International Mathematical Olympiad: Encyclopedia II - International Mathematical Olympiad - Selection process

International Mathematical Olympiad - Selection process

International Mathematical Olympiad - Australia

In Australia, selection into the IMO team is determined by the Australian Mathematics Trust and is based on the results from 4 exams:

• The Australian Mathematics Olympiad
• The Asia Pacific Mathematics Olympiad
• 2 IMO selection exams

The Australian Mathematics Olympiad (AMO) is held annually in the second week of February. It is composed of two 4-hour papers held over two consecutive days. There are 4 questions in each exam for a total of 8 questions. Entry is by invitation only with approximately 100 candidates per year.

A month after the AMO, the Asia Pacific Mathematics Olympiad is held (APMO) and the top 25 from the AMO are invited to sit the exam. It is a four and a half hour exam with 5 questions.

The top 12 students from the AMO and APMO (along with another 12 or so junior students) are then invited to a 10 day camp held in Sydney in the April school holidays. During this camp, two 4.5 hour selection exams are held, each with 4 questions. The top six candidates along with a reserve are then announced as part of the team based on their results in the four exams.

International Mathematical Olympiad - Cyprus

In Cyprus Four provincial competitions are held in November in every district capital. In Lefkosia is called "Iakovos Patatsos", in Lemesos is called "Andreas Vlamis", in Larnaka and Ammochostos is called "Petrakis Kyprianou" and in Pafos is called "Andreas Hadjitheoris". Afterwards 10 students from every grade (A, B and C grade) of the high-school (Lyceum) from every district are selected. Total: 4 districts * 3 grades * 10 students = 120 students.

Then a National (Pancyprian) competition is held in December and is called "Zeno". Every grade has different problems. Afterwards 10 students from every grade are selected. Total: 3 grades * 10 students = 30 students. This student are divide into two groups according to the district they come from. Group A must come from Lemesos and Pafos and Group B must come from Lefkosia, Larnaka and Ammochostos.

Each group watches about 8 to 10 four hour preparing lessons for the olympiad. Each group decides where the next lesson will be held. During the lessons Four Selection competitions are held which are considered the four parts of the Selection Competition under 15.5 which is called "Michael Georgallas". In each of the competition 5 students are eliminated. So after the 4th competition the six member of national team and the four runners-up are selected.

• In every competition there are four problem covering geometry, number theory, algebra, and combinatorics and last four hours each.

International Mathematical Olympiad - Denmark

In Denmark a national contest open to all high school students is held every year called "Georg Mohr-Konkurrencen"(the Georg Mohr contest) named after a Danish mathematician. The top 20 of this contest are then invited to another contest where the final team is selected.

International Mathematical Olympiad - France

The Association Animath prepares and selects the French IMO team. Students who succeed at a preselection test can get from Animath a year-long training, after which the team is selected by an IMO-like test.

International Mathematical Olympiad - Hellas

• Θαλής (Thalis) - first round
• Ευκλείδης (Efklidis) - second round
• Αρχιμήδης (Archimidis) - third round

International Mathematical Olympiad - Hong Kong

Hong Kong first joined IMO in 1988.

In Hong Kong, the International Mathematical Olympiad Preliminary Selection Contest is held every year. Students are selected to receive further training, after three phases of which 6 students will be selected as the Hong Kong team members, and 6 will be selected as reserve members. The further training is also known as phase four training.

International Mathematical Olympiad - India

In India, the Indian National Mathematics Olympiad (or INMO) is held every year. Students qualifying this examination get to attend the IMO Training Camp where further selection tests are used to identify the top six students who will represent the country. Learn more at INMO.

International Mathematical Olympiad - Latvia

In Latvia a national contest open to all high school students takes place each year. The best participants of regional contests are allowed to participate in the national olympiad held in Riga. The top students are further tested to select the national team.

International Mathematical Olympiad - Malaysia

The first selection round is based on the Olimpiad Matematik Kebangsaan, OMK (National Mathematical Olympiad) and around 30 candidates are selected to join two or three training camps. The final six candidates are selected from the results of several other tests and exams (including the APMO) in these training camps.

Generally, exact selection criteria for acceptance into the team is unknown since the exam results in the training camps are not disclosed. However, it is known to the public that the team must consist of a certain number of Bumiputras. There have been many cases where even the top three in the OMK were not selected as one of the trainees to represent the country. ^{[citation needed]}

Additionally, private school students are not allowed to participate in the International Olympiad training camps in Malaysia.

International Mathematical Olympiad - Portugal

In Portugal, there are four selection steps. The three first are the exams of the Portuguese Mathematics Olympiad and the last is composed of several exams made by Projecto Delfos, who also prepares the students for international competitions.

International Mathematical Olympiad - Romania

In Romania those that enter the Romanian National Team on Mathematical Olympiad are selected from 3 rounds: City, County and National. A team (plus reserve) is selected from the first 9 topped on the National Olympiad.

International Mathematical Olympiad - United Kingdom

In the UK those that enter the British Mathematical Olympiad are reduced to around 20 for a 'training session' held in Trinity College, Cambridge. A squad (team plus reserve) of around 9 is selected from examinations during these sessions and a final team is selected after a further training session held at Oundle School.

International Mathematical Olympiad - United States

In the United States, the team is selected through the American Mathematics Competitions, which are open to all high school students.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Selection process", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki