2025 SMO Junior Starts Tomorrow! What You Must Know Before the Exam

Nora老师

2025 SMO Junior Starts Tomorrow! What You Must Know Before the Exam

Hi students, the SMO Junior Round 1 is happening tomorrow. Here's a quick and practical guide to help you prepare and do a final check before the exam.

Exam Schedule

Junior Round 1

• Date: Tuesday, 3 June 2025
• Time: 09:30 AM – 12:00 PM
• Format: 5 multiple-choice questions + 20 short-answer questions (25 total)
• Answer format: All questions are number-fill only, no working required
• Scoring: 1 mark per question, total 25 marks. No penalty for wrong answers
• Focus: Accuracy, mathematical intuition, and logical reasoning
  
  

Junior Round 2

• Date: Saturday, 28 June 2025
• Time: 09:00 AM – 12:00 PM
• Format: 5 long-form questions requiring full solutions and reasoning
• Scoring: 10 marks per question, total 50 marks. Graded based on clarity and completeness of working
• Focus: Coherent and logical problem-solving processes
  
  

Key Reminders and Solving Tips

Tr Wenlong has put together some key reminders and possible question types for the Junior Round 1 exam. Please take a careful look and review them thoroughly.

Point 1

All answers for the short answer questions fall within the range of 0 to 99,999. So even if you have no idea how to solve a question, pay attention to how to guess the answer, try to make an estimation to arrive at a reasonably close answer.

Point 2

Based on past papers, 2025 is highly likely to appear in the exam. Be familiar with how it can be expressed:

2025 = 45² = 3⁴ × 5²
= 1 + 2 + 3 + ... + 63 + 9
= (1 + 2 + 3 + ... + 9)²
= 1³ + 2³ + ... + 9³
= (20 + 25)²

2025 is a Kaprekar number. Other similar numbers include 3025 = (30 + 25)² and 9801 = (98 + 1)².

Point 3

If you face a tough question, don’t panic. Time is sufficient. Try these common strategies:

① For large numbers or complex problems, start from simpler examples and look for patterns.
Example: To find the remainder of 5^2025 divided by 7, start from lower powers of 5 and see the pattern.

② Use reverse thinking. If it's hard to solve directly, try solving for the remaining part and subtracting.

③ Secondary-level questions often require stronger algebra. If a value is unknown, use a letter. Try to form equations or inequalities. Even expressing it symbolically helps.

④ For moving points or variable shapes, try the extreme-case method. Set up one or two special cases and work from there.

Write down your working process when possible. Listing what you know helps you think more clearly.

Point 4

Common Geometry Methods

To find angles: look for equal-length sides and try constructing isosceles or equilateral triangles
To find area: use ratios and proportion rules to convert between area and side length
To find length: use the Pythagorean Theorem if you see right angles or can construct one
Use triangle similarity to deduce side ratios when possible

Point 5

For integer questions:

Use factorisation or completing the square, then list all possible values. Use signs, parity (odd/even), and mod rules to reduce the range.

Point 6

For surds:

Try completing the square, substitution, or visualise it using geometry (e.g. right triangle with a square root).

Point 7

For quadratics:

Cross multiplication, quadratic formula, Vieta’s root relationships (sum and product), and use the discriminant to check for real roots.

Point 8

For rational expressions:

Use methods like partial fractions, reciprocal analysis, substitution and elimination, or degree reduction.

Point 9

For identity and coefficient questions:

Try value substitution or apply the binomial theorem.

Point 10

For number theory:

Use short division, prime factorisation, divisibility rules for 3 and 9 (check digit sums or split the number), and handle remainders by trying basic values.

Point 11

For prime/square/cube numbers:
A prime has only two factors: 1 and itself
Use prime factorisation to test for squares or cubes
If it's an algebraic expression, try factoring to simplify

Livestream Reminder

On 3rd June 2025 (tomorrow night) at 6:30 PM, Tr. Wenlong will be hosting a YouTube livestream on our channel Singapore Secondary Math, where he will walk through some of the more challenging questions from the Junior paper.

https://www.youtube.com/@Singapore-Secondary-Math

The link will be shared in the group chat in the morning. All students and parents are welcome to tune in.

For primary school students who have not yet entered secondary school but are interested in the SMO and want to explore it in advance, feel free to join the livestream as well.

Students and parents who wish to understand the detailed structure and rules of the SMO can also search for and watch the YouTube video recorded by Tr Nora.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D300BzqEenI&t=3s

Final Words

Wishing all students the best for tomorrow’s exam. Stay calm, focus on what you’ve prepared, and do your best.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to our teacher~

You can do this!!!