IWYMIC Past Papers with Answers - Practise Online

The Invitational World Youth Mathematics Intercity Competition (IWYMIC) is the lower secondary division of the International Mathematics Competition (IMC), an annual team olympiad for students up to about age 15 who have not yet entered Grade 10. Each year a different city hosts the event, and every team sits the same Individual Contest and Team Contest. That is why each year's IWYMIC paper carries the name of the host, such as VIMC 2025 (Vietnam) or BIMC 2023 (Bulgaria).

IWYMIC past papers are among the most challenging practice material for strong lower secondary students, because they combine short-answer problems with full proofs and team problems. This guide explains the IWYMIC level, the two contests, the exam format, the host-city system and how to prepare.

Note that IWYMIC is not the same as IMC Singapore (the International Mathematics Contest run by the IMC Union). The two only share the initials IMC; they have different organizers, formats and finals.

Overview

IWYMIC was founded in 1999 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, by a professor at Kaohsiung Normal University, as a competition for junior high school students who love mathematics. It was held in Kaohsiung for its first two years, and since then different countries have taken turns to host it. A primary school counterpart, the Elementary Mathematics International Contest (EMIC), began in Thailand in 2003. In 2008 the Ministry of Education of Thailand combined the two events under the name International Mathematics Competition (IMC). Since then IWYMIC has been the Key Stage III (lower secondary) division and EMIC the Key Stage II (upper primary) division of the same event.

The Chiu Chang Mathematics Education Foundation in Taipei, Taiwan, coordinates the competition with the IMC Executive Board and Academic Committee, and keeps the official archive of past problems.

Why each year's paper has the host's name

IMC has no fixed home. Each year one city hosts the whole event, and the competition takes the host's name: BIMC for Bulgaria, SAIMC for South Africa, InIMC for India, VIMC for Vietnam, MIMC for Mongolia, and so on. Participating countries propose problems in advance (in recent years, ten per division, in English). The IMC Academic Committee reviews them, and the jury of that year, which includes the IMC Executive Board, the Academic Committee and mathematicians from the host country, finalizes the papers. All teams then sit exactly the same papers. So "IWYMIC 2025" and "VIMC 2025 Key Stage III" are the same paper.

Hosts confirmed by the IMC archive:

IWYMIC levels and grades

The age and grade rules are recalculated from the opening day of each year's event, so check the current information letter. Primary students take the EMIC division instead.

Rounds

Both contests take place during the same event, and every contestant must take part in both. There is no worldwide qualifying round: each country chooses its own teams, and selection papers are rarely published. Each team has four contestants plus a leader and a deputy leader, and in 2025 a country could send up to two teams per division.

IWYMIC exam format and scoring

In the Team Contest, the four members first have 10 minutes to discuss the problems and share them out, then work individually, and finally solve the last two problems together in 25 minutes. Papers are produced in English and Chinese, and the host may add its own language (for VIMC 2025 the official languages were Vietnamese, English and Chinese).

When is IWYMIC held

IMC is held once a year, usually in July or August, over about a week that includes both contests and the awards ceremony. National selection happens in the months before. Teams are entered by national organizers, so students should contact the IMC organizer or mathematics society in their country.

How to prepare with IWYMIC past papers

• Separate short answers from proofs. The 12 short-answer problems reward accuracy; the 3 long problems reward complete, logical writing. Each long problem is worth as much as four short ones.
• Write full solutions every time. For the three 20-point problems, practise writing a complete argument and then compare it with the official solution.
• Practise team problems with friends. The Team Contest rewards splitting work well. Try the 10-minute discussion, solo work and final 25-minute joint work as a group.
• Work through older years too. The official archive goes back to 1999. Older papers are good practice, but check that their format matches the current one before timing yourself.

On Edupiad you can practise the IWYMIC papers we have online with a timer, automatic marking for short answers and a review of each question. Full-solution and team problems cannot be marked automatically, and we do not have every year.

Frequently asked questions

What age is IWYMIC for?

Key Stage III students who have not entered Grade 10, roughly up to age 15. The exact birth-date limit is set each year.

Why is IWYMIC called VIMC, BIMC or InIMC?

The event takes the name of the host country each year. The IWYMIC paper of that year is the Key Stage III paper of the host event.

Is IWYMIC an individual or a team competition?

Both. Every student takes the Individual Contest and, with three teammates, the Team Contest.

Is IWYMIC the same as IMC Singapore?

No. IMC Singapore is a separate contest run by the IMC Union with a yearly final in Singapore.

What is the difference between EMIC and IWYMIC?

EMIC is the upper primary division (Key Stage II) and IWYMIC the lower secondary division (Key Stage III) of the same International Mathematics Competition.

Sources

• International Mathematics Competition - Chiu Chang foundation
• About IMC - Chiu Chang foundation
• VIMC 2025 information
• InIMC 2024 information
• IMC history and results
• Mongolia IMC 2026