Singapore Mathematical Olympiad
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The Singapore Mathematical Olympiad (SMO) is a mathematics competition organised by the Singapore Mathematical Society. It comprises three sections, Junior, Senior and Open, each of which is open to all pre-university students studying in Singapore who meet the age requirements for the particular section. The competition is held annually, and the first round of each section is usually held in late May or early June. The second round is usually held in late June or early July.
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[edit] Junior Section
The Junior Section comprises 10 multiple-choice questions, each having five options, and 25 open-ended questions. It is geared towards Lower Secondary students. Topics tested include number theory, pattern gazing, geometry, simple combinatorics and algebra. Trigonometry is not tested as the Lower Secondary students have not learned it yet at their level.
From 2006, a second round was added, and similar to the Senior Invitational Round, it consists of a 5-question, 3-hour long paper.
[edit] Senior Section
There are two rounds to the Senior Section, the written round (Round 1) and the invitational round (Round 2).
The paper in Round 1 comprises 10 multiple-choice questions, each having five options, and 25 open-ended questions. It is geared towards Upper Secondary students. Topics tested include number theory, combinatorics, geometry, algebra, probability.
The Senior Invitational Round consists of a 5-question, 3-hour long paper, each question of varying difficulty, and only the top scorers are invited to take this test. This test will help determine the individual rankings of the scorers.
[edit] Open Section
Similar to the Senior Section, there are two rounds, the written round (Round 1) and the invitational round (Round 2).
The paper in Round 1 comprises 25 open-ended questions. It is geared towards pre-university students. Topics tested include number theory, combinatorics, geometry, algebra, probability, but of a higher level than the Senior Section.
The Open Invitational Round consists of a 5-question, 4.5-hour long paper, each question of varying difficulty, and only the top scorers are invited to take this test. This test will help determine the individual rankings of the scorers. In addition, it serves as a purpose to select participants who are Singaporeans or Permanent Residents for the National Team training team whereby a further six will be selected for the International Mathematical Olympiad.
[edit] Prizes
As of 2006, in each of the Junior and Senior sections, prizes are awarded to the 30 individuals with the highest total scores in the first and special rounds, as well as to the 20 secondary schools with the highest team scores. The team score is computed by summing the three best scores from students of their school in the first round alone. In the Open section, prizes are similarly awarded to the top 30 individuals, as well as to the 10 institutions (secondary schools and junior colleges with the highest team scores from the first round.
The above prizes take the form of cash awards, certificates displaying the individual's/team's ranking, as well as trophies. Individuals who do not place in the top 30 may also receive gold, silver, bronze, honourable mentions or participation, in decreasing order of merit.
