The First Maths Challenge (FMC) is for Years 3 and 4, and the Primary Maths Challenge (PMC) is for Years 5 and 6. Both are 45-minute puzzle papers from the Mathematical Association, entered through school, and both reward clear thinking more than hard sums.
The FMC runs in June and the PMC in November, so a child can sit one every year from Year 3 to Year 6.
The First Maths Challenge (Years 3 and 4)
The FMC is for children aged 7 to 9. It runs over two weeks in June, at a time the school picks. In 2026 that was 8 to 19 June.
- The paper: 20 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes, with 10 minutes beforehand for practice questions.
- The rules: as much scrap paper as they like, but no calculators, rulers or other aids.
- The difficulty: easy questions first, then gradually harder.
Schools run it on screen or on paper. Certificates are downloaded, and the school decides who gets which, using suggested boundaries.
The Primary Maths Challenge (Years 5 and 6)
The PMC is for children aged 9 to 11 (P6 and P7 in Scotland). It’s pitched at roughly the top 60 per cent of the year group, so it isn’t only for the maths stars.
- The paper: 25 questions in 45 minutes, one mark each. The first 20 are multiple choice, A to E. For the last five, your child writes in their own answer.
- The difficulty: ten easy questions to start, then a steady climb.
- The rules: children work on their own, with rough paper.
In 2026 it runs from 9 to 20 November, at a time each school chooses. Every pack of ten papers comes with one gold, two silver and three bronze certificates for the teachers to award.
What is the PMC Bonus Round?
It’s a second paper in February for the high scorers from November. The cut-off is set in December, once the scores are in, so it changes each year. For the Bonus Round in February 2026, children who scored 21 or more out of 25 were invited. That was 3,100 children out of more than 61,000.
It has the same shape, 25 questions in 45 minutes, and it’s free. Everyone who sits it gets a certificate, and gold, silver and bronze winners also get a sticker.
How do we enter?
Through school. Parents can’t buy the papers, and the PMC isn’t open to individual children or tutoring groups.
Posted PMC packs have to be ordered by mid-October, but in 2026 schools can order the online or PDF version until 19 November. If your school doesn’t usually enter, ask the maths lead now.
Home-educated children can enter both challenges through a home-education coordinator. Check this year’s dates on the Primary Maths Challenge site.
Try one together
Here’s a question in the PMC style, written by us.
How many times do you write the digit 1 when you write all the numbers from 1 to 20?
A 10, B 11, C 12, D 13, E 20
- Split it up. Count the 1s in the units place first: in 1 and 11. That’s 2.
- Then the tens place. Every number from 10 to 19 starts with a 1. That’s 10.
- Add them. 2 + 10 = 12, so the answer is C.
The trap is B. Most children count 11 once, and miss that it has two 1s. Splitting a count into tens and units is a habit that cracks a lot of these questions.
A four-week plan before the PMC
Start about four weeks before your school’s PMC date. Past papers for both challenges are free on the challenge site, with answers and notes.
- Week 1: one paper together, no clock. Read each question aloud, and ask your child to explain their thinking before they pick a letter.
- Week 2: go back to the wrong ones. Try them again before reading the notes.
- Week 3: a second paper with a 45-minute timer. Practise moving on from a stuck question and coming back to it at the end.
- Week 4: keep it light. Ten minutes a day on quick number facts, plus a few favourite questions from earlier papers. Rush’s maths games work well here, 100 seconds at a time.
There’s no penalty for a wrong answer, so a multiple-choice question should never be left blank. On the day, remind your child that the last questions are meant to be hard. A calm child who checks the early ones picks up more marks than a rushed one.
Questions parents also ask
What’s a good score?
There’s no national pass mark, and certificates are decided in school. For the 2026 Bonus Round, 21 out of 25 was enough, which put a child in roughly the top 5 per cent.
Can a Year 4 sit the PMC?
It’s aimed at ages 9 to 11, but schools can enter a younger child they think would benefit. Ask the teacher.
Do the challenges help with the 11+?
They practise the same habits: reading a question carefully, spotting the trick and checking the answer. That makes PMC past papers good extra practice alongside 11+ papers.
