What it is
The International Mathematics Olympiad, usually called SOF IMO, is the maths olympiad run every year by the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF). It is a school olympiad: children write it in their own school, on a paper set for their own class, in one hour.
It is not the same contest as the International Mathematical Olympiad, the global competition for secondary students. Indian students reach that one through a separate, official route of harder exams, listed on the olympiads page.
The SOF paper tests more than speed with sums. It has four sections:
- Logical Reasoning: patterns, analogies, classification, coding-decoding, direction sense, mirror images, clocks and calendars.
- Mathematical Reasoning: the maths of the class syllabus, from number sense in the junior classes to algebra, geometry, trigonometry and probability later on.
- Everyday Mathematics: more questions on the same syllabus as Mathematical Reasoning.
- Achievers Section: five harder, higher-order questions that carry more marks each.
| Classes | Logical Reasoning | Mathematical Reasoning | Everyday Mathematics | Achievers Section | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 35 questions, 40 marks |
| 5–10 | 15 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 50 questions, 60 marks |
| 11–12 | 15 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 50 questions, 60 marks |
Every question is multiple choice. Achievers questions carry 2 marks each up to Class 4 and 3 marks each from Class 5; the rest carry 1 mark. For Classes 11 and 12 the second section is called Mathematical Reasoning / Applied Mathematics. The paper is in English.
Who can take it
Students from Class 1 to Class 12 whose school is registered with SOF. Each student writes the paper for their own class, not a higher one. Classes 1 and 2 sit Level 1 only; Level 2 is for Classes 3 to 12.
Students cannot apply on their own. If your child’s school does not take part, the school can ask SOF for its prospectus and register as a centre. That is the only route SOF describes.
How it works
- Registration through the school. A coordinating teacher collects the names and sends them to SOF before the school’s deadline, at least 30 days before the exam date the school has chosen. SOF sets a minimum number of students per school.
- Level 1 in school. SOF offers a few dates; each school picks one and cannot change it. The paper is written during school hours, on the school’s premises.
- Level 2 for top scorers. A student in Classes 3–12 qualifies by meeting any one of three conditions on SOF’s rankings page: being in the top 5% of their class in Level 1; being among the top 25 in their class in their zone; or topping their class in a school where at least 10 students from that class wrote the paper, with at least 50% marks. Level 2 has two sections for most classes, mathematics and the Achievers Section, with an extra Mathematical Reasoning / Applied Mathematics section for Classes 11–12.
SOF ranks students class by class at international, zonal and school level. When two students tie on total marks, the one with more marks in the higher-priority section ranks higher, and for the maths olympiad the Achievers Section comes first. At Level 2, Level 2 marks decide the rank, with Level 1 marks used only to break a remaining tie. SOF describes medals, certificates and other awards for top rank holders at each level, and recognition for schools and teachers; the current list is on the official site. If Level 2 cannot be held in a given year, SOF says the Level 1 results become final.
When it happens
Level 1 is usually held in schools between October and December, on the one date each school chose. Level 2 is usually in February. Because registration closes about a month before the school’s chosen date, a parent who wants their child to take part should speak to the class teacher early in the term. The exact dates for this year are on the official SOF page, and the olympiad calendar shows the usual months for every olympiad side by side.
How to prepare
Start with the school textbook. SOF’s syllabus pages say that Level 1 questions come about 60% from the current class syllabus and 40% from the previous class, while Level 2 uses the current class only. So last year’s chapters matter as much as this year’s for the first round.
Give reasoning its own time. Logical Reasoning is 10 of 35 questions in Classes 1–4 and 15 of 50 from Class 5. These are puzzles a child gets faster at with exposure: series, odd one out, mirror images, direction sense, coding-decoding. The reasoning prep guide covers the common types.
Practise the Achievers Section separately. These five questions are worth a quarter of the marks, and they usually need two or three steps. Ten minutes on one hard problem, done carefully, teaches more than ten easy ones.
Time a few full papers. Fifty questions in 60 minutes is a little over a minute each. Two or three timed sample papers from SOF, spread across the last month, show whether your child runs out of time or rushes.
Keep it age-sized. For Classes 1–3, short, cheerful sessions of 15–20 minutes, three times a week, for five or six weeks are plenty. From Class 6, two or three 40-minute sessions a week over eight weeks is a sensible range. In Classes 10 and 12, board exams come first. The maths prep guide has more by age.
Where daily practice fits
Ado is a free daily quiz of 8 questions a day, including a 60-second sprint, in maths, science, English, GK and reasoning. A few minutes each day keeps number facts and reasoning puzzles fresh between sample papers, and builds the kind of speed a one-hour, 50-question paper rewards. Students are ranked only against others the same age, and the Ado Rank builds from their three strongest subjects and never resets.
Good to know
SOF is one of several organisers with a school maths olympiad. SilverZone runs the International Olympiad of Mathematics and Unified Council runs the UIMO. They differ in sections, levels and timing, and a child can sit more than one, but one or two olympiads a year is usually enough.