Canada · CEMC contest entry · Grades 5 to 12

How to register for Waterloo contests and the CCC

Parents who search for a sign-up page for the Waterloo contests do not find one, because there is none for students. CEMC, the University of Waterloo's Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing, deals only with schools, and every one of its math and computing contests, the Canadian Computing Competition included, is entered through a school that orders it. This guide quotes what CEMC itself says on its how-contests-work page, its school application form and its ordering terms, then sets out the three routes that follow from those rules, with a timeline worked backwards from the 2027 deadlines.

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In short

Students cannot register themselves for CEMC's Waterloo contests or the CCC. CEMC says all students take part through their school, or through another local school that lets them join; its school form tells home schools to contact CEMC. Modern Age Coders teaches the preparation live online, in a batch or one to one, in its Waterloo Math Contests: Gauss to Euclid course.

Prepare with a teacher

Three courses for students entering CEMC contests

Entry is the school's job. Preparation is where we come in, for the math contests and for the computing one.

Waterloo Math Contests course thumbnail

REG / 01

Waterloo Math Contests: Gauss to Euclid

Grades 7 to 12, in grade tracks. Gauss, Pascal, Cayley, Fermat, the full-solution contests and the Euclid.

Open the syllabus →
CCC Junior and Senior Preparation (Canadian Computing Competition) course thumbnail

REG / 02

CCC Junior and Senior Preparation

Teenagers who already program. The February 2027 computing contest, Junior or Senior, in Python or C++.

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High School Mathematics course thumbnail

REG / 03

High school math

Grades 9 to 12. The algebra, geometry and functions every Waterloo math paper leans on.

Open the syllabus →

CEMC's own words

What CEMC says about who can register

Every line in this table is quoted from a CEMC page or form, read on 22 October 2026. Where two CEMC pages word a point differently, both are shown.

CEMC's registration rules, quoted (read 22 October 2026)
PointCEMC's wordsWhere CEMC says it
No individual entry"It is not possible for students to individually register for a contest" and "all students must participate through their school."How contests work
Said a second way"Students cannot register for contests on their own. They must be registered by their school."How contests work
The fallback"If your own school is not participating, students can look for another local school that will allow them to join as a participant."How contests work
Who may open an account"only educators are permitted to request a CEMC School Account and order contests"How contests work
Who applies"the Principal or Head of Math must submit a new school application"How contests work
How long it takes"can take up to three weeks to be manually reviewed" (How contests work); "can take approximately three weeks to be manually reviewed" (the application form)Both
No promise on timing"We cannot guarantee that an application will be approved by the ordering deadline."New School Application form
Home schools"Parents, students, schools that have participated previously, home schools, and all others should contact the CEMC for assistance."New School Application form
The school password"Under no circumstances should this information be shared with students, parents, guardians, or any other unauthorized individuals."Ordering terms and conditions
Where the contest is written"Participants may only write the contest at the school which ordered the contest."How contests work
No remote writing"Contests may not be taken remotely or without supervision."How contests work

Sources: CEMC, How contests work; the CEMC New School Application form; CEMC online ordering terms and conditions. All read 22 October 2026. We have no link with CEMC or the University of Waterloo, and no way to enter a student for any CEMC contest.

What these rules add up to

Read together, the rules leave no gap for a direct sign-up. A family cannot open an account, because accounts are for educators. A student cannot use the school's account, because the password must not be shared with students or parents. And a student cannot write from home, because every contest is supervised in person at the school that ordered it.

What is left is simple, if not always easy: a school has to order the contest, and the student writes it there.

Why CEMC works this way

CEMC does not explain the policy in one sentence, but its rules point to supervision. Its standards require participants to be "supervised in-person during the entirety of the contest writing", and the school that orders a contest is answerable for that.

The same standards carry real weight. CEMC says that a participant who breaks contest rules can be disqualified and lose invitations, and that "any current or future offers of admission to the University of Waterloo may be revoked."

Three routes

The three ways a student ends up writing a CEMC contest

Every successful entry follows one of three paths. Work out which one applies before the ordering deadline, not after it. The path labels and order of checks are ours; every rule inside them is CEMC's.

