Learn how to select the proper Grade for the International Maths Challenge to be held in May-June 2026.
For students whose academic year started between January and May 2026 (common in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore):
Choose the grade your child is in right now for the November 2026 Maths Challenge.
For students whose academic year started after June 1, 2026 (common in Asia, Europe, and North America), you have two options:
Pick the new grade your child just started in 2026.
OR pick the previous grade your child completed recently (the one that started in 2024).
Pros and Cons of Choosing the Previous Grade:
Pros: Your child has already covered the syllabus, making the test easier.
Cons: The certificate will state the test grade chosen. For example, if your child just started Grade 5 but takes the test for Grade 4, the certificate will say “Grade 4”.
Note for Parents Choosing the Previous Grade:
Your student portal should always show your child’s current grade, but you must manually select the previous grade when enrolling if you want your child to take the test at that level.
Notations and Terminology:
For simplicity, our website refers to all academic levels as "Grade", regardless of the curriculum terminology used (e.g. Year, Level, or Standard).
In most curricula (excluding the UK and New Zealand), the equivalence is:
Grade 1 = Year 1 = Level 1 = Standard 1, and so on.
For the UK and New Zealand curriculum:
Year 1 = Grade 1, Year 2 = Grade 2, and the sequence continues accordingly.
Year 12 and Year 13 are both considered Grade 12 for the purpose of this challenge.
