What is SMO | How to prepare for SMO, 2024?

What is SMO?

The Singapore Mathematical Olympiad (SMO) has been organized by The Singapore Mathematical Society (SMS) annually since the 1950’s. The main purpose of these competitions is to check the problem-solving ability in mathematics of students from junior and senior sections.

Who can appear for SMO 2024?

Senior Level :

The Competition is open to Secondary School students born on or after 2 January 2008 and who have never attended any tertiary-level educational institution on a full-time basis.

Junior Level :

The Competition is open to Secondary School students born on or after 2 January 2010 and who have never attended any tertiary-level educational institution on a full-time basis

SMO Exam Format 2024:

This level has 2 rounds.
Round 1: The paper in Round 1 contains 5 multiple-choice questions, each with five options, and 20 short answer questions. The language of the test is English.

SMO Exam Syllabus 2024:

Junior Level :

• Algebra
• Geometry
• Pattern Recognition
• Simple Combinatorics
• Number Theory

Senior Level :

• Algebra
• Arithmetic
• Counting
• Elementary Geometry
• Combinatorics
• Number Theory

What after the first round of SMO?

Participants in the top 10% of round 1 of the competition will be invited to participate in round 2, which will be a three-hour written paper consisting of questions requiring full-length solutions.

Preparation Tips

• Utilize your resources: Start your preparation with whatever resource you have. Get a clear idea of the concepts. Change your mindset about problem-solving and enjoy it.
• Go from basics to advanced: To increase your confidence start with some basic problems and then solve the harder ones. This will not discourage you from leaving behind an unsolved problem.
• Solve Past Papers: Solve the previous year's question paper to understand the difficulty level of the examination and practice accordingly.
• Solve Similar Questions: Try to get some questions that are similar to the difficulty level of SMO and practice them.
• Don't hesitate to solve Challenging Problems: As the competition gets tougher year by year. Try to solve questions that are of a higher level of the examination.
• Get a coach: A coach can see and analyze your performance and guide you in the best way possible. He/She can help you strengthen your weaknesses by letting you work in the right direction.
• Take Mock Tests: Take Mock Tests to check your problem-solving ability. If it is an online test, then it can help you know your preparation status for the competition. Thus you can analyze your preparation.
• Track Your Progress: You should also track your progress. If something unimportant is stealing your time, recognize it and try to avoid it. Keep yourself surrounded by people who encourage you. Discuss your dreams and goals with them.

Wish you all the best for the Exam.