2025 SMO Competition Registration Open! Everything You Need to Know + Free On...

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2025 SMO Competition Registration Open! Everything You Need to Know + Free Online SMO Guidance Seminar

❓ “My child’s school is asking to sign up for SMO, how valuable is this competition?”

❓ “What’s the difference between the different categories and rounds?”

❓ “What does the SMO exam involve?”

❓ “How should we prepare for SMO?”

Registration for the 2025 SMO is now officially open, with a deadline of March 31. Recently, we’ve received many inquiries from parents, especially those of new Secondary 1 students, who are curious about SMO but unsure where to start.

To address these questions, we’ve invited Teacher Wenlong, leading teacher of Kangaroo Study’s Secondary Department, to host a free SMO Guidance Seminar next Tuesday at 7 PM (February 11), where he will deeply analyse the SMO competition and provide expert study and preparation strategies!

Interested parents can join the WhatsApp group and reply with “S1 register”

2025 S1 Math Study Group

In the following article, I will provide a detailed introduction to SMO, answering all your questions about the competition!

This article includes:

• Overview of the competition

• Categories and grade divisions

• Rounds and registration process

• Competition details

• Award settings

• Importance of the competition

• The role of SMO in IMO National Team selection

• Kangaroo. Study’s outstanding achievements

• Guidance of how to prepare

1. SMO Competition Overview

The SMO (Singapore Mathematical Olympiad) is organized by the Singapore Mathematical Society (SMS) and is one of the largest and most prestigious math competitions in Singapore.

2. Participant Categories and Groupings

SMO primarily targets secondary school students, and the competition is divided into three categories:

• Junior: Secondary 1 to Secondary 2 (born on or after January 2, 2011), around 3,500 participants (3,599 in 2022)

• Senior: Secondary 3 to Secondary 4 (born on or after January 2, 2009), around 2,500 participants (2,647 in 2022)

• Open: All full-time students (Secondary 1 to Secondary 4 and Junior College), around 1,800 participants (1,887 in 2022)

3. Rounds and Registration Process

SMO has a two-round selection system:

• Round 1: Open registration for all eligible students (usually done through the school)

• Round 2: By invitation only, with only those who performed exceptionally in Round 1 being invited to participate.

4. Competition Details

2025 Competition Schedule:

• Round 1:

• Junior: June 3, 2025, Tuesday (0930-1200)

• Senior: June 3, 2025, Tuesday (0930-1200)

• Open: June 4, 2025, Wednesday (0930-1200)

• Round 2:

• Junior: June 28, 2025, Saturday (0900-1200) location to be announced

• Senior: June 28, 2025, Saturday (0900-1300) location to be announced

• Open: July 5, 2025, Saturday (0900-1300) location to be announced

Exam Format & Content:

• Round 1:

• Junior & Senior: 2.5-hour written exam, including multiple-choice and short-answer questions.

• Open: 2.5-hour written exam, consisting only of short-answer questions.

• Round 2:

• Junior: Top 10% of Round 1 participants are invited to Round 2, with a 3-hour exam.

• Senior & Open: Top 10% of Round 1 (Open is filtered through selection) are invited to Round 2, with a 4-hour exam.

Topics Covered:

• Junior: Usually covers Secondary 1 and Secondary 2 mathematics content.

• Senior: Covers Secondary 1 to Secondary 4 mathematics content.

• Open: Covers pre-university level mathematics content.

Result Announcement: Results will be published within three months after the competition. Any disputes or questions can be raised within a month after the results are released through the responsible teacher at the student’s school.

5. Award Settings

Participants will be ranked based on their combined scores from Round 1 and Round 2. The awards include:

Gold (only awarded to Round 2 participants)

Silver

Bronze

Honourable Mention

Certificates of participation will be given to all other participants.

Eligibility for Awards: Only those invited to Round 2 can receive individual awards, including the Gold award.

The estimated score thresholds for each award:

These are based solely on the feedback from past participants. The actual score thresholds may vary depending on the difficulty of the exam and the overall performance of the students.

6. Award Value and Competition Significance

• DSA-JC Points: SMO awards can be a valuable addition to students’ applications, boosting their chances of entry to desired Junior Colleges.

• International Competition Qualification: Outstanding participants may be selected for the Junior/Senior Training Team, preparing them for future International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) challenges.

• University Application Boost: SMO results add value to students’ resumes, helping them with university and scholarship applications.

7. SMO and IMO

SMO is not only a platform for students to showcase their mathematical talents but also a crucial step in the selection process for the Singapore National Team for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad) is the highest-level mathematics competition for students.

Regarding the selection process for the national team:

Note:

1. Open Section: The SMO Open Group Round 2 results are the key basis for selecting the national team. Members of the Senior Training Team also need to participate in this round.

2. The National Team training runs from October to April of the following year, with two selection exams. The top 6 will be selected as members of the Singapore IMO National Team.

8. Kangaroo. Study’s Outstanding SMO Achievements

2023: Kangaroo. Study’s first batch of students participated in SMO (Junior). 10 students from the Exploration Class took the exam, with a 100% success rate for advancing to Round 2. 10 Golds, 6 in the Top 30, and 4 in the Top 10. 5 students were selected for the Junior Training Team.

2024: Kangaroo. Study’s second batch of Junior students participated in SMO, with 19 students from the Exploration Class, achieving a 100% pass rate to Round 2. The 5th question in Round 2 was based on a holiday class handout. Over 25% of students who advanced to Round 2 were from Kangaroo. Study’s cohort.

Star Student: Yang Yihan, a Secondary 4 student, was selected for the 2024 Singapore IMO National Team (one of six). He won Singapore’s only Gold medal at the 2024 IMO and ranked 14th in the world.

9. How to Prepare for SMO Efficiently?

We invite you to join our free SMO guidance seminar on February 11 at 7:30 PM.

At the same time, we have reprinted the SMO Junior 10-year past paper collection (the highly requested 10-year past papers are finally back in stock!).

(A regular SMO past paper book costs tens of dollars; however, our book is carefully categorized based on all the knowledge points tested in the Junior section. This allows students to clearly see the topics covered in the exam. With a structured learning approach, students can practice and reinforce specific areas, as well as better summarize and review. There are also mock questions for self-assessment!)

How to Get the Book:

Join the Secondary 1 WhatsApp group and reply with “S1 register” to attend the seminar. After the seminar, the teacher will provide instructions on how to receive the book.

Conclusion

SMO is not only an exciting competition for secondary school math enthusiasts but also a stepping stone to international competitions! If your child is interested in SMO, it’s important to start planning and preparing early. We look forward to seeing Kangaroo. Study’s students achieve even greater success in the 2025 SMO!

For more questions, please contact Teacher Wenlong or join our Secondary Math Study Group to connect with other parents and students preparing for SMO.