The middle rung of the UKMT ladder for Year 11 and below — and the point where wrong answers start costing marks.
Not what you were looking for? Not to be confused with the International Mathematics Competition for University Students, also abbreviated IMC. This is UKMT's school-level Intermediate Mathematical Challenge for Year 11 and below; that one is a university-level proof competition held in Bulgaria.
England, Wales and Overseas: Year 11 and below. Scotland: S4 or below. Northern Ireland: Year 12 or below. source
5 marks for each correct answer to questions 1-15, and 6 marks for each correct answer to questions 16-25, for a maximum of 135. Wrong answers cost marks on the back half only: 1 mark on questions 16-20, and 2 marks on questions 21-25. A blank scores 0. So on questions 1-15 a guess is free, and on 21-25 a wrong guess costs you 2 marks and a blank costs nothing. source
The headline competition date reads 2027, but other text on the same pages still references 2026 deadlines. Treat the 2027 date as the next cycle and confirm against UKMT before relying on it.
Papers are copyright of the organiser, so we point you to the source rather than hosting copies.
Original CREST Champs problem sets built to match this competition's format, timing and difficulty — our own content, so you can sit one today rather than waiting for the real date.
On the back half, yes. Questions 1-15 carry no penalty, so guess freely. Questions 16-20 cost you 1 mark for a wrong answer, and questions 21-25 cost 2. Since a blank always scores 0, the arithmetic on the last five questions is simple: guess only if you can eliminate enough options to be better than even, otherwise leave it.
No, and the clash catches people out. This is UKMT's Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, a 60-minute multiple-choice paper for Year 11 and below. The International Mathematics Competition for University Students is a proof-based competition for undergraduates held in Bulgaria. Same three letters, entirely unrelated.
Grey and Pink Kangaroo, or the Cayley, Hamilton and Maclaurin Olympiad papers, depending on your score and year group. UKMT sets the thresholds after each paper rather than publishing them in advance.