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How to Prepare for MOEMS and APSMO

Updated: 2 days ago

If your child enjoys solving challenging math problems and wants to go beyond school math, MOEMS and APSMO are excellent competitions to begin with.


These contests develop problem-solving skills, logical reasoning, and mathematical confidence—while laying a strong foundation for future competitions like AMC 8 and MathCounts.


MOEMS - Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools

APSMO - Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads



🏆 Results that speak

Let’s now look at how these competitions work and how your child can prepare effectively.


Over the years, my students have consistently performed at a high level in Olympiad-style competitions, with achievements including:

  • Top 2% rankings in their region/country

  • Distinctions in AMC and other math competitions

  • Strong performances in APSMO/MOEMS

  • Most importantly, greater confidence and stronger problem-solving skills


With the right guidance and consistent practice, students can learn not only to participate but also to truly enjoy and excel in competitive math.



How to Prepare for MOEMS/ APSMO


Table of Contents

Popular topics



Facts about MOEMS contests

  1. It consists of 5 math contests held from November to March of every academic year.

  2. Each test is for 30 min and consists of 5 questions

  3. The students have to fill in the answers in the blanks provided.

  4. Divisions:

    1. Division E - Elementary level for grades 4-6

    2. Division M - Middle school level for grades 6-8

  5. Enrolment: Through schools, homeschools or registered institutions only

  6. Individual registration: Not available

  7. Important dates:

    • Contest 1 - November,

    • Contest 2 - December,

    • Contest 3 - January,

    • Contest 4 - February

    • Contest 5 - March



Facts about APSMO contests

This is the Australasian version of the MOEMS competition. It is held mainly in Australia and New Zealand. Any registered school within Australia and New Zealand can register for this competition. While the topics and the questions remain almost the same, the dates of the contests differ. It also has only 4 contests.

Important dates for the 2026 APSMO contest

  • Competition One - Wednesday, 6th May 2026

  • Competition Two - Wednesday, 10th June 2026

  • Competition Three - Wednesday, 29th July 2026

  • Competition Four - Wednesday, 9th September 2026

There are 2 divisions available for the Maths Olympiad here as well

  • Junior: Division J - for students in school Years 5 and 6

  • Senior: Division S - for students in school Years 7 and 8

Individual registration: Not available


The contest problems in APSMO are also mainly based on the metric unit system, unlike MOEMS, which uses both Metric and US standards. Books to help prepare for APSMO can be purchased on their website. I would highly recommend Volume 4, the latest set of competition papers and "Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics" by Dr. George Lenchner to help with preparation.




How to Prepare for MOEMS/ APSMO


MOEMS and APSMO papers consist of just 5 questions to be solved in 30 minutes. This means students have ample time to think carefully and work through each problem step by step—making it an excellent starting point for beginners.


Typically, the difficulty level progresses gradually:

  • The first two questions are relatively straightforward

  • The next two are of moderate difficulty

  • The final question is more challenging and requires deeper thinking


This structure helps students build confidence while also pushing them to develop stronger problem-solving skills.


Resources/ Books to prepare for MOEMS/ APSMO

  1. Beast Academy (BA) curriculum is great for preparing for all Elementary math competitions. It is a solid math curriculum as well. (I'm not an affiliate of BA, I just love their curriculum.)

    If you'd like to know about how to use the Beast Academy math curriculum, you can read my Beast Academy guide here


  2. Past papers are a great way to know what to expect in any competition. MOEMS past papers have been published in 5 books, which give plenty of practice questions. Hints and detailed solutions are also available in these books.

    Links to the books from Amazon

    1. Math Olympiad Contest Problems for Elementary and Middle Schools, Vol. 1

    2. Math Olympiad Contest Problems, Volume 2

    3. MOEMS Contest Problems, Volume 3

    4. Moems Contest Problems Vol. 4, The International Edition

      You can also find sample contest papers on their own website. Here's a link to all MOEMS preparation books from their own website.


  3. If your child is preparing on a shorter timeline, another helpful resource is Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics by George Lenchner



Popular Topics with MOEMS/ APSMO

Now that we’ve covered the registration process, exam format, and recommended preparation books, let’s move on to exploring the common topics and working through a few sample questions.

  1. Algebra, fractions and ratios through bar modelling

    1. Amy reads a lot, and she has 20 more books than Betty. Both of them together have 44 books. How many books does Betty have?

    2. Bala had some marbles. His sister gave him 12 more marbles than what he already had for his birthday. Now he has 82 marbles. How many marbles did his sister give him?

