UKMT Junior Maths Challenge

DS in Y8 got gold last year. Thought yesterday's test was fine........

Serena thanks for that. DS was supposed to sit the challenge but a cricket match got in the way! I'll let him have a go at home.

Yesterday's paper is already on the ukmt site - with solutions

I think it was the whole of the Y7 and 8 top sets at dd's school (ordinary northern comp).
Not sure they really gave it much thought.

Presumably in most schools it is a positive thing even to have been on the team? Certainly that is the case in DS's school. Very few Year 7s put forward.

Dd has done lots of UKMT tests over the past 5 years and sometimes does great in them and sometimes badly. The ones she did practice for are the ones she did better in. I would just take their results with a pinch of salt and remember that only those with children who have done well will be posting on here with the results in a couple of weeks. If they are disheartened, just remind them it is only for fun and they do not know how much work those who did well put in. (Even those who claim to have just done nothing before).

Actually I don't mean educated guesses. You would still have to work it out, just wouldn't necessarily have to be 100% certain.

Hmm, I think people are overstating the 'don't answer unless you're positive' thing. If I read it correctly there are questions that potentially lose you two but could also gain you 6, so if you are about 50% likely to be right you should try. Random guesses won't be worth it but educated ones might be.

They're meant to be hard and rather different from school maths, aren't they? If any of yours who are generally good at maths don't do particularly well in them and are despondent, for comforting anecdotal context DD only ever got a couple of bronzes and one silver, but got top grades in gcse maths and further maths, and is predicted A* in maths and FM A levels.

Y7 ds sat it yesterday-said it was harder than he expected, and didn't answer 4 questions in the last lot. He's a high achiever in maths and was gutted-he was aiming for kanagaroo but because he didn't answer enough he knows he won't get it.

That said, he did say he enjoys this style of test-far more interesting than normal maths, so it doesn't seem to have killed the love of the subject for him, which is a relief!

Uh Oh - DS1 is not happy. Clearly he didn't listen properly. The teacher apparently said you won't lose any marks for giving the first 15 a go - but he didn't then take that to mean you would lose marks for trying the next lot and getting some wrong.

Shame because he thinks he got about 6 right from the harder questions. Oh well - next time!

DS (Y7) did this yesterday and thought it went ok. I think there were only a couple of questions he couldn't answer. Does anyone know when results are known?

I must have read it wrong noble on the site about last years thresholds oops! It must be time of morning lol!

I don't know anything about them but are they particularly hard then? Last year DS was 1 of 3 who got a silver but it sounds like if you answer the easier 1-15 you will get a silver?

Definitely do not attempt any after 15 unless you are positive about answer, that is why they are hard because you lose marks! But as I said before it is meant to stretch them and to get gold or into an olympiad you would have to answer some beyond the 15. It doesn't really matter the fun is taking part, don't worry too much about the results. Past papers are on the site which would be handy for next year as practise.

Guessing up to Q15 is fine, guessing after Q15 loses you marks for incorrect answers. You can get a perfectly good score and a certificate without answering all the questions (even just the first 15 correct will get you silver).

Last year the thresholds were
Bronze 51-64 Silver 65-80 Gold 81+ Kangaroo Qualifier 93-112 UK only Olympiad Qualifier 113+

DS is in year 8 and said it was ok but abit harder than last year - when he achieved a Silver. Missed 4 questions this time

Last years junior thresholds were bronze 35 silver 44 and gold 55.

Yr7 DS1 sat it and said the first 18 or so were fine and then it got harder and quite a lot of them were educated guesses. He was told to try to answer all of them. Is that not a good approach - comments above indicate that you might be better not to attempt the question?

My Y7 class bounced out of it happily declaring it was easy and some answered all the questions, which leads me to suspect that they didn't read them properly and will be losing marks!

Results usually take about a fortnight to come out.

DS sat it yesterday, he is in Y7. He thought first 15 questions were ok. He didn't like the next 5 questions so missed them out as didn't want to drop any marks. He then did a few of the next section. Fingers crossed he got them right, as otherwise you drop 2 marks each.

If you get on average about 11 right on the first 15 you will get a bronze but it depends what the boundaries are for each year as they vary. If you go on their site you will find the questions and answers and the mark boundaries in a couple of days when they have all the results in. Good luck!

DS also sat it and said it was quite hard. Glad others did too! You

Its a good experience for the children and a bit of an honour in a way to be entered for it but it isn't important if they don't get anything, its the taking part that's good.

Dd has had virtually no maths teaching since she started in Y7 (teacher ill, rather dubious supply teacher if she is to be believed) let alone preparation for this particular test, so it will be interesting to see if any of her lot manage to come anywhere.