FAQs for Students

Overview

What grade levels can participate in the COMC?

Anyone who has not completed high school can take the COMC. In the North American education system, this means kindergarten to grade 12. In Quebec, this also includes CEGEP.
The questions are based on the standard Canadian mathematics curriculum for senior secondary grades and Cégep.

What do students get out of it?

Participation in nationally recognized math competitions is a fantastic addition to your portfolio, particularly if you want to secure a university entrance scholarship.
Top Canadian COMC participants can be invited to the Canadian Math Olympiad (CMO), the Junior Olympiad (CJMO), and may even have the chance to represent Canada at international competitions
You gain new experience in problem solving that allows you to compete with some of the most mathematically inclined students in Canada.
We issue official certificates to all competitors and reward the top scorers publicly on our website, in addition to awarding them small monetary prizes.
The CMS gives special recommendations to Canadian universities for top graduating participants. We encourage these universities to recruit and offer scholarships to these students.

Where is the competition held?

It’s usually held at your school in a room organized by your teacher/organizer. In some cases, students may be able to go to a partner university's Open Writing Centre to participate.

When is the competition held?

Date: Please refer to the competition homepage.
Time: If writing the contest on Wednesday, we ask all those in the Central Time Zone (North America) to write in the morning, and those to the east of this zone to write in the afternoon. If writing on Thursdays, the supervisor/teacher can determine the time of day to write.

What is the duration of the competition?

The competition lasts 150 minutes and consists of 12 questions.

Is the competition on paper or online?

On paper.
Your proctor/teacher will give you a competition booklet with your name, school, and unique barcode pre-printed on it. This booklet has all the questions as well as blank areas for your work and solutions.

What is the exam structure and grading system?

The set of questions is the same for all students at all grade levels. There are :

Four introductory questions, worth 4 points each;
Four intermediate questions, worth 6 points each; and
Four advanced questions, worth 10 points each.
Maximum score: 80 points.

The first two sections (introductory and intermediate) are graded as follows:

If you answer correctly, you receive full marks without having to show your work.
If you do not give the right answer, but you at least present a correct work, a partial mark can be awarded.
You are not obliged to show your work, but if you fail to do so and make a small error in your answer, you will not be awarded any points.

Advanced questions require fully developed solutions (students must show all their work).

Is the exam available in English only?

No, it's also available in French.
Make sure your teacher knows what language you want to work in.

How much does it cost?

See prices on the contest home page, under “Rates and Delivery Methods”.

How can I prepare myself mathematically?

Please see our Getting Ready page for some suggestions.

Who grades the exam?

We have a network of universities across Canada who have teams of markers. Your teacher sends them your exam, and we give your teacher the results when they're ready. Top scores are reviewed by a senior mathematician to ensure fair grading.

Registration

Does my teacher have to register me?

In general, yes.
For students who want to participate but whose school cannot or will not participate as a group, we have a limited number of places available in our Open Writing Centres. See the “Independent Students” section below for more details.

Is the competition only open to students in Canada?

No.
Although the vast majority of our competitors are in Canada, students from all over the world also participate.
Students from outside Canada compete in the “International” division instead of the “Canadian” division.
*Exception*: Canadian citizens who are living abroad compete in the Canadian division.

See our Prizes and Awards page for more information.

What happens if my school can't or won't participate? Is there any other way to participate?

You can contact other schools in your area to find out if they are participating, and if they are willing to accept students from other schools.
You may also participate as an “Independent Student” through one of our Open Writing Centres. For more information, see the “Independent Students” section below.

I’ve registered for the COMC, can I also register for other competitions?

Yes, you can register for more than one competition per year.

Independent Students

What is an Open Writing Centre (OWC)?

It's usually a room on the campus of one of our partner universities. A proctor/instructor is arranged to administer the competition. Not all universities have this option, and for those that do, the number of places is limited. If any OWCs have places available, they will be indicated on our competition homepage as soon as registration opens.
If your school is unable or unwilling to organize the competition, you may check the list of OWCs to see if there is one near you.
Please note that you must pay your registration fee online to secure your place.

