UKMT: Maths Challenges

Every year, the UK Mathematical Trust organises a set of challenging and interesting maths questions for schools and individuals from across the country to complete. One such challenge is the Junior Mathematical Challenge, a set of 25 multiple choice questions to complete in an hour.

The scoring works as follows: 

- Questions 1 to 15 are worth 5 marks each

- Questions 16 to 25 are worth 6 marks each

Total marks: 135

Generally, there is a negative marking system, losing 1 mark for any incorrect answers for Q1- 15, and losing 2 marks for any incorrect answers Q16 onwards. However, due to relaxed regulations and rules as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, negative marking has been stopped, awarding 0 marks for both incorrect and unanswered questions. 

Once you complete the JMC, there is a subsequent and final set of questions to complete depending on your score.:

For a score of 73 or over, the candidate is promoted to doing what is called the Junior Kangaroo, which, much like the JMC, is a set of 25 multiple choice questions to finish in an hour. The only difference is difficulty, as the complexity of questions increases. 

The top-scoring 25% of those who take part in the Kangaroo are awarded with a Certificate of Merit, whilst everyone receives a Certificate of Participation. 

For a score of 98 or over, the candidate is to take part in the more difficult and challenging Junior Maths Olympiad. This follows  format of questions completely unlike the previous two. Instead of multiple choice questions, the paper is divided into two sections: A and B. In section A, there are 10 non-multiple choice questions 1 mark each. In section B, there are a further 6 non-multiple choice questions, each worth 10 marks. Whereas the requirement is simply to write a numerical answer in section A, section B  questions require you to explain your answer in as much detail as possible, whilst showing your working out and steps to solving the problem. The paper is out of 70 and is 2 hours long. 

The top-scoring 25% of participants will receive a Certificate of Distinction, the next top 65% will receive a Certificate of Merit. The remaining students will receive either a certificate of qualification or participation depending on their entry route. The top 50 scorers are awarded with a book prize. Those with a score of 37+ get a bronze medal, with 47+ a silver medal, and 57+ a gold medal. 

Recently, I myself took part in the JMC and obtained a score of 117 out of 135. The '21 challenge was notoriously quite difficult and a stark contrast in complexity between that and the previous years' challenge. Fortunately, this meant I achieved Gold and qualified for the rather daunting JMO. 

As stated by the UKMT, the JMO is meant to be challenging, so completing even 2 questions of 6 from the B section was good enough. However, I was able to complete all 6 questions from section B and achieved an overall score of 57 out of 70, making me eligible for the Gold medal, Distinction award and book prize. 

It wasn't an easy achievement, however. It required a dedicated amount of practice over a long period of time (specifically, almost 8 months). This involved completing past papers available from the UKMT website and doing them several times until I was sure my answers were perfect. Practice under timed conditions allowed me to be able to effectively manage and control my time during the actual challenge, therefore enabling me to complete all questions in the given time. Just goes to show that, as difficult and daunting the challenges may seem, a little bit of practice from the beginning can take you a long way. I figured out this applies for pretty much everything else I do as well. And the best part: I enjoyed it.

For more information regarding these type of challenges, you can visit the UKMT website here at https://www.ukmt.org.uk/