Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics
| Conducted by | Mathematics Teachers' Association (India), MTA(I) |
|---|---|
| Exam type | Offline OMR objective test: 30 questions, integer answers 00-99, 3 hoursSource: Brochure Mathematical Olympiads 2026-2027, PDF pp. 11-12 (printed pp. 9-10), stage table row 1 IOQM; PDF p. 5 (printed p. 3), Stage 1 |
| Field | Mathematics |
| Who can apply | Students of Class 8 to 12 who meet the yearly eligibility notice: they must be eligible to hold an Indian passport (OCI cardholders are provisionally eligible), must have been residing and studying in India, or studying in the Indian school system, for the period the notice states, must not have passed the Class 12 board examination early or given up its result to qualify, and must not have started, or plan to start, university studies before the date in the notice. Each student is responsible for meeting these conditions and may be disqualified later if not.Source: Eligibility criteria for Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics (IOQM), 2026, p. 1, points 1-5 and 7 |
| Age / class | Studying in Class 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12, and born within the birth-date window printed in the yearly eligibility notice; a student born after the window closes is not allowed. A student who has already passed the Class 12 board examination is no longer eligible.Source: Eligibility criteria for Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics (IOQM), 2026, p. 1, point 1 and point 4 |
| How often | The Mathematical Olympiad programme runs in yearly cycles (2026-2027 is the current one); IOQM is the first stage of each cycle.Source: Mathematical Olympiad 2026-2027 - Olympiads (HBCSE announcements page), Page heading 'Mathematical Olympiad 2026-2027' and 'stages of selection for the 2026-2027 cycle' |
| Stages | IOQM (three-hour objective paper); RMO (three hours, six problems, each needing a detailed proof); INMO (4.5 hours, six proof problems); IMO Training Camp (IMOTC) with selection tests, and an EGMO Training Camp for girls; pre-departure camps; then the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) or, for girls, the EGMO. INMO awardees and IMOTC seniors may write the APMO.Source: Brochure Mathematical Olympiads 2026-2027, PDF pp. 4-15 (printed pp. 2-13): Team Selection and Training Process, Stages 1-5, Pre-Departure Training Camps, APMO; stage table PDF pp. 11-12 |
| What it leads to | IOQM is the first essential step of the Mathematical Olympiad programme: those who qualify go on to the RMO, then the INMO, then the IMO Training Camp and selection of the Indian team for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO); girls may be selected for the EGMO and INMO awardees for the APMO. The brochure states that Olympiads do not lead directly to any career benefits.Source: Brochure Mathematical Olympiads 2026-2027, PDF p. 5 (printed p. 3), Stage 1; PDF p. 3 (printed p. 1), opening paragraph; PDF pp. 9-15 (printed pp. 7-13), Stages 3-5 and APMO |
| How to apply | Register either through a registered school or institution (centre) or individually on the online IOQM portal (ioqm.mtai.org.in); register only once. Keep ready a passport-size photo, a school ID card or the latest fee receipt or last year's report card, and an Aadhaar, passport or birth certificate, as JPEG, JPG or PNG image files. Exam centres are in India only. The hall ticket is issued through the student login. The fee is shown on the portal.Source: IOQM 2026-27 - Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics, FAQ items 8, 9, 20, 24, 25 |
| Result / certificate | Results are published on the official IOQM portal. Certificates are given only to students who meet the merit criteria announced by MTA(I). Which students go on to the RMO is decided by the criteria HBCSE announces for the year ('From IOQM 2026 to RMO 2026'). The answer key and the question papers of all sets are linked from the portal after the exam.Source: IOQM 2026-27 - Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics, FAQ items 34 and 35; announcement bar (answer key, question papers); Downloads menu |
| Talent category | Olympiads |
| Pathway | IOQM > RMO > INMO > IMOTC > IMO |
| Recognition | Official / statutory body |
| Level | National |
| Achievement | Certificate for scorers above a minimum mark set by HBCSE (as stated in the HBCSE FAQ). |
One paper of 30 questions to be done in 3 hours; maximum 100 marks. Every question has a one-digit or two-digit number as its answer, marked on a machine-read OMR answer sheet (offline exam). Questions 1 to 10 carry 2 marks each, questions 11 to 20 carry 3 marks each and questions 21 to 30 carry 5 marks each. All questions are compulsory and there are no negative marks. Calculators, mobile phones and other electronic devices are not allowed. The question paper is in English and Hindi. The marks split and instructions are as printed on the IOQM 2025 question paper; the HBCSE stages page (three hours, 30 questions, one- or two-digit answers, OMR, English and Hindi) and the IOQM 2026-27 portal FAQ (offline OMR, no negative marking) agree with it.
Read from: IOQM 2025 question paper, English, Set M1 (cover page with the instructions), p. 1, header line and Instructions 1, 5, 7, 8, 9
Inequalities, Progressions (A.P, G.P, H.P), Theory of indices, System of linear equations, Theory of equations, Binomial theorem and properties of binomial coefficients, Complex Numbers, Polynomials in one and two variables, Functional equations, Sequences
Read from: Syllabus for Mathematical Olympiad, p. 1, section 'Algebra'Triangles, quadrilaterals, circles and their properties; standard Euclidean constructions; concurrency and collinearity (Theorems of Ceva and Menelaus); basic trigonometric identities, compound angles, multiple and submultiple angles, general solutions, sine rule, cosine rule, properties of triangles and polygons, Coordinate Geometry (straight line, circle, conics,3-D geometry), vectors
Read from: Syllabus for Mathematical Olympiad, p. 1, section 'Plane Geometry'Basic enumeration, pigeonhole principle and its applications, recursion, elementary graph theory
Read from: Syllabus for Mathematical Olympiad, p. 1, section 'Combinatorics'Divisibility theory in the Integers (The Division Algorithm, the Greatest Common Divisor, The Euclidean Algorithm, The Diophantine Equation ax + by = c), Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic, Basic properties of congruence, Linear congruences, Chinese Remainder Theorem, Fermat’s Little Theorem, Wilson’s Theorem, Euler’s Phi function and Euler’s generalisation of Fermat’s Theorem, Pythagorean triples (definition and properties), Diophantine equations
Read from: Syllabus for Mathematical Olympiad, p. 2, section 'Number Theory'Tell us which exam you are aiming for and how we can help - we will get back to you.
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