SIMOC (SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL MATH OLYMPIAD CHALLENGE)
OVERVIEW
Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge (SIMOC) is the brainchild of SIMCC. After organizing the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad (SASMO) for a decade and attending various international math contests, along with the experience of running Maths Warriors and Mind Sports contests in Singapore for more than 16 years, SIMCC decided to incorporate these into a new international contest that would let students experience the thrill of math games along with the challenge of solving puzzles.
The first SIMOC was held in Singapore on August 12, 2015. Thirteen countries attended along with 414 participants and over 350 parents and teachers. In 2020, over 1,120 contestants from 16 countries and territories attended the 1st SIMOC online despite the COVID pandemic, showcasing SIMCC’s leadership in organizing global competitions.
OBJECTIVE
- Encourage creative thinking and build their problem-solving skills.
- Develop their ability to enjoy mathematics and apply them in real life
- Promote a culture of mutual understanding and learning from each other
- Boost their confidence in comprehending and solving complex problems.
FORMAT OF THE TEST
Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge (SIMOC) is a unique concept of mathematics competition which not only tests your ability to solve mathematical problems on pen and paper but also tests your ability to work as a team to play interactive mathematical games and solve puzzles. SIMOC gives you an opportunity to compete with top mathematical talents from around the world and learn from each other as a team. Individual and team recognition awards are up for grabs.
SIMOC consists of three categories:
- Math Olympiad Contest for grades 1 to 12 (Primary 1 to Junior College 2)
- Maths Warriors Competition (team based – ONSITE COMPETITION), Maths Master Mind Competition (team based – ONLINE COMPETITION)
- Mind Sports Challenge (team based)
Forming Teams
At SIMOC, the students will be grouped into a team of 3 (Onsite competition), team of 9 (Online competition) and placed into their division by SIMOC organizers (contestants cannot choose their team members).
Each team will be comprised of a member from a different country and as much as possible a different grade within the same division.
Each student will join the other partners from different grades and countries to compete in one of 4 divisions:
Lower Primary Division (LD) = Grades 1 to 3/Primary 1 to 3
Middle Primary Division (MD) = Grades 4 to 6/Primary 4 to 6
Secondary Division (SD) = Grades 7 to 9/Secondary 1 to 3
Upper Division (UD) = Grades 10 to 12/Secondary 4 to Junior College 2
PRE-REQUSITE FOR THE COMPETITION
Candidate needs to obtain the following award before qualifying for SIMOC:
- Gold, Silver or Bronze award winners for SASMO, SMKC, and AMO.
- High Distinction and Distinction for DOKA
Useful links for Zoom Set-Up
As SIMOC will be held entirely online this year, participants and parents are encouraged
to read the following documents to help them set up their Zoom in preparation for
SIMOC.
Competition rules and regulations
How to take the competition online
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R9PN8P8vHlHiT3uT3LFSy25deZAvNHW7/view
Parent’s Instruction for Competition
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SH4FaCGVERI0qWMbp427dTzgLyscZSwH/view
Math Olympiad Contest
Math Olympiad Contest is an individual written test. The contest consists of 11 differentiated levels: Grades 1 to 11/12 (Primary 1 to Junior College 1/2).
The duration of the contest is 90 minutes and every paper consist of 25 questions
Student starts with 15 bonus points and Perfect Score = 85 points
Section A – 15 Multiple Choice Questions
(2 points for correct answer, 0 points for unanswered question, penalty point (deduct 1 point) for wrong answer)
Section B – 10 Open-ended Questions
(4 points for correct answer, no penalty point for wrong answer)
AWARDS
Perfect Score Award (Full mark) – qualifies as a significant award for IJHS
Gold Award (Top 10%) – qualifies as a significant award for IJHS
Silver Award (Next 15%) – qualifies as a significant award for IJHS
Bronze Award (Next 25%)
Honorable Mention Award (Next 20%)
Certificate of Participation (Next 30%)
SYLLABUS
SIMOC reserves the rights to change the syllabus without any prior notice.
Grade 1-4 (Primary 1-4)
Arithmetic and Statistics
Geometry and Mensuration
Solving word problems using model method (or any other non-algebraic methods)
Non-routine problem solving (including number patterns, divisibility tests, spatial visualisation, logic problems and simple cryptarithms)
Grade 5-6 (Primary 5-6)
Arithmetic and Statistics
Geometry and Mensuration
Solving word problems using model method (or any other methods including algebra)
Non-routine problem solving (including number patterns, divisibility tests, spatial visualisation, logic problems and cryptarithms)
Grade 7 (Secondary 1)
Arithmetic and Algebra
Geometry, Graphs and Mensuration
Statistics
Non-routine problem solving (including number patterns, divisibility tests, spatial visualisation, logic problems and cryptarithms)
Grade 8 (Secondary 2)
Arithmetic and Algebra
Geometry, Graphs and Mensuration
Pythagoras’ Theorem
Statistics
Non-routine problem solving (including number patterns, divisibility tests, spatial visualisation, logic problems and cryptarithms)
Grade 9-12 (Secondary 3-4, JC1-2)
Arithmetic and Algebra
Geometry, Graphs and Mensuration
Pythagoras’ Theorem and Trigonometry
Statistics and Probability
Non-routine problem solving (including number patterns, divisibility tests, spatial visualisation, logic problems and cryptarithms)
Math Warriors
What is Maths Warriors?
