Are your Year 11 DCs doing the UKMT Intermediate Challenge today?

[TheKretins]

Sadly it looks like the Y11's in our school aren't doing the UKMT Intermediate Challenge today, only Y10s and Y9s, and I'm assuming because the staff want Y11 focussing on their GCSE prep instead. I find that disappointing. Is it the norm in other schools too?

DD(Yr11) is doing it today.
They also did the Senior Challenge earlier in the year.

DS in year 11 is doing it today but they didn't get an opportunity in year 10

Yep DD is doing it today. She's not happy 😁

That's a shame. It only takes an hour.
DS got his best IMC score in Y11 and went on to get a merit in the Olympiad. It was briefly mentioned in his UCAS reference as evidence of mathematical ability (applying for a subject where maths is relevant).

Do they all sit it at the same time or any time during the day? Just wondering if it's worth calling up to see if DS can do it after school.

Ds is year 11 and said he was doing it today. Was pleased as he was missing history!

I think it's any time as DD has hers instead of her actual maths lesson, so not missing any other subjects. It would be a bit of a coincidence if everyone was doing it at the same time as her maths lesson.

Yes mine did it too. Was an unpleasant surprise for him 😀

Yes mine did it too. Was an unpleasant surprise for him 😀

My year 8 and year 9 did it, both were happy but year 8 especially happy as missing dance.

My year 11 did it today.

It's anytime during the school day - at our school all the children sit it together, was first thing for ours.

DD is in year 11 , selective private, they didn't do intermediate challenge this year, I guess because of GCSE.

A suggestion, based on having worked in schools a bit:

Why not, at home, do just one Maths Challenge question on a Saturday and one on a Sunday anyway? Just for fun?

It will be great 'mathematical calisthenics' and it will, specifically, prepare the candidate for the more challenging GCSE questions.

I think each school is supposed to have all their kids do it at the same time - it usually ends up being when either year 10 or 11 have maths, because if the whole top set does it then that teacher can invigilate it; the other year groups will then come out of whatever they happen to have then. It's a shame when some year groups are not given the opportunity to do it, especially if there are some really strong mathematicians. (When I was at school, we did it after school!)

TheKretins, if your DS would have been likely to qualify for the Olympiad round (eg because he has in the past), schools are able to enter students for that if they missed out on the challenge. I think they have to pay - the UKMT obviously don't want lots of extra entries to something that is mainly "by invitation", but equally they don't want someone missing out because they were ill for the challenge. So that's something it's worth asking the school about. The same does not apply to the Kangaroo, though.

DD said our year 11s did sit it but some of them missed the senior maths challenge due to school GCSE work. She did the senior earlier in the year.

Not that I am aware and DS looks really rough this morning so I hope they don’t spring it on him.

It was yesterday, answers are out now so definitely shouldn't be springing tests on anyone or at least UKMT tests today.

Ds said it was 'fine' yesterday. That's his stock response for everything though so who knows!