COMC 2024
Overview
CLMC -> COMC -> CMO -> IMO
The Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge (COMC) is Canada’s premier national mathematics competition open to any student with an interest in and grasp of high school math. The purpose of the COMC is to encourage students to explore, discover, and learn more about mathematics and problem solving. The competition serves to provide teachers with a unique student enrichment activity during the fall term. It is the most prestigious math competition in Canada, and one of the most prestigious in the Americas. The COMC is the only way to be invited to the CMS’ free, exclusive training camps and compete internationally as part of Math Team Canada!
Depending on their grade level and performance, students participating in the COMC will also have the opportunity to be considered for university scholarships, get invited to math camps, garner awards, and win prizes.
CMO Qualifier: The results of the COMC matter! Approximately 100 – 120 top-ranking students from the COMC are invited to write the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO) or the Junior CMO (CJMO) in March. The CMO, in turn, is a qualifier for Team Canada at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in a different city each July.
EGMO Qualifier: The top 6 – 8 COMC female contestants will also qualify for selection to represent Canada at the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO). EGMO is an international mathematics competition held each April in a European host city each year.
APMO Qualifier: Approximately 10 – 20 top-ranking students from the COMC are also selected to write the Asia-Pacific Mathematical Olympiad (APMO) as Team Canada.
Date
This year’s COMC competition will take place on Wednesday, October 30th in Canada and the Americas (anywhere in North/South American time zones), and on Thursday, October 31st elsewhere in the world.
NOTE: Because of Halloween this year, we are scheduling COMC for Wednesday instead of Thursday in the Americas.
Registration
Last day for registration is Thursday, October 24th (or October 16th for shipped exams).
Participating Schools & Organizations
Normally, all registration is done by teachers or school staff.
Prior to 2023, we had an older system. It’s still online so schools wanting to access their historical information still can.
- The new Portal system doesn’t have the old years’ data on it, but the old system is still running. You can access the old portal here.
- Remember: Teachers log into the old portal using their old school ID codes and their old passwords.
- One cannot register for new competitions using the old system.
Independent Students
Only for students whose school is not participating.
Some of our university partners are hosting an Open Writing Centre (OWC) for students whose schools are not participating through a teacher.
If this describes you, then you use the Independent Student Portal below, choose an OWC with space available and pay for it online by PayPal or credit card.
The OWCs are In Person which means students gather at a designated time and room at the university where the competition will be administered. Further information about Independent Students is in our Student FAQ.
Note: Your spot is reserved only if you’ve paid for it.
Alternate registrations for in-person COMC competition:
- University of Toronto: registration is through their Outreach program
- University of Alberta: contact sgraves@ualberta.ca for registration information
Rates and Delivery Methods
Schools can order exams to be pre-printed by the CMS and shipped to them by courier (“Shipped by Courier”) or can receive the exams as PDF files which are uploaded directly to the Competitions Portal (“PDF Delivery”) that their proctor/teacher can download and print locally prior to the competition. Due to the shipping, printing and handling costs, the PDF option is less expensive.
| Shipped by Courier (deadline: Oct 16) | PDF Delivery (deadline: Oct 24) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Location | Cost/exam | Minimum order size | Cost/exam | Minimum order size |
| Canada | $35.00 CAD | 5 | $30.00 CAD | 3 |
| USA | $40.00 USD | 5 | $35.00 USD | 5 |
| Elsewhere | n/a | n/a | $35.00 USD | 5 |
Payments and Cancellations: All payments are due by Oct 24th (Oct 16th for shipped exams). We reserve the right to cancel unpaid orders.
Paid orders cannot be modified.
Paper Exams
All students – with rare, authorized exception – will write the COMC on paper in the physical presence of a qualified proctor, typically a teacher at their school.
Poster
The CMS hopes to encourage students to challenge themselves in mathematics through the COMC! Please consider downloading and printing any of the materials below for display at your school or promoting the competition online.
8.5″ x 11″
11″ x 17″
