APMOPS 2025 — Ultimate Guide for IP-Bound Maths & Physics Students
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)15 Jul 2025, 00:00 Z
TL;DR
Round 1 = 30 five-mark MCQs in 120 min; no negative marking.
≈ 8 % of Singapore candidates earn Gold, Silver or Bronze certificates; top ≈ 260 receive the Invitation Round (IR) ticket.
IR = 8 open-response problems (160 marks) sat at Hwa Chong Institution (HCI).
Overseas winners pay own airfare & lodging; HCI provides meals + local transport only.
APMOPS medals boost Direct School Admission (DSA) portfolios for IP schools such as HCI, RI, NYGH & NJC.
1 What is APMOPS?
The Asia-Pacific Mathematical Olympiad for Primary Schools began in 1991 as the Hwa Chong Maths Challenge and was renamed APMOPS in 1993. It now spans 13 partner territories from Australia to Vietnam, funnelling regional winners to a Singapore finals week hosted by Hwa Chong Institution (HCI).
1.1 Why IP parents care
APMOPS performance is recognised in DSA interviews—especially at IP schools that prioritise Olympiad-style heuristics for their accelerated Maths and Physics curricula.
2 Eligibility (2025 Series)
| Criterion | Details |
| Cohort | Primary 6 pupils (and exceptional Primary 5s) born on/after 2 Jan 2013 |
| School quota (SG) | Each MOE school may nominate ≤ 20 candidates |
| Registration | Through school General Office ➜ APMOPS online portal (no individual entry) |
| Fee | SGD $30 per candidate (paid by school; many absorb) |
| Overseas | Register via local partner schools; quotas vary |
3 Competition Format
3.1 Round 1 — National Selection (Singapore Final)
| Item | Detail |
| Paper length | 120 minutes |
| Questions | 30 MCQs, 4 options |
| Marks | 5 marks per question; maximum \(150\) |
| Marking | Optical Scan; no negative marking |
| Venue | Candidate's primary school |
\[ \text{Total Marks} = 30 \space \times \space 5 = 150 \]
3.2 Certificates & Cut-Offs (typical)
| Tier | Cut-off (2024) | Share of SG cohort |
| Gold | ≥ 100 marks | ≈ 2 % |
| Silver | 85-99 marks | ≈ 3 % |
| Bronze | 70-84 marks | ≈ 3 % |
| Participation | ≤ 69 marks | remainder |
*Cut-offs shift ±2 marks year-to-year.
3.3 Invitation Round (IR)
| Item | Detail |
| Eligibility | ≈ top 260 from SG + top ~120 overseas |
| Paper | 8 open-response problems |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Marks | 160 marks total |
| Venue | HCI campus (Auditorium Block A) |
| Prizes | 1st S$1000, 2nd $800, 3rd $600, 4th-10th $300 each; Certificates of Distinction/Merit/Participation |
HCI provides lunch & shuttle buses; airfare and accommodation are self-funded.
4 Syllabus & Sample Themes
- Number theory: Chinese remainder, modulo arithmetic
- Geometry: angle chase, similar-triangle area
- Combinatorics: stars-and-bars, invariant parity
- Algebra: telescoping sums, clever factorisation
- Logic: binary pigeonhole proofs
Example: Show
\[ \sum_{k=1}^{n} \frac{1}{k(k+1)} = 1 - \frac{1}{n+1} \]
5 How APMOPS Feeds the Integrated Programme
| IP leverage point | APMOPS link | Tuition action |
| DSA portfolio | Certificates & IR ranking impress selection panels | Build a problem-solving journal—annotate solutions before uploading to DSA portal. |
| Sec 3 accelerated math | Binomial, sequences, proof by induction | Re-map every Olympiad trick to syllabus bullet—e.g. use telescoping to simplify series in Additional Math WA. |
| IP Physics heuristics | Vector & ratio logic | Translate geometry problems into force diagrams—practice cross-discipline thinking. |
6 Training Timeline (sample)
| Month | Goa | Micro-habit |
| Aug (P5) | Master MOE textbook + stretch worksheets | 10-mins/day speed arithmetic |
| Nov | Start Past APMOPS set (2009-2024) | 1 question/night, error-log |
| Jan (P6) | Timed Round 1 mocks (120 min) | 2 full papers/month |
| Mar | Analyse wrong-answer patterns | Tag by topic, re-teach peer |
| Apr | Round 1 live | Sleep 8 h + pre-paper jog |
| May | IR specific drills (open-ended) | Simulate 8 problems in 120 min |
7 Common Myths Debunked
| Myth | Reality |
| “There are 35 MCQs.” | Always 30 since 2004. |
| “HCI pays for overseas hotels.” | Only meals & campus transport are covered. |
| “There's negative marking.” | None—guessing never hurts. |
| “Only P6 can enter.” | P5 prodigies allowed if school nominates. |
8 Further Reading & Downloads
9 Call-to-Action
Parents: Ask your child if he's interested in mathematics competitions. Students: Try APMOPS Sample Questions and Answers
Last updated 15 Jul 2025. Next revision after release of the 2026 circular.
