In our International Math Competition series, we break down everything parents need to know about various international math competitions. In our previous article, we explored the history and benefits of joining the Math Kangaroo competitions. Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty, specifically in the three popular countries. We’ll cover registration deadlines, exam formats, awards, and more to help you prepare confidently for this competition in 2024.
Math Kangaroo 2024 Overview: United States, Singapore, and China
Math Kangaroo is an international math contest that encourages a passion for math and creative problem-solving skills in children. The competition features problems that focus on creative math solutions, often with fun facts and real-life applications.
While the topics covered are similar by and large across countries, there are differences in how registration, pricing, and scoring work. Check out the comparison table below for details the US, Singapore and China, and choose what best fits your child’s needs.
Math Kangaroo USA
Math Kangaroo USA has been organizing competitions in the United States for students in grades K-12 for 26 years.
Registration and Exam Details
Registration Period and Fees:
- Math Kangaroo USA typically opens for registration from September to December each year.
- Standard registration fee: US$21.
- Late registration fee (until December 31): US$35.
- Registration for the 2024 Math Kangaroo USA is between September 15 and December 2023. [Remark: The registration for the current year has closed. Interested participants can try the competitions in other countries or mark the calendars for next year’s competition.]
Exam Date:
- The Math Kangaroo USA competition is held on the third Thursday of March.
- The next contest is scheduled for March 22, 2024.
- This uniform date across various states ensures a synchronized challenge
Exam Format
The competition consists of a 75-minute multiple-choice test, with tailored question count — 24 questions for grades 1-4 and 30 questions for grades 5-12. Each question in the exam has a point value. 1/3 of questions are 3 points each, 1/3 – 4 points each, 1/3 – 5 points each. Therefore, the best score is 96 at grades 1-4, and 120 at grades 5-12. The inclusive nature of Math Kangaroo allows kindergarten students to participate at the grade 1 level, ensuring that every student who can read and work independently at their school grade level is qualified to take the exam. Students can also familiarize themselves with the competition’s format through past papers.
Questions are meticulously chosen by the International Math Kangaroo Committee, AKSF, to assess diverse mathematical thinking. In addition, the scoring system rewards accuracy and understanding, with no points taken away for answering questions incorrectly, fostering a positive and encouraging environment for participants.
National Awards and Prizes
The National Awards honor the top 20 students in each grade, with their “National Rank” displayed as 1 through 20. These rankings are determined independently for each grade level across the United States.
For example, in grades 1-4, the student with the highest score may receive a perfect score of 96, the second-highest score could be 93 (missing one three-point question), the third-highest score might be 92 (missing one four-point question), and the fourth-highest score could be 91 (missing one five-point question). In recent years, there have been multiple students achieving the same score for each point, and there is a high probability of multiple students sharing the same rank. The same applies to grades 5-12.
- The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places receive gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively.
- Prizes vary based on grade level for the top-10-ranked students.
- The top-20-ranked students receive Math Kangaroo Excellence Award magnets.
Singapore Math Kangaroo Contest (SMKC)
The Singapore Math Kangaroo Contest (SMKC), organized by the Singapore International Mastery Contests Centre (SIMCC), is a perfect choice for competition starters, as its syllabus is less advanced than that of other math Olympiads. With a strong emphasis on the international recognition of participants’ mathematical abilities, SMKC aims to bolster students’ portfolios for applications to prestigious schools, universities, and scholarships.
Registration Process
For School Candidates: Schools in Singapore have the flexibility to host SMKC between April 1, 2024, and April 19, 2024. Students can register at participating schools with a registration fee of SGD$17.
For Private Candidates: Students looking to participate individually can register through the SMKC’s official portal. The private candidate competition is set for April 13, 2024, with the specific schedule to be announced a week prior. It’s important to note that the competition for private candidates will be paper-based.
Exam Format
SMKC stands out with its individual multiple-choice test format, catering to students from Primary 1 to JC 2 (Grades 1 to 12). Depending on the grade level, participants will face 24 to 30 questions across three sections of increasing difficulty, with the contest duration set at 90 minutes for all participants. The unique scoring system rewards correct answers and deducts points for incorrect ones, ensuring a fair assessment of each student’s mathematical ability. No points are deducted for unanswered questions.
