Your child loves puzzles and wants to try a maths olympiad. Where do you start? In this guide you will learn a simple plan for math olympiad preparation, the skills that matter most, and how to practise in the weeks before the day.
Think first, calculate second.
3 stages · 1 problem a day
What does math olympiad preparation mean?
Math olympiad preparation means training your thinking on new and unusual problems, not only learning more facts. Olympiad questions often use simple maths in a clever way. The skill is to find the way in.
So the best preparation is regular problem solving. You try hard problems, get stuck, and learn from the solution.
In one line
Being stuck is part of the training. Every hard problem teaches you a new idea.
Know your olympiad before you prepare
Different olympiads ask for different skills. Check the format of yours first.
SOF IMO Level 1
Minutes for a multiple-choice paper at school.
IOF Round 1
Multiple-choice questions in the UAE qualifier.
IMO each day
For 3 proof problems, at the world olympiad.
Calculators
Not allowed at the International Mathematical Olympiad.
Facts checked on 2 November 2026 on sofworld.org, olympiads.org and imo-official.org. Check the official websites for updates.
A step-by-step plan for math olympiad preparation
Build strong basics. Make sure fractions, percentages, remainders and simple equations feel easy. Olympiad problems are built on them.
Solve one hard problem a day. Give it at least 20 minutes before you look at a hint. Then read the full solution and write it again in your own words.
Keep a “tricks notebook”. When a solution uses a clever idea, write it down with one example. Read the notebook every week.
Practise under time. In the last weeks, do full practice papers with a timer, in the same format as your olympiad.
Watch out!
Do not look at the answer too soon. If you check the solution after two minutes, you learn the answer but not the thinking. Stay with the problem first.
A math olympiad preparation calendar for the UAE school year
Most maths olympiads for UAE students happen between September and December. So the best time to start is the summer break. Pick your track first, because the two tracks need different practice.
Track 1: multiple-choice olympiads
For the SOF IMO and IOF Round 1. Practise speed and accuracy with timed sets of short questions. Start in July or August. Do one full timed paper a week in September.
Track 2: longer and proof problems
For IOF Round 2 and the road to the IMO team. Practise one long problem a day and write full solutions. This track takes months or years, not weeks.
July to August: fix basics and start daily problems.
September to October: IOF Round 1. SOF IMO Level 1 starts (23 October in 2026).
November to December: more SOF IMO Level 1 dates (26 November and 10 December 2026) and IOF Round 2 (mid-November to mid-December).
January onwards: review mistakes and move up to harder problems for next year.
Parent checklist
1. Ask the school if it takes part in the SOF IMO, because you can only enter through the school. 2. Register for the IOF qualifier online, at the level for your child’s own school year. 3. Find your child’s strong and weak areas first, for example with our free BMI maths check.
The skills to build for a math olympiad
These four skills help in almost every maths olympiad.
Spot patterns
Try small cases first: 1, 2, 3, 4. A pattern often shows the way to the general answer.
Work with remainders
Many number puzzles depend on what is left over after a division. Learn more in our guide to the quotient and remainder.
Count cleverly
Count in an organised way, so you miss nothing and count nothing twice.
Explain why
Write each step in full sentences. This helps you find mistakes, and the top olympiads need written proofs.
Olympiad-style practice questions with answers
These are practice questions in the style of school maths olympiads. They are not real past questions. Work each one out first, then tap to check.
1. 8 people meet. Each person shakes hands once with every other person. How many handshakes are there?
Each of the 8 people shakes 7 hands: 8 × 7 = 56. But each handshake has two people, so we counted it twice. 56 ÷ 2 = 28.
2. Find the smallest whole number above 1 that leaves a remainder of 1 when you divide it by 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
The smallest number that 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 all divide is 60. Add 1 for the remainder: 61.
3. A square has the same perimeter as a rectangle 9 cm long and 7 cm wide. What is the area of the square?
The perimeter is 2 × (9 + 7) = 32 cm. Each side of the square is 32 ÷ 4 = 8 cm. The area is 8 × 8 = 64 cm².
4. Show that n³ − n can always be divided exactly by 6, for every whole number n.
n³ − n = (n − 1) × n × (n + 1). These are three whole numbers in a row. One of them is even, and one of them is a multiple of 3. So the product can be divided by 2 and by 3, which means it can be divided by 6.
The last weeks before the olympiad
Near the day, change from learning new ideas to using them well.
Practise in the real format
Use a timer and the same number of questions as the real olympiad. Then check which questions took too long.
Review your mistakes
Go back to the problems you got wrong. Write one sentence about what you will do differently next time.
Did you know?
The world’s top school maths olympiad, the International Mathematical Olympiad, started in 1959 with 7 countries. Today more than 600 students take part each year. The UAE first took part in 2008.
Questions people ask about math olympiad preparation
How do I start preparing for a math olympiad?
Make your basics strong, then solve one hard problem every day. Read the full solution after you try, and keep notes of the clever ideas.
How long does math olympiad preparation take?
It depends on the olympiad and your starting point. Steady practice over several months works better than a lot of practice in the last week.
What should I study for a math olympiad?
Most olympiad problems come from number puzzles, algebra, geometry and clever counting. Practise problems of these kinds, and learn to explain each step.
When are the maths olympiads in the UAE?
Most are between September and December. In 2026, SOF IMO Level 1 dates are 23 October, 26 November and 10 December. IOF Round 1 runs in September and October, and Round 2 from mid-November to mid-December.
Is a math olympiad only for very strong students?
No. School olympiads, such as the SOF International Mathematics Olympiad, are open to many students through their school. They are a good way to try olympiad problems.
Keep exploring
Want to know your child’s real maths level?
Start with the free BMI maths check. It finds your child’s real maths level and the reason for each mistake.
