The Indian National Mathematical Olympiad (INMO) is a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

mathematics

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indiv ...

held annually in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

since 1989. It is the third tier in the Indian team selection procedure for the

International Mathematical Olympiad The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is a mathematical olympiad for pre-university students, and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except i ...

and is conducted by the

Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) is a National Centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, India. The broad goals of the institute are to promote equity and excellence in science and mathematics educati ...

(HBCSE) under the aegis of the National Board of Higher Mathematics (NBHM). The

Mathematical Olympiad Program The Mathematical Olympiad Program (abbreviated MOP, formerly called the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program, abbreviated MOSP) is an intensive summer program held at Carnegie Mellon University. The main purpose of MOP, held since 1974, is to selec ...

is a five stage process conducted under the aegis of National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM). The first stage PRMO is conducted by the Mathematics Teachers’ Association (India). All the remaining stages are organized by Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE).

Eligibility and participant selection process

The INMO is conducted by the

MO Cell The Mathematical Olympiad Cell (MO Cell) is a body of permanent faculty devoted to organizing and conducting the mathematical Olympiads in India, in particular, the Indian National Mathematical Olympiad and the International Mathematical Olympiad T ...

which is held on the third Sunday of January at 30 centers across the country. Prospective candidates first need to write the Pre-Regional Mathematical Olympiad (known as PRMO or Pre-RMO) then the Regional Mathematical Olympiad of their respective state or region. Around thirty students are selected from each region, to write the INMO. The best-performing students from the RMO (approximately 900) qualify for the second stage INMO.

Structure of the examination

Algebra Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics. Elementary ...

Geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is ...

Number theory Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) said, "Mat ...

and Combinatorics, Graph Theory. No calculator is allowed.

Further stages

The International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC)

The qualifying students are invited to the

International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is a mathematical olympiad for pre-university students, and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except ...

(IMOTC), a one-month mathematics camp hosted by the

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

. For first time participants, it usually extends from late April till the end of May, while it begins about 10–14 days later for senior participants. In this camp, the students are taught Olympiad mathematics and some other general mathematics. Four selection tests and two practice tests are held during this period and the top six students in the selection tests qualify to represent India in the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Pre-departure Training Camp for IMO

The selected team of 6 students goes through another round of training and orientation for about 10 days prior to departure for IMO.

International Mathematical Olympiad

The six member team selected at the end of IMOTC accompanied by a leader, a deputy leader and an observer represents the country at the IMO, held in July each year in a different member country of the IMO. Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) finances international travel of the team, the leader and the deputy leader, while NBHM(DAE) finances the other expenditure connected with the international participation and the entire in-country programme.

Post-IMOTC training of qualified candidates for subsequent seasons

Students who qualify the INMO once and come to attend the IMO Training Camp are sent postal problems during the period July—December that they have to solve and send back (if they are still in school). Based on their responses, some of the students are invited to the IMO Training Camp the next year directly. Others have to rewrite the INMO again (they do not have to write the Regional Mathematics Olympiad). From 2021, postals have been scrapped and all students(including Senior batch) have to give INMO to be eligible for attending IMOTC.

Perks upon qualification

* INMO awardee are eligible to write a special entrance exam exclusive to them for admission in

IIT Bombay The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay or IITB) is a public research university and technical institute in Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is considered as one of the best engineering universities in India and is top rank ...

B.S. in Mathematics course. * INMO awardees are automatically eligible for admission to the B.Sc. (Hons) Mathematics course in the

Chennai Mathematical Institute Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) is a higher education and research institute in Chennai, India. It was founded in 1989 by the SPIC Science Foundation, and offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in physics, mathematics and compute ...

. * Since 2008, INMO awardees applying for B. Stat or B. Math courses of the

Indian Statistical Institute Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) is a higher education and research institute which is recognized as an Institute of National Importance by the 1959 act of the Indian parliament. It grew out of the Statistical Laboratory set up by Prasanta ...

are directly called for the interview without having to write the written test. * INMO awardees are also eligible for an NBHM scholarship that currently stands at about Rs. 2500 per month, if they continue their studies in mathematics. They are also offered a 4-year programme of training in Mathematics through correspondence and periodic contact with a chosen faculty. The programme is also available to INMO awardees who do not pursue an undergraduate degree in Mathematics but have special interest in the subject. They are offered an annual cash award of Rs. 9,000 subject to satisfactory performance in the programme. * Students who make it to the IMO are eligible for the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (

KVPY Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (English: ''Young Scientist Incentive Plan'') (KVPY) was a scholarship programme funded by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India, aimed at encouraging students to take up research ...

) fellowship provided they pursue their studies in the science subjects in India. The fellowship amount stands at Rs. 5000 per month. * Indian team members who receive a gold, silver or bronze at IMO are given cash awards by the NBHM of Rs. 5,000, Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 3,000 respectively. * All travel expenses for the IMO Training Camp and all expenses for the IMO are borne by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.

External links

Information on RMO and INMO provided by Bhaskaracharya Pratishthana

Indian National Mathematical Olympiad problems

Official page of the MO cell

Mathematics Olympiad Help Site - India

Science Olympiad

Mathematics Olympiad Multiple Choice Questions

HBCSE Mathematical Olympiad page

Math Olympiad in India - A Comprehensive Guide

References

{{Indian National Olympiad International Mathematical Olympiad