Routes into a CEMC contest (our summary of CEMC's rules)
SituationRouteWho actsMain risk
The school already orders CEMC contests1. Write at your own schoolThe contest teacher adds the student to the orderAsking after the school's order has gone in
The school has never ordered, but a teacher is willing2. The school opens a CEMC accountPrincipal or head of math sends the formApproval takes about three weeks, with no guarantee before the deadline
The school will not take part3. Write at another local schoolThe family asks a nearby school to hostThe host school may decline
Home schoolContact CEMC, as its form directsThe parent, through CEMC's contact formCEMC's pages give no further detail; see below
  1. Ask the school first, in writing. Email the math or computer science department and name the contest and date, for example the Canadian Computing Competition on Wednesday 17 February 2027 or the Pascal Contest on 23 or 24 February 2027.
  2. If the answer is yes, follow route 1. For a math contest the teacher counts the student into the school's order. For the CCC the student also creates a CCC Online Grader account.
  3. If the school has no CEMC account, ask whether the principal or head of math would apply. Route 2 is the one that helps the most students, because the school can then order every year.
  4. If the school declines, move straight to route 3. Find one or two nearby schools known to take part and contact their head of math. A sample message is in the next section.
  5. If the student is home-schooled, contact CEMC through its contact form, as its application form says. Do this early in the school year.
  6. Whatever the route, confirm the order is placed before CEMC's deadline, and ask which room, which day and what time the student should arrive.

Route 1

Writing at your own school: what happens for math contests and for the CCC

When the school already takes part, entry is mostly the teacher's work. The steps differ a little between CEMC's math contests and the Canadian Computing Competition, because the CCC runs on its own online grader.

For a CEMC math contest

The contest teacher orders through CEMC's Contest Supervisor Portal using the school's nine-digit CEMC School Number, before that contest's deadline. The student does nothing online.

CEMC lets a student write a contest meant for a higher grade, but not a lower one. Its how-contests-work page says students working ahead "may choose to write the contest for the more advanced grade but cannot write a contest that is below their official grade level."

For the Canadian Computing Competition

CEMC's CCC page asks the supervisor to give each participant the school number, "but not the confidential password", so the student can create a CCC Online Grader account. The teacher then approves the student from a list of unverified users.

The CCC is unusually forgiving about timing. CEMC will still add a writer right up until the contest begins, as long as their grader accounts are authenticated, and the school is invoiced afterwards.

One contest per family per school year, from CEMC's How contests work (read 22 October 2026)
CEMC contest familyA student may write
Pascal, Cayley and Fermat ContestsOne of the three
Fryer, Galois and Hypatia ContestsOne of the three
Canadian Intermediate and Canadian Senior Mathematics ContestsOne of the two
Beaver Computing Challenge, Grade 5/6, 7/8 and 9/10One level
Gauss Contests, Grade 7 and Grade 8One of the two

CEMC adds that if a participant writes more than one contest in a family, "only the results of the appropriate grade contest will be recorded." Contests from different families, and the CCC, can be combined in the same year.

Route 2

When the school has never ordered: the CEMC school account

A school that has never taken part needs a CEMC school account before it can order anything. Parents cannot apply on its behalf. The application form itself asks the person filling it in to confirm "I confirm that I am not a student."

  1. The right person applies. CEMC says the principal or head of math submits the New School Application. School accounts belong to the school, not to a teacher: CEMC says "School accounts are not individual educator accounts."
  2. CEMC reviews it by hand. Approval is not automatic. CEMC gives about three weeks and warns that it "cannot guarantee that an application will be approved by the ordering deadline." It also "reserves the right to decline any school application."
  3. The school receives its credentials. On approval, CEMC sends a nine-digit CEMC School Number and a confidential password, used to order contests, see results and print certificates.
  4. The teacher orders. With the account open, the teacher orders each contest before its own deadline through the Contest Supervisor Portal.
  5. The account lasts. For schools already registered, CEMC emails the number and password to the head of math contact each September, so the school does not apply again next year.

