Online Math Competition Prep | Math Kangaroo and MOEMS | Grades 1 to 8
Online Math Competition Prep: Math Kangaroo and MOEMS, Grades 1 to 8
Math Competition Prep is one course with two tracks: Math Kangaroo prep for grades 1 to 8, and prep for the Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS) for grades 4 to 8. It is for students with a good math foundation who enjoy competing and solving logical reasoning problems. Classes are live online, interactive and engaging, in a small group of 5 to 6 students, never more than 8, so every child takes part. A free placement assessment confirms that your child is ready.
Two tracks
Pick the Contest, or Do Both
Both tracks are taught the same way: each class teaches one strategy or topic, then practices it with sets of contest-style problems, and each week has five homework problems.
Math Kangaroo Prep
Math Kangaroo is a 75-minute multiple-choice contest held every March for grades 1 to 12. The prep course runs for 12 weeks before the contest, in four grade groups: grades 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6 and 7 to 8. Avatar proctors the exam online.
MOEMS Prep
MOEMS runs five monthly contests from November to March, each five problems in thirty minutes. The prep course follows the contest season: strategies and foundations first, then each contest taken in class under contest conditions and gone over together the week after.
Competition guide
Where These Contests Sit Among the Others
These are the main contests American students enter, from first grade to the olympiad track. The two we prepare for are marked.
| Competition | Who | When | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math Kangaroo We prepare for this | Grades 1 to 12 | March, once a year | 75 minutes, 24 to 30 multiple-choice questions. The friendliest first contest; a strong grade 1 to 4 entry point. |
| MOEMS (Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools) We prepare for this | Grades 4 to 8 | Five contests, November to March | Five problems in 30 minutes, written answers. Division E for grades 4 to 6, Division M for 6 to 8. |
| Noetic Learning Math Contest | Grades 1 to 8 | Fall and spring | 20 problems in 45 minutes, taken online at school or at home. |
| AMC 8 | Grade 8 and below | January | 25 multiple-choice problems in 40 minutes, run by the Mathematical Association of America. |
| MATHCOUNTS | Grades 6 to 8 | School and chapter rounds in winter, state in March, national in May | Sprint, target, team and countdown rounds; schools field teams of four. |
| AMC 10 and AMC 12 | Grade 10 and below; Grade 12 and below | November | 25 problems in 75 minutes. High scores qualify for the AIME, the next step toward the USA Math Olympiad. |
By the end of the course
What Students Can Do After Competition Prep
Five problem-solving strategies
Solve problems by guessing and checking, working backward, drawing a picture, finding a pattern or breaking the problem into parts.
Number theory puzzles
Use factors, primes, divisibility, GCF, LCM, remainders and last-digit cycles to solve number puzzles.
Perimeter, area and angles
Find perimeters, areas and angles, including shaded and composite figures, and use scale factor.
Counting and probability
Count with lists, trees, products, arrangements, combinations, Venn diagrams and cases, and find simple probabilities.
Word problems
Solve problems with ratios, rates, averages, ages, consecutive numbers and two unknowns.
Contest technique
Take a timed contest with a plan: easy ones first, skip and return, check every answer.
Course content
The MOEMS Track, Unit by Unit
Open a unit to see its topics. The Math Kangaroo track covers the same strategies in the 12 weeks before the March contest, with Kangaroo-style multiple-choice practice.
Unit 1Strategies and foundations5 topics
The five strategies, then the first tools from each strand: factors and primes, perimeter and area, organized counting, patterns and balance.
- Problem-Solving StrategiesHow a MOEMS contest works and the five strategies used all season: guess, check and revise; work backward; draw a picture; find a pattern; break it into parts.
- Factors, Multiples and PrimesFactor pairs, the divisibility rules, primes and the factor tree, with puzzles about sums and products of primes.
- Perimeter and AreaPerimeter versus area for rectangles and shapes with square corners, found by breaking into parts, sliding the sides, or cutting and moving a piece.
- Organized Lists, Trees and ChoicesCounting without missing or repeating anything: organized lists, tree diagrams, and multiplying choices (adding for one thing or the other).
- Patterns, Balance and a RehearsalFinding the rule of a pattern, keeping a balance level, and giving an unknown a letter; then a timed 30-minute rehearsal of the first contest.
Unit 2Contest 1 and the next tools3 topics
Contest 1 week with clever computation and digit puzzles, then GCF, LCM and remainders, a debrief of Contest 1 with angles and triangles, and arrangements with restrictions.
