Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad (SASMO) — IP-Friendly Guide for Parents & Students
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)15 Jul 2025, 00:00 Z
TL;DR
SASMO is the largest Asian-origin primary-to-secondary math contest — over \(57000\) candidates in 2024 alone — with a scoring grid that punishes random guessing but rewards neat heuristics.
A Gold (≈ up to top 8 %) medal signals “Olympiad calibre” for MOE's DSA-Sec portal. Parents should time tuition clinics 8-10 weeks pre-paper to drill negative-marking strategy and algebraic pattern-spotting.
1 What exactly is SASMO?
| DNA | Details |
| Founded | 2006 by Singapore educator Henry Ong, under the Singapore International Math Contest Centre (SIMCC). |
| Scale | >\(57000\) participants, 38 countries/territories in 2024. |
| Levels | Primary 1 → Primary 6 and Secondary 1 - 4 \((\text{Grade 10})\). |
| Paper | Single 2-hour script, 25 questions. |
| Sections | A 15 x 2 marks (-1 penalty), B 10 x 4 marks (no penalty). |
| Maximum score | \(85 \space \text{points}\). |
| Medals | Gold up to top 8 %, Silver up to next 12 %, Bronze up to next 20 %. Actual cut-offs vary yearly within those upper bands. |
2 How the scoring really works
- Section A negative marking\[ E[{\text{wild guess}}] =\frac15(+2)+\frac45(-1)=+0.4-0.8=-0.4. \]A random guess statistically nets -0.4, so teach students to skip questions if unsure.
- Section B risk-free zone
No penalties, but each Q demands 2-4 step algebraic insight. - Tie-break
Same raw score? The script with fewer wrong answers in Section A ranks higher.
Tuition tip: set 15-Q timed drills at 4 min per Q, embed a “skip after 60 s” rule to cement pacing.
3 Famous past stumpers
3.1 “Cheryl's Birthday” (2015)
A Secondary 3 SASMO Q that went viral after The Straits Times columnist asked readers to deduce Cheryl's birthday from two cryptic statements by friends Albert and Bernard. The puzzle introduced logical elimination to millions and still appears in IP interview warm-ups.
3.2 “Unlucky Locker” (2022, Sec 2)
Students maximised the product of two factors summing to 30 and proved why the optimum lands at 15 x 15. Perfect gateway to AMath calculus via discrete optimisation.
4 Why IP students should care
4.1 DSA leverage
MOE's DSA-Sec portal lists “Mathematics Olympiad Awards” under Mathematics & Computational Thinking. In recent briefs, IP powerhouses such as Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong Institution cite SASMO Gold / High Distinction as compelling evidence for shortlist.
4.2 Skill transfer
| SASMO question style | IP WA/Promo echo |
| Pattern-spotting in sequences | Secondary 3 binomial-theorem WA |
| Wordy logic elimination | Sec 4 Venn-diagram probability |
| Time-pressure algebra | JC1 common tests (1 mark ≈ 1.5 min rule) |
4.3 Negative-marking discipline
Learning when not to guess hard-codes exam metacognition that saves marks in IP MCQ papers for Physics and Chemistry.
5 Registration & logistics (Singapore 2025 cycle)
| Window | Fee (S$) | Notes |
| Early Bird (by 28 Feb) | 33 | Register via school or SIMCC portal. |
| Regular (1 Mar → 15 Mar) | 38 | Late seats close once national cap hits 60 000. |
| Contest dates | School Round: 7 - 16 Apr • Open Centre: 3, 10, 17 May | Same paper across rounds, but open-centre is proctored at SIMCC venues. |
| Results release | End-May | e-certificates + breakdown by section. |
| Medal & award ceremony | Early Jun (Marina Bay Sands 2024 precedent) | Top 40 % receive physical medals; others e-cert. |
6 8-Week tuition roadmap
| Week | Focus | Concrete drill |
| 8-7 | Diagnostic & pacing | 25-Q mock at 60 % speed to map gaps. |
| 6-5 | Algebraic identities & factor tricks | Daily 20-Q surd/sigma micro-drill. |
| 4-3 | Logic puzzles & set theory | Two Cheryl-style problems/night. |
| 2 | Negative-marking sims | 3 full papers under exam rules. |
| 1 | Error journal + mindfulness | Skim error types & practise 5-breath reset. |
| Day -1 | Light review, sleep 8 h | One 10-Q confidence booster only. |
7 Common post-contest pathways
- SIMOC (Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge) — for top \(40\%\) of SASMO medalists.
- IJMO (International Junior Math Olympiad) — invitation to Gold & Silver winners.
- APMOPS or NMOS — select P6 & Sec 1 may attempt these higher-order contests.
Parent note: use the SASMO score report to decide whether to deepen Olympiad track or pivot to IP syllabus mastery.
8 Tutor's E-E-A-T corner
Author credentials: former MOE scholar, coached >1 200 IP learners since 2010, with 68 SASMO Gold medals in 2024 cohort. Regular contributor to Measurement and Uncertainty for Integratedc Programme (IP) Physics and invited speaker at SIMCC Teacher Summit 2023.
9 Further reading
10 Call-to-Action
Parents: book a 60-min SASMO Strategy Clinic before Term 1 WA 1 — we calibrate guessing thresholds to your child's risk profile.
Students: attempt the Cheryl-style bonus question.
Last updated 15 Jul 2025 — Participation figure corrected to “over 57 000 (2024)” and medal percentages clarified as maximum bands per SIMCC circular.
