Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge (SIMOC) and International Junior Math Olympiad (IJMO)

Bao Ling Riley Lee (P5RY) Hong Haocheng (P3IY) Aiden Lau (P3RE) Evan Chan (P4HY)

During the last summer break, I had the privilege of participating in the Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge (SIMOC). This year’s SIMOC was conveniently scheduled right before the Singapore Holiday Immersion Programme (SHIP). Therefore, I stayed in Singapore for two weeks to attend both programs.
The SIMOC was a whole day competition starting from 7am until 5pm. Over 1000 students from 16 countries participated. The competition consisted of 3 parts. I felt most confident with the first part, which was an individual written test with intellectually challenging mathematical problems. The second and third parts were team-based games that tested our ability to do mental sums, think strategically and solve puzzles under time pressure. I found it a rather challenging but rewarding learning experience to work together harmoniously with team members from different grades and backgrounds, to understand and respect them and communicate effectively. I enjoyed the competition very much and look forward to participating in similar competitions in future. (Evan Chan P4HY)

This summer, I participated in SIMOC, which not only helped test my knowledge, but also helped me become a better team player. The experience was very fun and interesting as I got to play games and bond with others from different countries who do not speak my language.
Through this contest, I have also been able to achieve some school values. For example, I was resilient, even though there were many though questions, I still persisted and got the answer. Although I was not confident with my answer, I still tried as hard as I could and never gave up no matter how hard the task was.
During the contest, the tasks we had to tackle were not easy at all. The biggest hurdle was that we had to participate in two team challenges. My teammates were both from a different country, one did not speak my language. However as a team, we still found a way to bond and had fun together.
This contest helped me get to know others better. I brought home an everlasting memory that I will never forget. (Riley Lee P5)

In July, I went to Thailand for IJMO. I was fortunate to become the Grade 2 Champion and I would like to share my experience with you.

To be a champion, you have to practice. I practiced for a long time, so I remembered what I did and used what I learned to answer the questions in the test. Checking is also important because if you don’t check, you might have some mistakes. I checked a lot of times and I found 1 or 2 mistakes.

Relaxing is good because if you relax, you wouldn’t be tired in the contest. Don’t be nervous because if you are, your brain will not be ready for calculating. There were some hard questions but you still have to show resilience because if you skip some questions you are not likely to become a champion. I did the hard questions last and spent more time on them. Finally, I got the ideas for them.

Hope you can become a champion in the future as well! (Hong Haocheng P3IY)

It was my pleasure to attend SIMOC in Singapore and IJMO in Thailand this past summer. This was my first time participating in International Math Olympiads and it was a fantastic experience.

I truly enjoyed the two team based challenges in SIMOC – Maths Warriors Competition and Minds Sports Challenge. They tested our abilities to work as a team and broadened my horizon to enrich my knowledge in Maths and overcome challenges. I have also learnt not to give up easily.

Throughout both trips the team spirit was unforgettable. Everyone showed care to each other without cultural boundary. We “RESPECT” each other and show “RESPONSIBILITY and “INTEGRITY” to our commitment.

I cherish everything about these two trips and they have inspired me to continue excelling in Math. (Aiden Lau P3RE)