Free olympiad diagnostic demo
Your child tries non-routine problems live. You leave with a written monthly rhythm for the season.
Book the free demo →TestPrepKart Math Prep · Contest season · Grades 4-8
MOEMS Math Olympiad
Five monthly olympiads, not one Saturday fireworks show. This page is the counselor manual for Division E/M, the Nov-Mar rhythm, scoring, awards, and how we build a problem-solving habit that survives the whole season.
What we offer
If you want MOEMS prep, here is what TestPrepKart puts on the table.
moems.org already owns team enrollment, contest windows, and awards. Our job is different: turn the five-month olympiad season into a weekly problem-solving habit for Grades 4-8, without treating MOEMS like a one-day Kangaroo cram.
1:1 olympiad + school tutoring
English lessons with Indian faculty. School fluency stays warm; olympiad strategies get their own airtime. USD rates on each grade hub.
See a 1:1 course example →Small group classes
Weekly group energy for families who want peer problem talk plus school pacing.
See group details →Topic packs for blockers
Short packs when fractions, ratios, or geometry block both school and olympiad work.
Browse topic packs →Season calendar coaching
We plan practice around the five Nov-Mar windows and your school's PICO schedule.
See the season calendar →Division E / M placement help
We prep to the division your team actually uses, then link into the matching grade hub.
Compare Division E and M →
LIVE MATH SESSIONS
Inside our live math sessions
Real screenshots from live TestprepKart math classes. Students and faculty on the call, with the lesson board open.
OUR CLASSES
Our classes.
See how live Math Prep sessions run. These three clips are the same on every exam and grade page.
1:1 class
2:00
Small group
1:45
Topic pack
1:30
Quick facts
A five-contest season that rewards showing up every month.
If you came from Kangaroo or AMC 8, reset: MOEMS is a habit machine with short contests and long memory.
| Full name | MOEMS · Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools |
|---|---|
| What it is | Five monthly non-routine problem contests (typically November through March) |
| Divisions | Division E (Grades 4-6) and Division M (Grades 6-8) |
| Per contest | 5 problems · 30 minutes · no calculators or aids |
| Student score | 0-25 for the season (1 point per correct problem) |
| Team score | 0-250 after contest 5 (sum of top 10 student cumulatives) |
| How families join | Usually through a school / institute team (PICO). Confirm paths on moems.org |
| Our coaching band | Grades 4-8 US families, including NRI and Indian-origin students |
What it is
Olympiad enrichment with a monthly heartbeat.
MOEMS was built to teach multiple strategies, flexibility, and creativity. The useful parent story is not a single score screenshot. It is whether your child gets better at stuckness between November and March.
Who · teams · fees
Start by asking whether your school already has a PICO.
| Eligibility | Students through Grade 8 enrolled with a member school, homeschool, district, or institute. Students who have completed eighth grade may not participate. |
|---|---|
| How to join | Team enrollment through moems.org. The PICO (Person In Charge of the Olympiad) runs contests and submits scores. Ask the math coach or GT coordinator first. |
| Fees | Annual team fee paid by the school/institute (published early-bird / standard / late bands on moems.org). Tutoring with TestPrepKart is separate USD pricing on grade hubs. |
| Our coaching band | Grades 4-8, Indian faculty teaching in English, with monthly olympiad practice nested inside school Math Prep. |
Division E vs Division M
Wrong division prep wastes a month. Confirm before you drill.
Division E
Built for Grades 4-6. Grade 4 and 5 students usually sit here. Grade 6 may sit E or M.
- Shorter math biography; heavier emphasis on noticing and number play
- Still five problems / 30 minutes / no aids
- A team cannot split E and M; the school may run two teams
Division M
Required if any 7th or 8th grader is on the team. Grade 6 may be placed here when appropriate.
- Denser middle-school problem language
- Same contest shape: 5 problems, 30 minutes
- Pairs naturally with later AMC 8 interest, but it is not the same contest
Season calendar
Plan the year as five short peaks, not one March panic.
Windows below follow MOEMS published 2026-27 administration dates. Always re-check moems.org for the live year.
