Every July, six school students represent India at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), the oldest and best known of the international science olympiads. They are chosen through a selection programme that begins about ten months earlier with a single paper that any eligible student in Classes 8 to 12 can write.
This guide walks through that programme stage by stage, as it currently stands: who runs each stage, what the papers look like, roughly when they happen, and how to prepare. It is written for parents and for students who are thinking of starting. Rules and dates are revised every year, so always confirm details on the HBCSE olympiad site and the IOQM site before you register.
One naming note before we begin. SOF’s International Mathematics Olympiad, the school olympiad written in many schools, is a different competition. This guide is about the International Mathematical Olympiad and India’s route to it.
Who runs it
The Mathematical Olympiad Programme is organised by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE, part of TIFR) on behalf of the National Board for Higher Mathematics. The first stage, IOQM, is conducted by the Mathematics Teachers’ Association (India), known as MTA(I). The country is divided into regions, each with a Regional Coordinator, and Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are treated as regions of their own.
The stages at a glance
| Stage | Run by | Format | Usually held |
|---|---|---|---|
| IOQM | MTA(I) | 3 hours, 30 questions, numerical answers | September |
| RMO | HBCSE with Regional Coordinators | 3 hours, 6 problems needing full proofs | November |
| INMO | HBCSE | 4.5 hours, 6 problems needing full proofs | January |
| IMOTC | HBCSE | Training camp with selection tests | April to May |
| IMO | International | Six-member Indian team | July |
Stage 1: IOQM
The Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics replaced the old Pre-Regional Mathematical Olympiad (PRMO). It is a three-hour paper of 30 questions, and every answer is a whole number from 0 to 99, marked on an OMR sheet. There are no answer options to choose from, so guessing rarely helps. The paper is set in English and Hindi.
Who can write it. Students in Classes 8 to 12 who fall within a birth-date window, are eligible for an Indian passport, and meet residence and schooling conditions. Students who have already finished Class 12 board exams before a set date, or started university, can’t take part. Students with OCI cards can currently take part in every stage up to the training camps but, following court orders, are not eligible for selection to the Indian team.
How to register. Through a registered exam centre, often a school, or individually through the online IOQM portal.
Getting to RMO. A student needs at least 10% of the total marks to be considered, but that alone is not enough. Places are then given region by region, with Class 12 students in a separate, smaller pool from Classes 8 to 11, plus extra places reserved for girls. The exact numbers are published each year.
Stage 2: RMO
The Regional Mathematical Olympiad is a three-hour paper with six problems, each needing a full written proof. This is the biggest jump in the whole programme. A student who has only ever solved for an answer now has to explain why it is true, step by step, in a way a reader can check.
RMO is offered in English, Hindi and regional languages as the Regional Coordinators decide. Regional training camps, called INMOTCs, are held to prepare students for the next stage.
Stage 3: INMO
The Indian National Mathematical Olympiad is a four-and-a-half-hour paper with six proof problems, usually held in January. Places come from each region’s RMO results, again with separate pools for Class 12 and extra places for girls.
The top performers become INMO awardees. Two useful points:
- INMO awardees who are still eligible can go straight to the next year’s INMO without writing IOQM and RMO again.
- Some students selected after INMO also write the Asian Pacific Mathematics Olympiad (APMO), and girls can be selected towards the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) through a separate training camp.
Stage 4: IMOTC
The top INMO students, a group of a few dozen, are invited to the International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp, usually held over April and May at HBCSE or another institute. The camp combines teaching with several selection tests. Six students are chosen for the Indian team, who then attend a short pre-departure camp at HBCSE.
Stage 5: IMO
The final stage is the IMO itself, where each country sends a team of up to six students with mentors. Indian teams have done well in recent years; at the 2026 IMO in Shanghai, India’s team won two gold and four silver medals.
What the syllabus covers
HBCSE describes the syllabus as pre-college mathematics, grouped into four areas:
- Algebra: polynomials, inequalities, functional equations, sequences.
- Geometry: triangles, circles and their properties, classical theorems such as Ceva’s and Menelaus’s, trigonometry, coordinate geometry.
- Combinatorics: counting, the pigeonhole principle, recursion, elementary graph theory.
- Number theory: divisibility, primes, congruences and classical theorems such as Fermat’s little theorem.
HBCSE notes that RMO and INMO problems may include topics not listed. In practice, the difficulty comes less from advanced topics and more from combining simple ideas in unfamiliar ways.
How to prepare, stage by stage
If you are in Class 8 or 9
You have time, and that is your biggest advantage. Start with past IOQM papers from the HBCSE site, untimed, and treat each one as a collection of puzzles. Keep a notebook of every new idea you meet. Books recommended on HBCSE’s syllabus page include “Challenge and Thrill of Pre-College Mathematics”, “Problem Primer for Olympiads” and “An Excursion in Mathematics”. Aim for steady weekly practice rather than bursts.
If you are in Class 10 or 11
Work on IOQM papers under timed conditions, and begin writing full solutions to RMO problems even before you qualify. Write as if for a stranger: state what you are proving, justify every step, and check the edge cases. Ask a teacher or a friend to read your solutions and point out gaps. Arthur Engel’s “Problem Solving Strategies”, also on HBCSE’s list, is a common next step.
If you are in Class 12
Board and entrance exams are close, so be honest about time. Class 12 students compete in a separate, smaller pool for RMO and INMO places. If you have been preparing for a few years, it is worth writing IOQM; if you are starting from scratch, your time may be better spent elsewhere this year.
At every stage
- Read solutions properly. After an attempt, study the official solution until you could explain it to someone else.
- Keep an error log. Note the kind of mistake, not just the question.
- Protect sleep and school. The programme is long, and steady effort beats exhaustion.
What it leads to
Reaching the later stages is an achievement in itself, and a few routes into higher education recognise it directly. The Indian Statistical Institute, for example, has a separate admission channel for INMO awardees selected for the training camp, and some IITs offer olympiad-based seats to students who attended a national training camp. Read are olympiads worth it for college? for the detail.
Most students who start the programme won’t reach INMO, and that is fine. The habits it builds, careful reasoning, clear writing and patience with hard problems, are useful whatever comes next.
For dates and eligibility for this year, see our IOQM page and the olympiad calendar. Ado is not affiliated with HBCSE or MTA(I).
Facts checked against official sources. How we check our facts. Spot a mistake? Tell us at hi@getado.app.