How a parent can help without overstepping

Send the teacher the two links that matter, CEMC's How contests work page and the New School Application form, and the deadline for the contest your child wants. Most teachers who decline are worried about the paperwork, and three weeks of review is easier to accept when they see it months ahead.

Offer practical help with what is the family's to give: covering the student's contest fee, and being on time on the day. The supervision itself must be done by the school.

Fees, and what schools may charge

CEMC charges schools a per-participant fee for most contests and sets a cap on what reaches families. Its ordering terms say "The CEMC does not permit schools to charge participants a contest fee higher than the fees published on the CEMC website."

CEMC is just as firm about its free materials: "Under no circumstances shall anyone be permitted to charge fees for accessing past contests and other CEMC resources for practice and/or preparation." Our fees pay for live teaching, never for access to CEMC's papers.

Route 3

Writing at another local school: how to ask

CEMC names this route itself, on its how-contests-work page: a student whose school is not participating can look for another local school willing to let them join. CEMC does not set out how to ask, so the approach below is ours.

  1. Pick schools that already take part. A school with a contest teacher and a CEMC account can add one more writer far more easily than one starting from nothing. Schools that run CEMC contests often mention them on their websites or in newsletters.
  2. Write to the head of math, not the front office. Name the contest, the date and the student's grade, and offer to cover the student's contest fee.
  3. Ask early. At least a month before CEMC's ordering deadline gives the host school time to add the student without rushing.
  4. Accept the school's rules completely. CEMC's standards say a student may write only at the school that ordered the contest, under that school's supervision, so the host school's arrangements apply in full.
  5. Say thank you, then ask about next year. A good first sitting makes the second request easy.
Our sample message to a host school (a template, adapt it freely)text
Subject: Request to write a CEMC contest at your school

Dear Head of Math,

My son is in Grade 10 at a school that does not order CEMC contests.
CEMC's How contests work page says a student whose school is not
participating can look for another local school that will allow
them to join as a participant.

Would your school be willing to let him write the Cayley Contest
with your students on Tuesday 23 or Wednesday 24 February 2027?
We will pay the contest fee in whatever way your school prefers,
and he will follow your supervisor's instructions exactly.

If it helps, I can send his full name and grade now, well before
CEMC's ordering deadline for schools in Canada, Tuesday 9 February 2027.

Thank you for considering it,
[Parent's name]
[Phone number]

The quoted CEMC wording in the third and fourth lines is from How contests work, read 22 October 2026. The contest, dates and deadline are from CEMC's 2026/27 table; change them for the contest your child wants.

A host school is doing a favour, and may decline for reasons of space, staff or timing. A polite no is not the end: there are usually several schools within reach in a Canadian town or city, and the request costs each of them only a few minutes to answer.

Home-schooled students

Home-schooled students and Waterloo contests: what CEMC says, and what it does not

We looked for CEMC's guidance for home-schooled students on its how-contests-work page, the contest pages, its ordering terms and its school application form. The only mention we found is one sentence on the New School Application form.

Everything CEMC says about home schools, on the pages we read (22 October 2026)
PageWhat it says about home schools
New School Application form"This form is for use only by educators at schools that have not previously participated in the CEMC's contests. Parents, students, schools that have participated previously, home schools, and all others should contact the CEMC for assistance."
How contests workNo mention of home schools. It gives the another-local-school route for any student whose school is not participating.
Ordering terms and conditionsNo mention of home schools.
Contest pages read (CCC, BCC, Gauss, PCF, FGH, CSIMC, Euclid, CTMC)No mention of home schools.

What a home-schooling family can do

Follow CEMC's own direction: contact CEMC for assistance, through the contact form on its website, and do it in September or October rather than a few weeks before a deadline.

The another-local-school route on How contests work is worded for any student whose own school is not participating. Whether CEMC treats a home-schooled student that way is for CEMC to say, so ask it in the same message.

What we will not tell you

We will not describe a home-school procedure that CEMC has not published, and we cannot arrange a sitting. An online class is not a school that has ordered the contest, and CEMC does not allow contests to be written remotely.

Other organisers work differently. The Canadian Mathematical Society's COMC has had in-person Open Writing Centres, "Only for students whose school is not participating", though registration for the 2026 COMC closed on 22 October 2026.

