UKMT Competition Pipeline
UKMT Competitions — Fifteen Events across Four Stages of the British Maths Pathway
The United Kingdom Mathematics Trust operates a structured competition pipeline that runs from age ten to age eighteen. This page is the index — every event by stage, with year groups, dates, and format at a glance, plus the entry process and the path to the British Mathematical Olympiad.
UKMT pipeline by the numbers
across pipeline
school year
each year
and markers
Kangaroo, Olympiad
Overview
What the UKMT Competition Pipeline Is
The UKMT runs a structured set of mathematics competitions for British students from Year 5 through Year 13. The competitions are tiered by difficulty within each school year and by age across the pipeline, and they connect end-to-end so that strong performance at one stage qualifies a student to sit the next.
The pipeline is best understood as three concentric tiers within each age group. The Challenge is the entry-level paper: multiple-choice, sat by tens or hundreds of thousands of British students each year, designed to be accessible but rewarding. The Kangaroo is the follow-on paper, sat by the top performers in the Challenge — still multiple-choice, but harder. The Olympiad is the written round, sat by an invited cohort of strong Kangaroo and Challenge scorers — open-ended, full written solutions, marked by a centralised panel.
At the primary level, the pipeline is single-event: only the Primary Kangaroo runs, with no separate Olympiad. At the Junior level (Year 7–8), all three tiers are present: the Junior Mathematical Challenge, the Junior Kangaroo, and the Junior Mathematical Olympiad. The Intermediate stage (Year 9–11) is the largest, with the Intermediate Challenge, two Kangaroo papers (Grey and Pink), and three year-specific Olympiads (Cayley for Year 9, Hamilton for Year 10, Maclaurin for Year 11). The Senior stage (Year 12–13) is the most concentrated: the Senior Mathematical Challenge feeds the Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo and the British Mathematical Olympiad (Rounds 1 and 2), with the parallel Mathematical Olympiad for Girls feeding EGMO selection.
Across all stages, the design intent is the same: identify and nurture the strongest mathematical thinkers, while keeping participation broad. The competitions are sat in schools across the United Kingdom on fixed national dates, with the papers and marking standardised across the country. The BMO, at the senior end, is the only round through which the UK selects its team for the International Mathematical Olympiad — the final destination of the pipeline.
This site treats the pipeline as a whole. The four stage hubs (Primary, Junior, Intermediate, Senior) carry the basic facts about each stage; the five Olympiad deep dives (JMO, Cayley, Hamilton, Maclaurin, MOG) carry the deeper format detail for the written rounds; and the BMO Deep Dive covers Round 1, Round 2, the Trinity Camp and the IMO team selection in full.
By Stage
The Four Stages of the UKMT Pipeline
Each stage carries its own Challenge, its own Kangaroo (from Junior onwards), and from the Junior level onwards its own written Olympiad. Click any stage card below for the full event list, dates, eligibility rules, sample problems, and the route forward.
Primary
The pipeline begins with a single twenty-problem multiple-choice paper sat each March, aimed at identifying the strongest mathematical thinkers in upper primary.
Junior
The Junior stage carries three competitions — Challenge, Kangaroo and Olympiad. The Junior Mathematical Olympiad is the first written Olympiad in the pipeline.
Intermediate
The most populous stage. Six events: one Challenge, two Kangaroo papers, and three year-specific Olympiads — Cayley, Hamilton, Maclaurin.
Senior
The summit. Senior Mathematical Challenge, Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo, the Mathematical Olympiad for Girls, and the British Mathematical Olympiad in two rounds.
All Events
All Fifteen UKMT Competitions — A Single Index
A single table indexes the fifteen competitions across the four stages, with year groups, sitting month, paper format, and a link to the deep dive where one is available. Use this as a quick reference; for full detail click into the relevant stage hub or Olympiad page.
