03/06/2024

18.5 million students take the OBMEP test this Tuesday (4)

Escola Municipal Orsina da Fonseca (Rio de Janeiro)

More than 18.5 million students are participating this Tuesday (4) in the 1st phase of the 19th OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools) . Promoted since 2005 by IMPA (Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics), the largest scientific competition in the country registered this year a record number of schools and municipalities registered: 56,516 institutions from 5,564 cities – which represents a coverage of 99.9% of Brazilian municipalities.

“This new cycle of the OBMEP, with greater participation from schools and municipalities, coincides with the launch of IMPA Tech, IMPA's undergraduate program, with a class largely composed of graduates from the Olympiad,” said IMPA's Director-General, Marcelo Viana, highlighting the competition's role in identifying talent and ensuring the continuation of studies.

OBMEP takes place in two phases. The first stage, held this Tuesday (4), consists of the application of a test with 20 multiple-choice questions, prepared in three levels, according to the student's school level: Level 1 (Fridays and 7th grades), Level 2 (8th and 9th grades) and Level 3 (High School). The student will have 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete the exam. Students with special needs have 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete the test.

In this first phase, both the application and correction of the tests are done by the schools, which must follow the instructions and answer keys prepared by IMPA. Students compete, within their own school, with students of the same level, for places in the second phase of OBMEP, in a pre-defined quantity that varies according to the number of students registered by the school, per level.

Educational institutions located in Rio Grande do Sul that were unable to administer the first phase of the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) due to the floods that hit the state are receiving assistance and guidance from the OBMEP coordination team.

The results of those who qualified for the Mondays phase will be published on the OBMEP website on August Mondays, and the exam will be held on October 19th at locations defined by IMPA. Click here to access the regulations.

On December 20th, OBMEP will publish the highly anticipated list of winners of the 19th edition on its website. The Olympiad awards students from public and private schools separately. Public school students will receive 6,500 medals (500 gold, 1,500 silver, and 4,500 bronze) and up to 45,000 Honorable Mention certificates. Students from private institutions will receive 1,950 medals (150 gold, 450 silver, and 1,350 bronze) and up to 6,000 Honorable Mention certificates.

Students awarded national gold, silver, or bronze medals are invited to participate in the Junior Scientific Initiation Program (PIC Jr. ) as an incentive and to promote academic development. The initiative offers a scholarship of R$ 300 to students from public schools who are part of the program.

Since last year, OBMEP has also been offering another 20,000 medals at the state level. The awards take into account the students' performance by state. This type of award does not grant access to the PIC (Scientific Initiation Program).

About OBMEP

Created by IMPA in 2005 and held with the support of the Brazilian Mathematical Society (SBM), the competition is promoted with resources from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and the Ministry of Education (MEC). Aimed at students from the Fridays grade of elementary school to the Tuesdays year of high school, OBMEP contributes to stimulating the study of mathematics and identifying young talents in the discipline.