Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad (SASMO): IP-Friendly Guide for Parent & Student
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)15 Jul 2025, 00:00 Z
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> **Q:** What does Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad (SASMO): IP-Friendly Guide for Parent & Student cover?\
> **A:** Why more than \\(57\\,000\space\text{learners}\\) from 38 countries tackled SASMO in 2024, how its 2-hour paper maps onto IP heuristics.
> **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.
> Registration quick answer (Singapore): Register through your school or, if offered, SIMCC open‑centre venues. Dates, venues and fees change each cycle — confirm on the official pages before paying: [https://simcc.org/sasmo/](https://simcc.org/sasmo/) and [https://sasmo.sg/](https://sasmo.sg/)
---
## 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
1. **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.
2. **Section B risk-free zone**\
No penalties, but each Q demands 2-4 step algebraic insight.
3. **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
1. **SIMOC** (Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge) — for top \\(40\\%\\) of SASMO medalists.
2. **IJMO** (International Junior Math Olympiad) — invitation to Gold & Silver winners.
3. **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](https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/ip-physics-tuition/Measurement-and-Uncertainty-for-IP-Physics)_ and invited speaker at SIMCC Teacher Summit 2023.
---
## 9 Further reading
- [SASMO official site — Rules & Scoring](https://sasmo.sg/indonesia/format/)
- [SIMCC](https://simcc.org/)
- [MOE — DSA-Sec talent domains](https://www.moe.gov.sg/secondary/dsa)
- [Raffles Institution Year 1 Direct School Admission](https://www.ri.edu.sg/admissions/year-1-admissions/year-1-direct-school-admission)
- [Straits Times — “Cheryl's Birthday” explainer](https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/its-often-the-puzzles-that-baffle-that-go-viral)
- [IP Math Year-by-Year Roadmap and 12-Week Grade-Jump Plan](https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/ip-maths-tuition/IP-Math-Year-by-Year-Roadmap-and-12-Week-Grade-Jump-Plan)
- [Developing IP-Level Problem-Solving Habits](https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/Developing-IP-Level-Problem-Solving-Heuristics)
- [IP Tuition Timing Hacks](https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/Weight-assessments-vs-Mid-Year-Examination)
---
## 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.*
