Brazil's OBMEP Math Olympiad Expands Reach in Public and Private Schools

The Olimpíada Brasileira de Matemática das Escolas Públicas (OBMEP) is a national programme launched in 2005 and run by the Instituto de Matemática Pura e Aplicada (IMPA) with funding from Brazil's Ministry of Education (MEC) and Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). It targets students from the 6th grade of elementary school through the final year of high school in both public and private schools.

OBMEP consists of two stages. The first stage is an objective test of 20 questions administered in every participating school and graded by the teachers themselves using IMPA‑provided answer keys. About 5 % of participants advance to a second stage, a discursive test of six questions held at designated centres and corrected regionally by appointed teacher teams, with national re‑evaluation for award purposes.

Beyond the competition, OBMEP runs the Junior Scientific Initiation (PIC) programme for medalists and maintains a free online portal offering curricular materials to support mathematics teaching across the country. Its stated goals are to raise the quality of basic education, stimulate interest in STEM university studies, improve teacher training, and foster collaboration among schools, universities and research institutes.