Everything you need for the Primary Maths Challenge and the Bonus Round (age 9-11)
Below you will find an introduction to the challenge, our free courses, live classes, 11+ preparation and the questions we are asked most.
Preparing for the Primary Maths Challenge or the Bonus Round?
Help your child build confidence and develop problem-solving skills with the Primary Maths Challenge. Whether they’re taking part for the first time or aiming for the Bonus Round, we have resources to support them.
Ready to start? Watch the intro video here and then choose your preparation pathway below.
Understanding the Primary Maths Challenge
The Primary Maths Challenge has two rounds.
Main Round (November)
- Sat by students in Years 5-6 (England and Wales), P6-P7 (Scotland), Years 6-7 (Northern Ireland)
- Marked by schools
- Certificates awarded within each school (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze per 10 papers ordered)
- No national grade boundaries, so your child competes within their own school
Bonus Round (February)
- Top-scoring students from the Main Round are invited
- Centrally marked by the PMC organisers
- National grade boundaries apply (see the past papers and boundaries page)
- Certificates awarded based on performance across all participants
Take our free PMC and Bonus Round courses
Practise real past PMC questions with Kevin’s video hints and solutions, completely free, created in partnership with the Association for Mathematics in Education. If you qualify for the Bonus Round there is a separate free course for that too.
These students loved their PMC and 11+ courses at Mathsaurus:
Preparing for 11+ as well?
Our 11+ Maths course includes over 1000 problems, many at maths challenge difficulty. Level 3 is built around challenge-style problems that develop the same skills the PMC asks for.
Join a live taught class
Join Kevin live on Zoom to work through challenging problems together. There is a PMC preparation course in October, a warm-up in November just before the competition, and Bonus Round and advanced 11+ preparation in December.
Primary Maths Challenge – Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Primary Maths Challenge?
The Primary Maths Challenge (PMC) is a fun maths competition for primary school pupils, run by AMiE (the Association for Mathematics in Education). It is designed to be enjoyable and to build problem-solving skills, rather than to test the school curriculum.
Who can take the Primary Maths Challenge?
It is aimed at pupils in Years 5 and 6 (ages 9‑11), and schools can also enter able younger pupils. For younger children there is the First Maths Challenge.
When does the Primary Maths Challenge take place?
The main round takes place in November, with a follow-on Bonus Round in February for high scorers. For this year’s date and how to prepare, see our Primary Maths Challenge 2026 page.
How can my child prepare?
Take a look at our free Prepare for the Primary Maths Challenge course, which has practice questions with video hints and solutions.
How do schools enter?
The Primary Maths Challenge is taken at school, so the first step is to ask your child’s teacher whether the school takes part. Schools can register through the Primary Maths Challenge website.