2023 Singapore Math Kangaroo Contest (SMKC) results are fresh off the press. This year, Think Academy has supported 98 students to achieve medals at SMKC.
We are pleased to share that across Primary 1 and Primary 2,
- 3 students have achieved Perfect Score
- 19 students clinched Gold
Now let’s take a look at the awards our students from Primary 1 has achieved!
Why should Primary 1 and Primary 2 students join SMKC?
SMKC at the lower primary level focuses on topics within the Singapore Math Curriculum while testing on one key skill – logical combination.
Have you seen our comprehensive guide to the SMKC blog post? You can check it out here.
Our Analysis
Logical combination requires students to think through the concepts they have learnt and apply them strategically to new questions.
From conducting mock tests, students are able to get at least 80% of the questions right. This makes SMKC a beginner-friendly competition, affording students with little to no Math Olympiad experience to join the competition.
We notice that students will typically struggle at the last 3-4 questions in the SMKC, which will differentiate students with honourable mention from Gold. For students with high ability, the SMKC gives them an opportunity to exercise the competition taking skills they have honed and develop their confidence.
At Primary 1 and Primary 2, it is important for parents to manage students academic challenges as it can directly affect children’s self-esteem. If under-stimulated, students may feel bored and become complacent. On the flip side, students who struggle too much may feel less capable than their peers and stop trying altogether.
Hence, choosing a programme that helps students to manage their learning is key in developing their mathematical potential.
Tried-and-tested Learning Methodology
To help students develop the essential Math Olympiad skills, we have analysed years of Math Olympiad contest papers, mapping them to our curriculum and learning methodology. Mathematical principles are brought to life through class activities and interactive online functions.
Once we have helped students to make abstract concepts into concrete ideas, teachers will allow students to test out their hypotheses in example questions. This allows students to hone their logical combination skills that they need in lower primary math olympiad and upper primary math olympiads. Thereafter, teachers will share questions in increasing difficulty and varying applications of the questions.
Important Checkpoints Across Levels in Primary School
You might be wondering why we have only included Primary 1 and 2 results for SMKC. From speaking to parents and students’ learning goals, we have found the SMKC to be most suitable for beginner math olympians at the P1 and P2 level.
You may also find the following tests to be useful checkpoints for your high-ability child.
Each evaluation and assessment has its own set of challenges and we encourage parents to balance this out with their extra-curricular activities and eminent academic endeavours.
Connect with our education consultant to find out more!
Trial Classes
If you are ready to get started on your Math Olympiad journey, join a trial class or June Holiday Camps!
- A stellar team of teachers – World’s Top 20 University Graduates (Princeton, NTU, NUS), Top PSLE scorers and Math Olympiad competition question designers.
- Edtech functions to track learning progress – Weekly lesson and homework feedback that parents can use to track students’ learning milestones
