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AIMO 2026 Dates, Format and Preparation Guide
The Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad is suited to strong students who are ready to move from multiple-choice competition questions into written olympiad-style solutions.
What is this exam?
Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad
The Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad is suited to strong students who are ready to move from multiple-choice competition questions into written olympiad-style solutions.
Use AIMO as a readiness test for written olympiad thinking. It is not just harder AMC; students need stamina, proof structure and clear written reasoning.
Official date
Thursday 10 September 2026
Entry close
Friday 4 September 2026
Answer sheets
Student answer sheets close Friday 11 September 2026.
Eligibility level
One paper for Years 7-10; pitched at Year 10 level.
Delivery
Teachers print from a digital copy; student solutions are submitted digitally to AMT.
Key date timeline
4 Sep
Entries close
Final official school registration deadline.
10 Sep
AIMO exam
Four-hour written olympiad-style sitting.
11 Sep
Solutions due
Late solutions may affect high-performance selection eligibility.
After marking
Results and awards
High performers may connect into AMT olympiad pathways.
Content map
What students should be ready to use
Algebra and proof
ExpansionFactorisationInequalitiesMethods of proof
Number theory
Diophantine equationsCongruencesNumber basesInteger reasoning
Geometry
ParallelsSimilarityPythagorasCircles and tangents
Combinatorics
Counting techniquesSequences and seriesProbabilityCases
Format and focus
Official scoring structure
Questions 1-4
Entry proof and computation zone
2 marks each
Question 5
Transition question
3 marks
Question 6
Harder reasoning
4 marks
Questions 7-10
Olympiad depth zone
5 marks each
Investigation
Extra extension opportunity
4 bonus marks
AceAchievers preparation pathway
Recommended Study Plan
Build a solid foundation
Make sure the core school skills behind this competition are stable before moving into harder questions.
Learn by topic and question type
Practise the topic patterns and question types that appear most often in this competition.
Mock exam and targeted practice
Use timed mocks to find weak areas, then practise those exact topics deliberately.
How is AIMO different from AMC?
AMC is broad, fast and accessible. AIMO is narrower, deeper and slower. The transition usually requires stronger number theory, proof-style thinking, clean algebra, geometry reasoning and careful casework.
A student who can solve many AMC questions quickly may still need new habits for AIMO: writing a full line of reasoning, checking edge cases and persisting with a problem for much longer.
Who should prepare for AIMO?
AIMO preparation makes sense for students who enjoy the hardest AMC questions, have strong arithmetic and algebra fluency, can stay with a problem for 20 to 40 minutes, and want to build proof and Olympiad-style reasoning.
If the student is still losing many marks on mid-level AMC questions, start with AMC Foundation or AMC Advanced before moving into AIMO.
Common mistakes
The biggest mistake is using only AMC-style practice for AIMO. AMC training helps, but AIMO requires slower reasoning and written solutions. Another mistake is jumping into random hard questions without building the topic map first.
Internal resources
Questions parents ask
FAQ
When is AIMO in 2026?
AIMO is scheduled for Thursday 10 September 2026.
When do AIMO entries close?
Entries close on Friday 4 September 2026.
Which students can sit AIMO?
There is one AIMO paper that can be sat by students from Years 7 to 10.
Is AIMO harder than AMC?
Yes. AIMO is deeper, longer and more proof-oriented than AMC.
How should my child move from AMC to AIMO?
Use AMC results as a diagnostic. Strong later-question performance suggests readiness; mid-section gaps suggest foundations should come first.