Mathematics Competitions

Every year, TOPS students participate in a variety of different math competitions. Some of these competitions include the Waterloo Pascal Contest (Gr.9), Cayley Contest (Gr.10), and Fermat Contest (Gr.11). The aim of this series contests is to provide an opportunity for students to have fun and to develop their mathematical problem solving ability. The formats for these competitions are all the same; they are an hour long each and consist twenty-five multiple choice questions and is marked out of 150. In TOPS, participation in one of these contests based on the student’s grade level is mandatory. More than 150 TOPS students participate in this series of contests annually.

 Apart from those, the Waterloo Fryer Contest (Gr.9), Galois Contest (Gr.10), and Hypatia Contest (Gr.11) are also mandatory contests for the TOPS students. These contests aim to provide an opportunity for students to develop their mathematical problem solving ability through written mathematical activities. Each of them is 75 minutes long and consists of four problems requiring full written solution. Students are marked on the solution presentation and the maximum possible mark for each of these contests is 40.

 How about the grade 12 students then? The Euclid Contest is specially designed for students in their final year of high school, but can also be a great educational opportunity for students in the lower grades. This contest is two and half hours in length and the questions are divided into answer only and full solution parts. Marks for full solution questions are assigned for form and style of presentation, as well as for answers. There are 10 questions in total, each worth 10 marks, giving a total maximum value of 100.

 Another math competition that many TOPS students complete every year from all 4 grades is the Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge. This is not a mandatory contest in TOPS but a great learning experience for all of the participants. The competition is primarily aimed for students in senior levels as well as motivated younger students. It acts as a qualifying paper for the Canadian Mathematics Olympiad. The result of this competition determines the invitations to write the CMO. The contest is two and half hours long and consists two parts with a total mark of 80. In part A, there are 8 problems with 5 marks each. In this section, a correct answer for any problem will receive full marks, but partial credit may be earned for any correct written work supplied if the answer is incorrect. Part B consists of 4 problems worth 10 marks each. For these questions, presentation is graded. This year, approximately 80 students from TOPS participated in this competition.