| Event | Year group | When | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 01 — Primary | |||
| Primary KangarooPK | Year 5–6 | November | 25 multiple-choice problems · 60 minutes |
| Stage 02 — Junior | |||
| Junior Mathematical ChallengeJMC | Year 7–8 | April | 25 multiple-choice problems · 60 minutes · school-sat |
| Junior KangarooJK | Year 7–8 | June | 25 multiple-choice problems · 60 minutes · by invitation |
| Junior Mathematical OlympiadJMO | Year 7–8 | June | 15 problems · 2 hours · written · by invitation |
| Stage 03 — Intermediate | |||
| Intermediate Mathematical ChallengeIMC | Year 9–11 | February | 25 multiple-choice problems · 60 minutes · school-sat |
| Grey KangarooGK | Year 9 and below | March | 25 multiple-choice problems · 60 minutes · by invitation |
| Pink KangarooPK | Year 10–11 | March | 25 multiple-choice problems · 60 minutes · by invitation |
| Cayley OlympiadCayley | Year 9 | March | 6 problems · 2 hours · written · by invitation |
| Hamilton OlympiadHamilton | Year 10 | March | 6 problems · 2 hours · written · by invitation |
| Maclaurin OlympiadMaclaurin | Year 11 | March | 6 problems · 2 hours · written · by invitation |
| Stage 04 — Senior | |||
| Senior Mathematical ChallengeSMC | Year 12–13 | October | 25 multiple-choice problems · 90 minutes · school-sat |
| Andrew Jobbings Senior KangarooSK | Year 12–13 | November | 20 integer-answer problems (000–999) · 60 minutes · by invitation |
| Mathematical Olympiad for GirlsMOG | Year 11+ (female; younger at school discretion) | September | 5 problems (2 short-answer + 3 full written solutions) · 2.5 hours · school discretion |
| British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1BMO1 | Year 12–13 | November | 6 problems · 3 hours 30 minutes · written · school + discretionary |
| British Mathematical Olympiad Round 2BMO2 | Year 12–13 | January | 4 problems · 3 hours 30 minutes · written · by invitation |
Entering
How Students Enter UKMT Competitions
Most UKMT competitions are sat in schools, administered by the school’s mathematics department. Students do not enter individually; the school registers, pays the per-student fee, and runs the paper on the national sitting date. Below are the three standard entry routes and the eligibility rules that apply at the senior end.
Through your school
The default route. Schools register their students through the UKMT portal, pay the per-student entry fee, and administer the paper on the national sitting date. Speak to your school’s mathematics department head, typically in late summer or early autumn.
School discretionary entry
For competitions with eligibility restrictions (notably BMO Round 1), schools may enter additional students at their own discretion, subject to a higher per-student fee. International students at UK schools normally enter through this route. Discretionary entry is per-paper, not per-year.
By invitation (follow-on rounds)
Kangaroo papers, Junior and Intermediate Olympiads, and BMO Round 2 are sat by invitation only, based on score on the preceding Challenge or Olympiad round. Invited students receive their entry directly from UKMT; no separate registration is required.
Frequently Asked
Six Questions about the UKMT Competition Pipeline
Six questions parents and students most often raise when first encountering the UKMT pipeline. Each answer is verified against the UKMT competitions site and the BMO Subtrust record.
- Who is eligible to enter UKMT competitions?
- Most UKMT Challenges and Kangaroo rounds are open to any student in the corresponding school year, subject to school registration. The senior-end Olympiads (BMO Round 1 and Round 2 in particular) have additional eligibility restrictions: students must hold British nationality or have at least three years of UK education, with schools permitted to enter additional students on a discretionary basis. The Mathematical Olympiad for Girls is the principal Senior-level event with the most accessible eligibility for international students at UK schools.
- When do the Challenges and Olympiads run each year?
- UKMT publishes the full year calendar each summer. The Senior Mathematical Challenge runs in October, BMO Round 1 in November, and BMO Round 2 in late January. The Intermediate stage runs across February and March. The Junior stage sits in April and June. The Primary Kangaroo runs in March. Specific dates are fixed nationally; every entering school sits the paper on the same day.
- Do students get certificates and awards?
- Yes. Every UKMT Challenge awards Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates by score percentile (typically the top 6%, top 13% and top 21% nationally). The Junior, Intermediate and Senior Olympiads award further Distinction certificates and, at the top tier, Book Prizes and medals. BMO Round 1 and Round 2 award Distinction at the top score tiers; BMO Round 2 distinction holders are recognised in the BMO honours record.
- Are past papers available?
- Yes — UKMT maintains a publicly available archive of past papers, mark schemes and solutions for every competition in the pipeline. The BMO Subtrust site at bmos.ukmt.org.uk carries the BMO Round 1 and Round 2 archive going back to the 1960s. Working through past papers is the standard preparation method at every stage of the pipeline.
- Is there a fee to enter?
- Yes — most UKMT Challenges and the BMO Round 1 carry a per-student entry fee paid by the school to UKMT. Fees are modest (typically a few pounds per student per paper) and are normally either absorbed by the school’s mathematics department or recovered as part of the school’s general subject fees. Invitation-only rounds (BMO Round 2, Kangaroos, Junior and Intermediate Olympiads) do not require separate payment.
- What if my school doesn’t enter UKMT competitions?
- If your school does not currently register for UKMT competitions, the first step is to ask your mathematics department head whether registration is possible — for most UK schools, doing so is straightforward and can be set up before the autumn term. For international students attending a UK school that does enter UKMT, the school discretionary entry route is the typical path for BMO Round 1 access. For students based outside the United Kingdom entirely, BMO direct entry is not normally permitted; the suggested route is to participate in your own national Olympiad pipeline.
Add Advisor on WhatsApp
Speak to an Advisor about Stage Selection and Entry
The fastest route to a real conversation about which UKMT competitions to enter, school registration questions, discretionary entry for international students, and the route from Year 7 to Team UK at the IMO. Scan the code on the left; written exchanges in English or Chinese welcomed.