The Primary Maths Challenge (PMC) created by The Mathematical Association is a fun and exciting mathematical challenge. It is a good basis for use in the preparation for the 11 plus exam (a good stretch for the more able students aiming for top schools). It is aimed at pupils aged 9 - 11 years old.
The PMC is not designed to be just another test in the school year. The PMC encourages enthusiasm, boosts confidence in mathematics and shows the different way questions can be asked. The problem solving style of the questions helps pupils to develop their reasoning skills.
The PMC paper has 25 questions. 20 of these are multiple choice. The questions are graded; starting with easy ones and graduating to harder questions. The final five require an answer where no choices are given. Pupils get:
- 45 minutes to answer the questions
- the chance to take part in a national challenge
- 10 easy questions to start with
- certificates presented by the school
- high-scoring pupils will be invited to take part in the PMC Bonus Round
The certificates awarded are:
- Gold
- Silver
- Bronze
- Took The Challenge
It is the intention that teachers decide how the certificates be awarded. One gold, two silver and three bronze certificates are provided in each packof 10 papers. Decisions are an 'in-school' task. The spirit of the PMC is that, in each school, there will be a number of gold, silver and bronze pupils who deserve certificates!
Bonus Round
There is a Bonus Round win February. The Bonus Round is an invite only opportunity for those pupils who did well in the first round, to extend and challenge their maths skills. The Paper is set out in a similar format to the November challenge paper with 25 questions and 45 minutes to do them in.
- The boundary to take part in the Bonus Round will be set in November and communicated to schools after the November Challenge has taken place.
- All bonus round participants receive a certificate for taking part. School can purchase a gold, silver or bronze lapel badges and certificates for pupils who gain these scores
11+ Prep
Students should first make sure that they are well prepared for the exams administered by their target schools. See 11+ Past Papers. This link contains all available past papers and detailed advice on all the different exam boards.
Once students are finding their target school papers easy, they should then move onto these Primary Maths Challenge papers released by The Mathematical Association. These papers are great practice for students who are aiming for top 11+ schools and want to really stretch themselves and have the best possible chance of being accepted into a top school.
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