17/02/2023

There is one month left until the end of registrations for the 18th OBMEP.

There is one month left until the end of registrations for the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP) . Educational institutions have until March 17th to guarantee their participation in the 18th edition, which this year features new additions with an increased number of awards. Promoted by the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) , the largest scientific competition in the country brings together more than 18 million students from the Fridays grade of elementary school to the Tuesdays year of high school each year.

Municipal, state, federal, and private public institutions can participate. Registration is done by the schools , which must fill out the form available on the OBMEP website, provide the MEC/INEP code, and create a password. The regulations contain all the information regarding conditions, deadlines, dates, and rules for participation in OBMEP.

More awards

This year, OBMEP increased the number of awards. The number of national medals rose from 7,400 to 8,400 (gold, silver, and bronze) with the expansion of awards to private schools. The goal of the change was to encourage the participation of more institutions.

“Public schools enroll all their students in the Olympiad, and this doesn't happen in private schools, which is a shame. Often, students who don't like math or don't get good grades discover, through the Olympiad, that math can be fun,” stated Claudio Landim, deputy director of IMPA and general coordinator of OBMEP.

Nationally, 650 gold, 1,950 silver, and 5,850 bronze medals will be awarded to participants from public and private institutions. The awards for public and private institutions are given separately, and 76.9% of the medals are allocated to public schools. Students who win national medals are invited to participate in the Junior Scientific Initiation Program (PIC) as an incentive and to promote academic development.

In addition to the national medals, OBMEP created a regional award that will distribute at least another 20,500 medals. The number will be calculated according to the performance of each federative unit. The regional award will be the responsibility of each coordination and does not grant access to the PIC (Program for Scientific Initiation).

“To increase the number of award winners, we created regional medals. Each state will distribute a certain number of gold, silver, and bronze medals. This increase aims to stimulate student participation, the study of the subject, and improve the quality of education in Brazil,” said Landim.

18th OBMEP

The Olympiad takes place in two phases, the first consisting of a multiple-choice test with 20 questions and the second of a written test with 6 questions. The first phase of the OBMEP will be held on May 30th, and those who qualify for the next stage will take the second phase test on October 7th.

The tests are prepared according to the student's grade level: Level 1 (Fridays and 7th grades), Level 2 (8th and 9th grades), and Level 3 (High School).

The list of those approved for the second stage will be released on August Mondays, and the winners will be announced on December 20th.

“IMPA has been organizing OBMEP since 2005, and this is one of the most comprehensive public education policies in the country. With the Olympiad, we manage to spread interest in mathematics throughout Brazil with stimulating problems and, at the same time, open up opportunities. A medal or honorable mention presents these children with the chance to change their lives, and we have countless examples of this. It is of inestimable value,” stated Marcelo Viana, Director-General of IMPA.