What is RMO? Is this a new math olympiad?
If you are hearing this for the first time, this is because the organising school, Raffles Institution, has made a change to their annual Math Olympiad from Raffles Institution Primary Mathematics World Competition (RIPMWC) to Raffles Mathematical Olympiad (RMO).
What is RMO?
The Raffles Mathematical Competition is held by the Raffles Institution and began in 1996 to promote creative problem-solving abilities in Primary School students. It is lauded as one of the hardest Math Olympiads, often testing math concepts outside of the school syllabus.
Competition Details
The RMO will gather students from Primary 4-Primary 6 where they will compete in 2 categories:
- Junior Category for Primary 4 to Primary 5
- Open Category for Primary 6
Students will be competing in 2 rounds.
Round 1
| Format | Online and held in Primary Schools |
| Type | 20 MCQ – Papers are the same for Junior and Open Category |
| Duration | 60 min |
Round 2
To qualify for Round 2,
- Junior Category – Top 2% or top 40 students (whichever is lower)
- Open Category – Top 3% or top 60 students (whichever is lower)
| Format | Written and held in Raffles Instituion |
| Type | Junior Category – 15 short answer questions Open Category – 7 short answer questions and 4 open ended questions, requiring workings to justify their answers |
| Duration | 60 min |
Key dates
Registration Start Date: 15 January 2024
Registration Closing Date: 19 February 2024
RMO Round 1: 26 March 2024
RMO Round 2: 19 April 2024
Please note that the RMO Round 2 date was changed to 19 April 2024 (updated on 30 Jan 2024)
Do note that you can only register through the schools and the registration fee is $12 (including GST).
Awards
There are two categories of awards: individual and school performance.
Awards are given to participants based on their performance as follows:
- Top 2% – Certificate of High Distinction
- Next 13% – Certificate of Distinction
- Next 15% – Certificate of Merit
- Remaining – Certificate of Participation
From experience, we have had students who were able to clinch a Certificate of Distinction without entering Round 2 due to its highly competitive nature (refer to Round 2 qualifications on top).
As for team prizes, they are awarded to the top 3 schools with the highest total marks of their top 4 participants. Schools with less than 4 participants will not be eligible for team prizes.
Other Details
Can I use a calculator?
Calculators are not allowed in this exam or for any of the rounds.
How different is the RIPMWC from the RMO?
Other than the name change, there is no difference to the format, difficulty level, and types of questions tested at the RMO.
How difficult is RMO?
The RMO is one of the most difficult math olympiads in Singapore. Some students might mistakenly perceive this competition as easier (than NMOS) due to its MCQ format in Round 1. However, the knowledge points tested are fairly advanced. Students will need to master topics beyond the Primary School syllabus such as Multivariate Recursions and Indefinite Equations.
Analysing the RMO First Round (2013-2023)
From analysing RIPMWC and RMO past year papers from 2013-2023*, we’ve observed the following.
*2020 RIPMWC was cancelled due to COVID.
1. 5 important modules you need to master
From our analysis, the RMO questions are easily classified into 5 main modules – Calculation, Geometry, Number Theory, Combinatorics, and Counting. One important point to note about RMO questions is that students might need to apply multiple techniques in order to solve RMO questions.
RMO Question on Calculation (Advanced Fractions Techniques)
One classic example of a frequently tested question is this advanced fraction calculation question. Even though it is considered a basic question, students need to apply techniques and formulas involving common factors, gaussian sum, and fraction decomposition to solve it.
2. Calculation, Number Theory, and Geometry make up a huge proportion of the RMO First Round
From looking at the past 5 years, we see that Calculation, Counting and Geometry questions took up approximately half the number of questions in the first round. Since calculation questions are basic questions, they are also the type of questions, we encourage our students to strive to complete with accuracy. First round questions test largely on Calculation, Number Theory, and Geometry.
3. Mastering the basics will take you a long way
Our curriculum specialist, Teacher Turner shared that the Round 1 questions are made up of 90% basic questions (difficulty level 1-3). If you are looking to advance to Round 2, you need to strategise by mastering the basic questions first.
If your child has been selected to represent the school to join the RMO, congratulations! Prepare for the RMO by familiarising yourself with the questions and topics typically tested by downloading our past-year papers (2016-2022) and answer keys.
Check out our latest blog post on the 2024 RMO Round 1 Questions and full solutions.
Looking to master concepts tested in RIPMWC? Connect with us to join our Whatsapp Group where we share tips on RIPMWC, mock tests and short term courses to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses and help them to develop their personalised RIPMWC strategy.
The secret to bagging that award will be revealed in this webinar
Hang on! You thought this post was over?
Our experienced Math Olympiad Question Designer and Math Olympiad Gold Medal Coach, Teacher Eason, will be sharing with you how you can prepare your child to win a medal for RIPMWC, APMOPS, and NMOS.
📅 4 Feb 2024, 7.30 pm
