choosing a topic, or preparing to present, I offer one-on-one science fair coaching for students in grades 5-12. Click here to schedule a free consultation.