The gateway to BMO1 — and the only UKMT challenge where you start with marks in hand and lose them by guessing.
England, Wales and Overseas: Year 13 and below. Scotland: S6 or below. Northern Ireland: Year 14 or below. source
Everyone starts on 25 marks. A correct answer adds 4, a wrong answer deducts 1, and a blank leaves the score alone. That inversion is what makes the SMC different from the Junior and Intermediate papers: here you are defending a score rather than building one, so a blank is a genuine tactical choice rather than a wasted question. New for 2026, UKMT is trialling a change to the last three questions: instead of multiple choice, they take a 000-999 digit answer. source
UKMT's awards page states a maximum of 125, and that figure is consistent with 25 starting marks plus 25 questions at 4 marks each. But the 2026 trial replaces the last three multiple-choice questions with 000-999 answers, and UKMT has not said what those three are worth. Both statements sit in the same block on their page, so 125 may simply be un-updated. We publish it because it is what UKMT currently states — treat it as their figure rather than as arithmetic you can rely on for 2026.
Some pages mix 2026 and 2027 references. Confirm dates against UKMT before relying on them.
Papers are copyright of the organiser, so we point you to the source rather than hosting copies.
Original CREST Champs problem sets built to match this competition's format, timing and difficulty — our own content, so you can sit one today rather than waiting for the real date.
It keeps scores from going negative once the 1-mark penalty for a wrong answer is applied. The practical effect is that the SMC is a paper you defend: a blank costs you nothing, a wrong answer costs you 1, so unless you can eliminate options you are better off leaving a question alone. Students coming up from the Junior Challenge — where guessing is free — often lose marks by not adjusting.
UKMT is trialling a change to the last three questions: instead of multiple choice, they take a three-digit answer between 000 and 999. That removes the option to eliminate and guess on exactly the questions where guessing used to be most tempting.
The British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1, and the Senior Kangaroo below that. UKMT sets the qualifying threshold after each paper rather than fixing it in advance, so it moves with the paper's difficulty.