- Contest 1
Nov window. Example 2026-27: Nov 9-30. Start strategy habits early; do not wait for Contest 3.
- Contest 2
Dec window. Example: Dec 7-28. Review Contest 1 solutions before adding new tricks.
- Contest 3
Jan window. Example: Jan 4-25. Often overlaps school midterms or AMC 8 season. Sequence honestly.
- Contest 4
Feb window. Example: Feb 1-22. Season score is already meaningful; keep the weekly habit.
- Contest 5
Mar window. Example: Mar 1-29. Team score finalizes from top-10 cumulatives after this contest. Score entry deadlines follow MOEMS rules.
PICOs get contests about a week before the window and choose the sitting day. Students on a team should take a contest the same day/time/place per MOEMS guidance.
Format & scoring
Short contests. Long season memory.
Answer keys include detailed solutions and follow-ups. Those packets are practice gold after each contest. We coach families to use them, not hide them.
Awards
Pins and patches mark growth. They are not the whole story.
Student recognition
Certificates for participants, a highest individual scorer medal on the team, patches for roughly the top 50%, silver/gold pins for higher bands, and a George Lenchner Medallion for a perfect 25. Exact bands follow MOEMS published rules for the year.
PatchesPinsPerfect 25
Team recognition
Top team bands can receive plaques/certificates. Institute teams are not eligible for team awards. Individual growth still counts.
Top 10%Top 11-20%School teams
Official site vs our value
moems.org owns the olympiad. We own the weekly stuckness practice.
| Official MOEMS covers | What TestPrepKart adds |
|---|---|
| Team enrollment, PICO tools, contest windows, scoring portal, awards shipping, practice books/store. | A Grades 4-8 tutoring plan that keeps school standards warm and adds monthly olympiad strategy blocks timed to your windows. |
| Division rules, team size limits, paper/online administration guidance. | Help asking the school about a team, choosing E vs M practice flavor, and sequencing MOEMS next to Kangaroo/AMC 8 if needed. |
| Detailed solutions and follow-ups after each contest. | Live review habits so solutions become transferable moves, not one-time answer keys. |
Start at moems.org. Then book our demo if you want a human season plan for your child's grade and division.
Grade-by-grade guide
What MOEMS feels like in Grades 4-8
Each tab names division context, skills, and hub links. This is not a copy of the Kangaroo or AMC pages.
Grade 4 · what this exam is probing
First-year Olympians often need permission to try unusual strategies. We keep Grade 4 fluency warm and add short non-routine sets before each contest window.
Division E · Grades 4-6 · five monthly contests
Number sensePatternsEarly geometryCareful reading
Skills we expect to see
- Five problems in 30 minutes, no calculator
- Willingness to draw, try a smaller case, or work backwards
- Accept that some problems will feel new on purpose
- Season score builds across five contests (0-25 total)
Grade 5 · what this exam is probing
Fraction language and multi-step stories start to matter inside olympiad wrappers.
Division E · Grades 4-6
FractionsMulti-step logicMeasurementSpatial puzzles
Skills we expect to see
- Explain a method, not only circle an answer
- Stay calm when problem 4-5 look unfamiliar
- Use definitions printed in the problem when a new idea appears
- Track season progress after each monthly contest
Grade 6 · what this exam is probing
Grade 6 can sit Division E or Division M depending on the team. Ask the PICO which division your child is on before you prep the wrong flavor.
Division E or M · school chooses placement
RatiosIntegers introExpressionsContest geometry
Skills we expect to see
- Confirm Division E vs M with the school team coach
- Ratio and integer comfort under odd wording
- Diagram habits for geometry/logic items
- Season consistency across five sittings
Grade 7 · what this exam is probing
Division M problems denser. Proportional reasoning and careful algebra language help, but MOEMS is still non-routine.
Division M · Grades 6-8 (any 7th/8th forces M)
ProportionalityRational numbersAlgebra thinkingContest geometry
Skills we expect to see
- 30 focused minutes, five problems, no aids
- Multiple strategies: cases, invariants, clever counting
- Review official solutions after each contest
- Build toward stronger season totals and pin bands
Grade 8 · what this exam is probing
Final MOEMS year for most students. Good bridge into AMC 8 / MathCounts culture without replacing those contests.