Are all the Open Writing Centres in person? What if there's no centre in my city (or if they're full)? Can I participate remotely?

Almost all centres are held in person.
One or two centres will hopefully be held remotely (via Zoom). If you see an option in the list of available centres that indicates it is a remote centre instead of an in-person centre, you may register for that centre.
For remote proctoring, you'll need a reliable internet connection, a web browser, a webcam and the Zoom software. All IDs are carefully checked. You must arrive on Zoom and report to the proctor at least 15 minutes before the scheduled exam start time.

How do I register as an independent student?

First, make sure there's an Open Writing Centre that can accommodate you. You'll find a list of available OWCs on the competition home page (click on View Availability) once registration opens.
Click on Register now. This will take you to a login page for our competitions portal. If you don't already have an account, you'll need to create one. Enter your email address when prompted. You should receive an email in your inbox (also check your Junk/Spam folders). It should arrive within a few minutes.
Open the verification email you received from us and click on the link it contains. You can then set a password for your portal account and enter your name. Then log in to your account using your email address and the password you've just set.
You will be asked to create either a Student account or a School account. Choose a Student account.
Enter your address. Our prize divisions are based on geographic locations, and we may need to send you a physical prize or portfolio (or even a check) later.
Register for COMC. Choose from the list an OWC that has spaces available and provide the rest of your information, then confirm. This creates an “unpaid order” which does not guarantee you a place.
Pay online using Paypal. You don't need a Paypal account if you pay simply by credit card, but you can use your Paypal account if you have one.
You may click on “Receipt” when you have finished paying to view, print or save your receipt.

Thereafter, you can log in to your portal account at any time using the email address and password you've defined. In your portal, you'll see details of the OWC for which you've registered (special instructions, specific location, etc.).

Can I get a receipt?

Yes. Log in to your portal account and click on the contest for which you have created an order. Then, under “Orders”, click on Details. Click on Details again and you'll be able to print a receipt for your order.

I thought I had registered, but the order isn't showing up?

Did you pay? If so, please contact our office.
If you have not paid, our system automatically deletes abandoned registrations, so you will have to register again. We do not hold places for unpaid registrations.

I have to cancel my order. Can I get a refund?

Paid orders cannot be modified.
If your order is not marked as paid, you can cancel it yourself using your portal.

How can I get more information about my Open Writing Centre?

Please log in to your portal account.
Details and instructions are posted there.

How do things work at an Open Writing Centre? What do I need to bring?

Check the instructions for your OWC on your portal account. Any special requirements or instructions (e.g. parking, masks, etc.) will be listed there.
Bring your official government-issued photo ID.
Bring two or more pencils (preferably dark, such as 2B) and a good eraser.
Electronic devices such as cell phones and calculators are not permitted.
The proctor will check your ID and register you on the attendance sheet.
Your proctor will explain the basic rules and give you a competition booklet with your name on the front, which you must keep closed until you are told to start.
You may begin the competition when your proctor tells you to do so.
You have up to two and a half hours to complete your work and hand it in to the proctor.
If you finish early, raise your hand and let the proctor know.

How and when will I receive my results?

We'll send you an email as soon as the unofficial results are ready. This should be in December.
We'll send you another email in January, when the official results, prize winners, statistics and public announcements are released.
Your score and results will be detailed on your portal account. This is also where you'll get your official certificate.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes, all official competitors will receive a certificate. If your results are good and you win a prize, you will receive a prize certificate, otherwise you will receive a certificate based on quartiles. See our Prizes and Awards page for more information.

Did we answer your question?

If not please use this contact form to route your question to the right person.

It can take up to 2-3 business days for us to reply. In the past, many people sent us emails for questions that were already answered in the FAQs above, so your fastest route to an answer is to look for the information above first.