- Clever Computation and Digit PuzzlesContest 1 week. Friendly-number tricks and place value for digit problems, and a letter puzzle solved one column at a time.
- GCF, LCM and RemaindersGreatest common factor, least common multiple, and remainders, including problems with two remainder clues between two bounds.
- Arrangements and RestrictionsCounting lines of people or objects by filling the places, with rules about one place or two things kept together, plus handshakes and games.
Unit 3Contest 2: ratios, logic and divisors2 topics
Contest 2 week on ratios, rates and averages, then truth-teller and grid logic, and a debrief of Contest 2 with divisors, squares and last digits.
- Ratios, Rates and AveragesContest 2 week. Ratio tables and unit rates, averages as a total divided by how many, and distance, rate and work.
- Truth-Tellers, Grids and ParityLogic: grids, order chains and round tables, truth-tellers and liars, and odd and even reasoning.
Unit 4Contest 3: areas, choosing and fractions3 topics
Composite and shaded areas, combinations and counting the opposite, Contest 3 week with Gauss sums and consecutive numbers, and a debrief of Contest 3 with fractions and percents.
- Composite and Shaded AreasArea of triangles and parallelograms, same base and same height, shaded areas as whole minus unshaded, and rectangles cut into pieces.
- Combinations and Counting the OppositeChoosing groups when order does not matter, counting the opposite, routes on a street grid, and splitting a count into cases.
- Gauss Sums and Consecutive NumbersContest 3 week. Adding a list by pairing, consecutive numbers, and two unknowns from two clues.
Unit 5Contest 4: harder numbers, ratios and words2 topics
Contest-level number theory, area ratios and grids, Contest 4 week with Venn diagrams, probability and casework, and a debrief of Contest 4 with age, coin and rate problems.
- Area Ratios and GridsScale factor and area, midpoints that halve a triangle, counting squares and rectangles in a grid, and perimeters of squares glued edge to edge.
- Venn Diagrams, Probability and CaseworkContest 4 week. Two-circle Venn diagrams, probability as favorable outcomes over all outcomes, and casework.
Unit 6The final stretch3 topics
Casework and the skills for the hardest problems, two mixed practice papers with the final game plan, and Contest 5 with a season wrap-up.
- Casework and Problem 5 SkillsCasework, greatest and least possible values, systematic search and small cases, and what to do when a problem looks too big.
- Mixed Hard Set, Number Theory and AlgebraA mixed practice paper: choosing the right tool from the clue words across number theory and algebra, with a worked example of each.
- Mixed Hard Set, Geometry and Counting, and the Final Game PlanA mixed practice paper on geometry and counting tools, ending with the game plan for Contest 5.
Who it is for
Is Competition Prep Right for Your Child?
Competition math is not harder school math. It is a different kind of problem: short, unfamiliar, and solved by thinking rather than by a procedure.
Finishes class work early
A child who is strong in class and finishes first. Contest problems give them something harder to work on.
Likes puzzles
Brain teasers, logic grids and number tricks. Contests reward that instinct.
Wants a goal
A real contest with a date, a score and a certificate makes practice feel like training.
Placement first
The free assessment checks arithmetic fluency and problem-solving readiness, and suggests the right grade group.
Competition Prep FAQs
Questions Parents Ask About Competition Prep
Which contest should my child enter?
Math Kangaroo suits grades 1 to 8 and is one contest in March. MOEMS suits grades 4 to 8 and is five short contests from November to March. A student in grades 4 to 8 can do both, since the strategies overlap.
What does my child need before starting?
A good math foundation for their grade, and some enjoyment of puzzles and logical reasoning problems. The free placement assessment confirms readiness and suggests the right grade group.
Does my child need to be in an Avatar math class too?
No. Competition prep stands on its own, and students in our regular math classes can take it as well.
Where are the contests taken?
Avatar proctors the Math Kangaroo exam online. MOEMS contests are taken in class, under contest conditions, on the contest days built into the course.
How much homework is there?
Five contest-style problems a week in the student portal, checked as soon as they are submitted. Plan on about 30 to 45 minutes for the five problems.
How do I follow progress?
The parent portal shows attendance, each week's homework score and the contest results as they come in.
Does Your Child Love Puzzles?
Book a free placement assessment. We check readiness and suggest the right grade group for Math Kangaroo or MOEMS.