Division M · last eligible year (no post-Grade 8)
Linear thinkingGeometryCounting / logicStrategy flexibility
Skills we expect to see
- Students who finished Grade 8 may not participate further
- Strong written reasoning even though answers are short
- Use the season to build olympiad stamina before high-school contests
- Team score uses top 10 cumulative scores after contest 5
How we prepare
Fluency under the olympiad. Strategy on top. Review after every contest.
Confirm team & division
School PICO, Division E or M, and the five window dates.
Keep school spine warm
Grade hub fluency so olympiad reading is not blocked by weak arithmetic.
Live strategy lessons
Cases, diagrams, working backwards, smaller examples.
Pre-window short sets
Timed five-problem rehearsals in the week before each contest.
Post-contest review
Use official solutions as teaching tools, then update the season plan.
Parent tips
Support the season without solving Contest 4 at the dinner table.
- Ask early whether the school already runs MOEMS.
- Protect sleep on contest weeks. Thirty minutes still needs a clear head.
- After each contest, ask which strategy helped, not only which answers were right.
- Do not treat a mid-season dip as failure. The score is cumulative on purpose.
Why families choose it
A monthly problem-solving habit before heavier contests arrive.
MOEMS will not replace state tests. It can teach kids what to do when a problem does not look like homework, which is the real bridge into later contest work.
NRI · Indian-origin families
Olympiad culture, US school teams, Indian faculty in English.
Many of our Grades 4-8 families want structured olympiad practice without jumping straight into AMC intensity. We help you talk to the school PICO, understand Division E/M, and keep school Math Prep aligned through the five-month season.
Get in touch
Book a free MOEMS diagnostic demo
A live 1:1 problem-solving session. Your child works non-routine items. You leave with a written season plan.
- Confirm Division E vs M and whether a school team exists
- Short olympiad-style set with strategy talk
- Written plan: weekly rhythm across the five contests
FAQ
Questions parents ask about MOEMS
What does MOEMS stand for?
Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools. It is a nonprofit contest program with five monthly problem-solving contests, usually November through March.
How is MOEMS different from Math Kangaroo or AMC 8?
Kangaroo is typically one March multiple-choice sitting. AMC 8 is one January MAA multiple-choice sitting. MOEMS is a five-contest season of five non-routine problems each, scored over months, usually through a school or institute team.
What are Division E and Division M?
Division E is aimed at Grades 4-6. Division M is aimed at Grades 6-8. Any team with a 7th or 8th grader must be Division M. Grade 6 may be placed in either division. A single team cannot split across divisions, though a school can run both divisions.
Do parents register a child directly?
Usually the school, district, homeschool group, or institute enrolls a team through moems.org (PICO = Person In Charge of the Olympiad). Ask your school whether a team already exists. Institute and individual paths exist with MOEMS rules and restrictions; confirm on moems.org.
What does a contest look like?
Five non-routine problems in 30 minutes. Students work alone. No calculators, rulers, graph paper, or other aids. Paper and online administrations use the same problems. Each correct answer is 1 point.
How is scoring done?
Student season score is 0-25 (one point per correct problem across five contests). Team score is 0-250: sum of the ten highest student cumulative scores after the fifth contest. The PICO submits scores to MOEMS.
What awards exist?
Certificates for participants, performance patches for roughly the top half, silver/gold pins for higher bands, a George Lenchner Medallion for a perfect 25, plus team plaques/certificates for top team bands (institute teams are not eligible for team awards). Confirm the current awards package on moems.org.
What are team fees?
Schools/institutes pay an annual team enrollment fee (published early-bird / standard / late bands on moems.org; recent US early-bird figures have been about $175 per team). TestPrepKart tutoring is a separate USD fee on grade hubs. We do not collect MOEMS team fees.
Can you guarantee a gold pin or perfect score?
No. We can build monthly problem-solving habits, review strategies, and a calm contest-week plan.
Ready to plan a MOEMS season?
Book a free demo or WhatsApp us with grade, division, and whether your school already has a team.