Participating in Math Olympiads not only helps you to demonstrate your passion for Math, but also improves your problem-solving and critical thinking skills, your overall test-taking abilities and most importantly makes your college applications more competitive, if you score well, especially for STEM-related courses. Here are 10 olympiads you should consider taking.
Exams by the Center for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) at the University of Waterloo
Euclid is the most competitive of the Waterloo math examinations and doing well in Euclid can help gain admission to the Faculty of Mathematics Programme in University of Waterloo and other competitive Math programs.
Level: Advanced
Format: 10 questions; a mix of final answer only and full solution for 2.5 hours and scored out of 100. Written at school, participants write individually and on paper. Some calculators permitted
Month: April
Gauss is a wonderful opportunity of Gr. 7 and 8th to grow their interest and get curious about the power of math.
Level: Intermediate
Format: 25 multiple-choice questions. 60 minutes. Score out of 150. Written at school, participants write individually on paper or online. Some calculators permitted
Month: May
Pascal, Cayley and Fermat are designed to be accessible both to students who have participated in a math contest in the past and to those who haven’t, these multiple-choice questions can help learners build confidence and inspire them to get excited about math.
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Format: 25 multiple-choice questions. 3 parts: Parts A and B follow a traditional multiple-choice format where the answer is A, B, C, D or E. In Part C, participants select a whole number from 0 to 99. 60 minutes. Score out of 150. Written at school, participants write individually on paper or online. Some calculators permitted
Month: February
The Fryer, Galois and Hypatia contests are a unique opportunity for students to write a full-solution contest - a format that can help learners develop both problem-solving and communication skills.
Level: Advanced
Format: 4 questions; a mix of final answer only and full-solution. 75 minutes. Score out of 40. Marks are awarded for completeness, clarity and style of presentation. A correct solution, poorly presented, will not earn full marks. Written at school, participants write individually and on paper. Some calculators permitted
Date: April
Exams by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
The AMC 8 provides an opportunity for middle school students to develop positive attitudes towards analytical thinking and mathematics that can assist in future careers.
Level: Beginner
Format: 25-question, 40-minute, multiple-choice examination
Date: January
6. AMC 10
The AMC 10 is a high school mathematics competiton designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills.
Level: Intermediate
Format: 25-question, 75-minute, multiple-choice examination
Date: November
7. AMC 12
The AMC 12 is a high school mathematics competiton designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills. The AMC 12 covers the entire high school curriculum, including trigonometry, advanced algebra, and advanced geometry, but excluding calculus. Students in grade 12 or below and under 19.5 years of age on the day of the contest can take the AMC 12.
Level: Advanced
Format: 25-question, 75-minute, multiple-choice examination
Date: November
The American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) is a challenging competition offered for those who excelled on the AMC 10 and/or AMC 12
Level: Advanced
Format: 15-question, 3-hour examination, in which each answer is an integer number between 0 to 999
Date: February
Asian Mathematical Olympiads
The HKIMO is a good introductory olympiad for students across grades 7-12 who want to immerse themselves into the world of competitive mathematics. The examination paper consists of 5 main topics: Logical Thinking, Arithmetic (Kindergarten / Primary Section) / Algebra(Secondary Section), Number Theory, Geometry & Combinatorics. Qualifying in the HKIMO allows students to participate in the WIMO.
Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Format: Open-ended question format with two rounds: heat (25 questions for a total of 100 points) and final round (30 questions for a total of 150 points).
Date: June
SEAMO is an introductory mathematics olympiad for students across southeast asia, and an opportunity to explore maths beyond their school curriculum.
Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Format: 25 questions (20 Multiple-choice and 5 open-ended), scored out of 100. It is a 90 minute exam.
Date: January
TIMO provides an opportunity for ALL students with strong interests in Mathematics to participate in Mathematical Olympiad competition.
Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Format: 90-minute heat round with 25 open-ended questions, scored out of 100. 120-minute final round with 30 open-ended questions, scored out of 150.
Date: December
SASMO caters to the top 40% of the student population and it aims to arouse students’ interest in mathematical problem-solving to develop mathematical intuition, reasoning, logical, creative and critical thinking. SASMO contest fits nicely into the school curriculum with a high focus on non-routine problem sums.
Level: Advanced
Format: The duration of the test is 90 minutes for all grades. Each level has a differentiated paper and contains 25 questions within 2 sections:
Section A: 15 Multiple Choice Questions (2 points for each correct answer; 0 point for each unanswered question; deduct 1 point for each wrong answer)
Section B: 10 Non-routine Questions (4 points for each correct answer; no penalty for wrong answers)
Total: 85 points (to avoid negative scores, each student will begin with 15 points)
Date: March, April
To understand which of these olympiads is ideal for you, speak to your mentors at OnCourse who will be able to make the most effective recommendations keeping in mind your interests, your current academic standing and your resume. If you are not enrolled with OnCourse, reach out to set up a consultation meeting to understand more about our mentoring programs for students from Grade 8 to Grade 12.
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