Math Warriors is a game that tests student’s ability to do mental sums as well as strategic thinking. There is also an element of luck involved which makes the game even more exciting.
History
It was designed in 2002 by Henry Ong, the Founder of SASMO to help students who were weak in math to develop faster mental sums skills and master the Times Table. It is used by many Singapore Primary schools to improve mental math processing, strategy and thinking skills. The first National Primary Schools Maths Warriors’ Challenge started in 2004 and was hosted by Nan Hua Secondary School. It was introduced as an event in the inaugural Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge (SIMOC) is 2015 and was very received. SIMCC has started donating Maths Warriors to Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MOEYS) and it debuted in Cambodia as a National Competition.
With this success, we have partnered with Cambodian Mathematical Society (CMS) in 2020 to increase teacher professional development for the region and more scholarships for Cambodian students and teachers. We are working on other ASEAN nations to adopt this as a National Competition.
How to play Math Warrior?
Maths Warriors Rules (press link)
Video Tutorial:
Awards
Gold Team Award (2-4 teams awarded)*
Silver Team Award (6-12 teams awarded)*
Bronze Award (8-16 teams awarded)*
* Depends on group size
Mind Sports
What is Mind Sports Challenge?
This is a one-hour activity where each team (same team as Maths Warriors), will be given 8 hands on puzzles to solve.
Awards
Gold Team Award (2-4 teams awarded) *
Silver Team Award (6-12 teams awarded)*
Bronze Award (8-16 teams awarded)*
* Depends on group size
To take part in Mind sport online, please refer to the instruction video below:
Mind Sports instructional video: https://youtu.be/yiDWElHpMLk
MATH MASTER MIND
Math Master Mind will be team-based and all answers will be entered into our Online Contest System (OCS). Each team is given 20 minutes to complete all questions. No points will be given for unanswered questions and wrong answers.
Teams will play against other teams, with losing teams being eliminated. Award winners will be determined based on accuracy of answers and time taken to answer the questions. Each question is worth 1 mark.
Round 1 (15 minutes, 20 questions)
In the first round, teams will collaborate, teach and learn from one another. They will work as a team to solve all questions within the time limit.
Round 2 (10 minutes, 18 questions)
The second round focuses on speed, accuracy and teamwork. Each team member is assigned 2 questions to answer and they are not allowed to get assistance from their teammates. Invigilators will deduct 2 points from the team score and the team will be forced to forfeit the question they
are working on if the team is caught cheating (trying to help each other, not following invigilator’s instructions etc).
Each team of 9 will be put into 1 breakout room. Each team will choose one person to be the leader to log into OCS to input their answers. The leader will share their screen to show the questions to their team to allow for discussion.
Each question will present five numbers: one in the centre and four at the four corners, as shown in the example below
Example:
The team will have to use the surrounding four numbers and the four operations (+,
-, x, ÷) to form an equation equating to the middle number. For example, the
following equation can be from the question in the above example:
(5+3)x2 =16
or
(5+3)+4×2 = 16
or
(5-3)x4x2 = 16
After deciding on the answer, the leader will enter the full equation into OCS.
After answering all the questions, the leader will click on the ‘Finish’ button on the bottom left hand on the screen to submit all their answers.
16
5 4
3 2
Instructional video for Math Master Mind: https://youtu.be/7SO2CA9c_bM
SIMOC OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS are given to the top 3 winners per grade level from grades 2 to 10/11 based on the Math Olympiad Individual Score (must be Gold award), Maths Warriors and Mind Sports Team score. – they will be announced during the award ceremony
| Awards (Cash) | |
| Overall Champion | SGD250 |
| Overall Runner-up | SGD150 |
| Overall 2nd Runner-up | SGD100 |
There will only be one award for each of the above positions. In the event of any ties, we will try our best to contact parents at least 6 hours beforehand that they need to bring their child for a knock-out round held 30 minutes before the award ceremony. All contestants must attend and if they are absent, their opponent(s) will be given the award. No excuses will be accepted for any absentees.
The knock-out round will involve each contestant getting a similar question and the first person to give the correct answer will be named the winner. If none of the contestants get the answer correct, another question will be given, until a winner is established.
