Pre-Regional Mathematical Olympiad (PRMO)

The Pre- Regional Mathematical Olympiad is the first level of Mathematics Olympiad. There are six stages of the Maths Olympiad. PRMO is conducted by the Mathematics Teachers’ Association (MTA) while the remaining rounds of the Mathematical Olympiad Program are conducted by Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE).

The PRMO examination is usually held in the month of August every year. However, PRMO 2020 has been delayed this year due to COVID-19 pandemic. The new dates will be released after 15 September as per the details provided on the official website. 

In order to be eligible for the Regional Mathematical Olympiad (RMO), the candidates must qualify in PRMO. Below students will find a brief description of the several stages of the Math Olympiad.

Different Stages of Mathematical Olympiad

Mathematical Olympiad Program is a test conducted for Indian students by the HBCSE on behalf of the National Board for Higher Mathematics. Students who deliver exceptional performance will be eligible to take part in the International Mathematical Olympiad which is the final stage of this program. The different stages are discussed in brief below.

Stage 1 – Pre-Regional Mathematics Olympiad (PRMO)

The Pre-Regional Mathematics Olympiad (PRMO) is the first stage of the program. Students will find complete details about this stage including eligibility, application, examination mode, cutoffs, results, below.

Stage 2 – Regional Mathematical Olympiad (RMO)

RMO is the second stage and is usually conducted in fewer centres in the region. The exam duration is of 3 hours and the paper will consist of six questions. The medium of the examination is English/Hindi and sometimes can be conducted in other regional languages.

Read More: Regional Maths Olympiad

Stage 3 – Indian National Mathematical Olympiad (INMO)

Approximately 900 students who are top performers in RMO across the different regions are selected for the Indian National Mathematical Olympiad.

Stage 4 – International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC)

HBCSE will invite the top performers (approximately 35) from INMO  to join the International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC). During their time in the camp, the candidates will be assessed through several tests. Only the best 6 performers will be selected for the final stage.

Stage 5 – Pre Departure Camp 

The selected team undergoes a rigorous training programme for about 8-10 days at HBCSE prior to its departure for the IMO.

Stage 6 – International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO)

The top 6 students who get selected in IMOTC will represent India in the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Eligibility for PRMO

• The eligibility criteria for PRMO is listed below
• In order to appear for PRMO, the candidate must be an Indian Citizen. 
• The applicants must be born on or after 1 August 2001 to participate in PRMO.
• As per the orders of the Madras High Court, students with OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) cards are eligible for all the stages of the Mathematics Olympiad, other than the final stage of representing India in the final International Mathematical Olympiad.
• Students studying in Class 8 to Class 12 are eligible to apply for the Mathematics Olympiad.

Seats in PRMO (Qualify for stage -2)

• 25 Regions.
• 300 Seats per region for class VIII to class XI.
• 60 seats per region for class XII.
• 5% and 1% respectively for JNV and KV. 
• The paper is the same for all the classes. 

Total seats can be calculated for class VIII to XII from 25  regions as =360 X 25 = 9000

Approximately 14000 students get selected in PRMO including JNV and KV students.

PRMO Examination Pattern

Students should be aware of the examination pattern before they start with the exam preparation. There are 30 questions asked in the examination and the answers to these questions should be marked on an OMR sheet. The instructions on the question paper and the OMR sheet should be read carefully before starting to answer the questions. The answer to each question is either a single-digit number or a two-digit number. The questions are in  English/ Hindi. 

Overview

• Number of Questions: 30
• Duration: 3 Hours
• Question Format: Single or Double-Digit Integer
• Marking Scheme: No Negative Marking

PRMO Application Form 

The release of the PRMO application form for 2020 has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown situation in India. Students are advised to check the official website of Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE ) and Mathematics Teachers’ Association (MTA) to stay updated with the latest information about the exam.

How to apply for PRMO 2020?

• Candidates can apply online or through registered centres. 
• All the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya and other registered schools can apply through the schools.
• Individuals or students who want to apply in groups can register by filling the application form that is available in any of the registration centres listed in the PRMO examination portal.

PRMO Stepwise Registration Process

• Visit the PRMO website: www.mtai.org.in
• Download the PRMO 2020 application form pdf.
• Fill in the required details.
• Submit the filled PRMO form 2020 at the registration centre.
• Pay the registration fee at the same centre.
• Student details will be submitted by the registration centres at the portal during this application process.

Registration centre details are usually given on the website once the students download the application form. 

Details to be Filled on the Application Form

Students have to fill in details such as:

• Personal details of the candidates like Name, Date of Birth, Gender, Address, Phone Number and Email ID.
• Educational details like Class, School Name, Address in the form.

After filling the application form students should check all the details before submitting their forms. At the end of the whole process, students will receive an acknowledgement slip confirming their submission of the application form.

PRMO Application Fee

The application fee will be Rs. 125 for the Kendriya Vidyalaya students and Rs.100 for Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya students. The fee is Rs.230 for students from other schools. KV and JNV students must register from their respective schools to avail reduced fee.

Syllabus of PRMO 2020

The questions asked in PRMO are based on Class VIII and Class XII syllabus. The questions are of a high level of difficulty. The difficulty level of the examination increases from Pre-Regional Mathematical Olympiad (PRMO) to International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The syllabus of Mathematics Olympiad includes topics like Geometry, Quadratic Equations, Arithmetic Integers,  Number theory, Graph theory, Trigonometry, Permutations and Combinations, etc. A few of the important topics for each class are listed below.

Reference Books for PRMO Examination

A few of these books are available at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE). These books can be collected in person or by sending a Demand Draft to HBCSE.

Students can also check out the official websites for reference.

PRMO Cutoff

Along with the results, the state-wise cutoff score is also published on the official website. While the examination for 2020 is yet to be conducted students can go through the previous year Pre-RMO Cutoff marks for the year 2019 and 2018. Candidates hailing from different states can refer the cutoff details given below to get an idea about the PRMO Cutoff marks 2020. 

PRMO Result

The result of PRMO will be declared online.

Steps to Check the PRMO Result

• Open the official website and click on the link that says PRMO result.
• Enter the Roll number and date of birth in the required space.
• PRMO results will be displayed. The result can be downloaded or students can take a printout for future reference.
• In case of any discrepancies in the PRMO result, students can send their queries to the email address mentioned in the website.
• The merit list will have the names of all the candidates selected for the Regional Mathematics Olympiad (RMO).

PRMO FAQs

Q1. When is the PRMO exam portal open for school registration?

Answer. Due to the Pandemic, the new notification will come on or after 15 September 2020.

Q2. How long will it take for the results of the PRMO examination to be announced? 

Answer. It is generally announced in one month after the conduction of the exam. 

Q3. When will the PRMO 2020 examination be conducted?

Answer. As per the official notification on the website the exam authority is exploring the possibilities of conducting PRMO while keeping in mind the COVID 19 situation that is prevailing in the country. The authorities have stated that the safety of students is a top priority. Currently, the exam authority has decided to defer the decision on the date of the exam and analyze how the pandemic situation will unfold in the coming days. Till then candidates are advised to keep a close eye on the official website for latest updates.

Q4: Who is in charge of conducting PRMO?

Answer: PRMO is conducted by the  Mathematics Teachers’ Association (India) (MTA).

Q5: Which is the official web address of PRMO? 

Answer. The website for PRMO is http://www.mtai.org.in/prmo