    3. Michelle gave 3/8 of the cookies she had to his friend. If she gave her friend 33 cookies, how many cookies did Michelle have to start with?


  2. Number Theory - GCF, LCM and its applications; divisibility rules; prime numbers

    1. What is the least number greater than 1000 that is a multiple of 12 and 5?

    2. Find the Mystery Number.

      1. I am a 3-digit even number between 500 and 600.

      2. I am divisible by 45.

      3. What number am I?

    3. The sum of 2 prime numbers a and b is 99. What is a*b?

    4. 7M4,393 is divisible by 11. What is M?


  3. Geometry – Areas and Perimeters of rectangles and rectilinear figures

    1. A square has an area of 81 sq. cm. What is its perimeter?

    2. ABCD is a square. Points E and F trisect the side AD. G is the midpoint of side AB. If the area of the triangle EFG is 25 sq units, what is the area of the square ABCD?

ABCD is a square. Points E and F trisect the side AD. G is the midpoint of side AB.

c. The following figure is made up of 7 congruent squares. If the area of the given figure is 63, then what is the perimeter of the shape?

The following figure is made up of 7 congruent squares



  1. Counting and Probability - Basics of the Counting Principle

    1. 5 teams are playing in a round-robin tournament, where each team plays exactly 3 games with every other team. How many games are played in total in the tournament?

    2. A circle has 6 equally spaced points drawn on its circumference. How many lines can be drawn joining any 2 of the points?

    3. How many 4-digit numbers can be formed using the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (no repetition) such that the 4-digit number is divisible by 3?



  1. Logic, Patterns and Cryptogram Puzzles

    Cryptogram Puzzles are my favourite, and my students' favourite too. Here are some for practice

    1. ER + ER + ER = GR8 where E, R and G are non-zero digits. Find G, R and E.

    2. DAD * AA = DEED. DEED is a multiple of 9. Find DAD. This is a Cryptogram along with divisibility rules from Number Theory.

    3. BRIBE + BRIB + BRI + BR + B = 79415. Find B, R, I and E.


    Patterns

    1. 10/7 = 1.428571428571428571..... What is the 50th digit after the decimal

    2. Kenny starts writing a list that goes 19, 27, 35, 43 and so on. What is the 30th number in her list?

    3. The first number of a sequence is 1. The next number is 3 more than twice the previous number. The sequence goes on this way. What is the units digit of the 2026th number in this sequence?


    Logic

    1. On an island, all inhabitants are either truth-tellers or liars.

      A says: “B is a liar.”

      B says: “C is a liar.”

      C says: “A and B are both liars.”

      Who is telling the truth?

    2. Four children—Anna, Ben, Cara, and Dan—each have a different favourite colour: green, blue, red, and yellow.

      Anna does not like red

      Ben likes blue

      Cara does not like green

      Dan likes neither yellow nor red

      Who likes Yellow?


  2. Basic Arithmetic Problems

    1. Evaluate 1/5÷1/5÷5÷1/5÷1/5. (These are very popular in MOEMS. Order of operations is important, and so is writing the steps here.)

    2. What is 25×48+25×35+25x17

    3. What is 5/6 of 6/7 of 7/8 of 8/9 of 9/10 of 180?



What do students gain through APSMO?

• Strong foundations in arithmetic, algebra, and number theory

• Confidence in tackling non-routine problems

• Exposure to logical reasoning, patterns, and mathematical thinking


Looking for structured MOEMS/APSMO coaching?


About Me

Hi, I’m Vasudha—though many of my students lovingly call me “Sudha Aunty.”

I’m an online math tutor passionate about helping students build confidence, strong problem-solving skills, and a genuine love for mathematics.


I work with students in grades 3–9, supporting both school math and competition math including MOEMS, APSMO, AMC 8, MathCounts, Beast Academy, and AoPS.

My teaching philosophy is simple:

I don’t just teach students how to solve a problem—I teach them how to think.


As one parent shared:“She encourages creative problem-solving rather than rote practice.”

Another wrote:“She doesn’t just teach math—she teaches children how to think.”

And perhaps my favourite:“Math is fun and I can handle it.”


That mindset shift is what I care about most.

If your child is ready to move beyond memorisation and become a more confident mathematical thinker, I’d love to help.


For more problems, check out my blogs on Cryptograms and Find the Mystery Numbers.

I also regularly post on my Facebook page V's Online Math Tutoring

You can also visit Interesting Math Problems.







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