- Primary 1 to 4 (Grades 1 to 4): 24 questions
- Primary 5 to 6 (Grades 5 to 6): 30 questions
- Secondary 1 to 4 (Grades 7 to 10): 30 questions
- Junior College 1 to 2 (Grades 11 to 12): 30 questions
All participants start with bonus points to ensure no negative scores (24 bonus points for grades 1 to 4 and 30 bonus points for grades 5 to 12). Essential competition tools include pencils, erasers, and geometry tools. Meanwhile, calculators and electronic devices are prohibited to maintain the challenge’s integrity.
Awards and Recognition
SMKC recognizes excellence with a variety of awards:
- Perfect Score Award (Full marks) – qualifies as a significant award for the International Junior Honour Society (IJHS) entry.
- Gold Award (Top 8%) – qualifies as a significant award for IJHS entry.
- Silver Award (Next 12%)
- Bronze Award (Next 20%)
- Honourable Mention (Next 10%)
- Certificate of Participation (Next 50%)
The top 40% of participants will receive an award certificate. Additionally, top 5 SMKC winners from each grade (except P1, who can compete in P2) earn a contest scholarship to compete in the American Mathematics Olympiad (AMO) 2024.
Math Kangaroo China
In China, the Math Kangaroo competition offers papers in both Chinese and English to meet the linguistic needs of its diverse participants.
Registration and Participation
Students can register for the competition through partnering schools of ASEEDER, the official representative of Math Kangaroo in China, or register individually or via agencies like Spark Education.
- Registration Deadline: March 15, 2024 [Remark: The registration for the current year has closed. Interested students can try the competitions in other countries or mark the calendars for next year.]
- Competition Date: March 30, 2024. Exams for grades 1 to 6 will be held in the morning (10:00 – 11:15), while exams for grades 7 to 12 will take place in the afternoon (14:00 to 15:15).
Exam Format and Levels
Math Kangaroo in China offers both paper-based sessions in partnering schools and online options for individual participants. With six different levels (A-F) spanning grades 1 to 12, it provides comprehensive coverage. Mathematically adept students can register for multiple levels or choose higher than their current grade level, but not lower.
- Level A to B (Grades 1 to 4): 24 multiple-choice questions, with a full score of 120. Scoring starts at 24 points to prevent negative scores. Q1-8 are valued at 3 points each, Q9-16 at 4 points each, and Q17-24 at 5 points each. While 1 point will be deducted for incorrect answers, and no points will be deducted for unanswered questions.
- Level C to F (Grades 5 to 12): 30 multiple-choice questions, with a full score of 150. Scoring starts at 30 points to prevent negative scores. Q1-10 carry 3 points each, Q11-20 are 4 points each and Q21-30 are worth 5 points each. Similarly, incorrect answers leads to a deduction of 1 point, while unanswered questions do not incur any penalty.
Awards and Recognition
Math Kangaroo China distinguishes its achievers with awards ranging from Perfect Score to Proficiency Awards, segmented by national percentages and provincial distinctions. Gold Award winners gain eligibility for Kangaroo Europe and Asia camps, highlighting the international opportunities stemming from the competition. Students with Perfect Score will also receive a cup.
Global Awards
Math Kangaroo Perfect Score: Full marks
National Awards
- Top Gold: Top 5%
- Gold Award: Top 15%
- Silver Award: Top 25%
- Bronze Award: Top 40%
- Proficiency Award: Top 25% by Province / Municipality / Autonomous Region / Special Administrative Region (after national awards)
Unlock Your Potential with Spark Education’s Math Kangaroo Course
Prepare your child confidently for Math Kangaroo with Spark Education’s online course! Tailored for grades 1 to 6, our program offers 24 intensive lessons covering all essential and advanced topics in Math Kangaroo. The key areas include Calculation, Geometry, Application, Combinations, Common Mistakes, and Challenging Problems. The course starts with an introductory session and adopts a tiered learning approach to ensure a well-rounded understanding to crucial math concepts and skills for competition success.
Moreover, our teachers are highly qualified and knowledgeable about the variations in Math Kangaroo across different countries to help our international students navigate the distinct rules, timings, and rewards of various competitions.
Benefiting from personalized guidance, optimized preparation strategies, and a deeper understanding of the international competition landscape, students of Spark Math have achieved commendable results in Math Kangaroo. Join us to not only prepare for success in Math Kangaroo but also to cultivate a deeper appreciation and understanding of mathematics.