Sources: the CEMC New School Application form, CEMC contact page, and CMS, COMC 2026, read 22 October 2026.

Worked backwards

A timeline for a first-time school entering the 2027 CCC

A worked example, ours, for the hardest case: a school that has never ordered a CEMC contest and wants one student to write the Canadian Computing Competition on Wednesday 17 February 2027. CEMC's ordering deadline is Thursday 11 February 2027.

Working backwards from the 2027 CCC (our plan; CEMC's dates and review time from its pages, read 22 October 2026)
ByStepWhy this date
Friday 6 November 2026Family asks the school in writingLeaves time for a no, and for route 3
Monday 14 December 2026Principal or head of math submits the New School ApplicationAbout eight weeks before the deadline, well clear of the three-week review
Thursday 21 January 2027Latest date to apply with the full three weeks of reviewThree weeks before 11 February 2027; CEMC does not guarantee approval by the deadline
Late January 2027Student creates a CCC Online Grader account with the school numberThe teacher can then approve the account
Before Thursday 11 February 2027Teacher places the CCC orderCEMC's ordering deadline for the 2027 CCC
Wednesday 17 February 2027Student writes at the school, supervisedCEMC's 2027 CCC date for the Americas

Our arithmetic: 11 February 2027 minus 21 days is 21 January 2027. We suggest mid-December instead because CEMC's review is done by hand and comes with no promise of approval by a deadline; the extra weeks absorb the winter break. The same pattern works for every CEMC contest: find the deadline in CEMC's 2026/27 table, count back three weeks for the latest application, then add a margin.

A checklist for the day

Know the room and the arrival time the school gives you. CEMC asks schools to run contests close to the start of the school day, in the school's own time zone.

For the CCC, know the grader username and password, and have tried the Practice Contest. For paper contests, bring what the school says is allowed and nothing else.

After the contest

Results go to the school, not to the family. Ask the contest teacher when they arrive, and whether the school prints certificates.

CEMC asks participants to consent to their names appearing in public honour rolls if their score is high enough, unless they opt out. Ask the school how to opt out if you prefer that.

Where a family is

Four starting points, and the next step for each

Our quick guide to what to do this week, depending on where you stand. The stages are ours.

Next steps by situation (ours)
Where you areNext step this week
1. The school runs CEMC contestsAsk the contest teacher to add your child, naming the contest
2. The school has never run oneSend the teacher CEMC's application link and the deadline
3. The school has said noWrite to the head of math at two nearby schools
4. Home-schooledContact CEMC through its contact form, as its school form directs

For parents

The deadline that matters is the school's, not the contest date. Put CEMC's ordering deadline in your calendar with a reminder two weeks ahead.

Keep every request polite and in writing. Teachers who run contests do it on top of a full timetable.

For students

You can ask a teacher yourself. CEMC's first step for students is exactly that conversation.

Once you are entered, the work that counts is the practice. Entry is a form; preparation is months.

The catalogue

Nine courses for CEMC contest writers

Live online with one regular teacher, as a batch or one to one, from any province.

I

Before the first contest

Grades 5 to 8

REG / FIRST / 01

Computational thinking for kids

Puzzles and logic for the Beaver.

Open the syllabus

REG / FIRST / 02

Middle school math

Fractions to pre-algebra, for the Gauss.

Open the syllabus

REG / FIRST / 03

Maths through coding

Math ideas tested in Python.

Open the syllabus
II

High school contests

Grades 9 to 12

REG / HIGH / 01

Competition math

Full solutions for Fryer to Euclid.

Open the syllabus

REG / HIGH / 02

Python for teens

The language most first CCC writers use.

Open the syllabus
III

Going further

Strong students

REG / FAR / 01

Competitive programming for teens

Algorithms under contest conditions.

Open the syllabus

REG / FAR / 02

Problem solving for teens

Data structures, built up slowly.

Open the syllabus

REG / FAR / 03

AP Computer Science A

Java, for schools that offer AP.

Open the syllabus

How lessons run

Live preparation while the school handles entry

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays.

Weekdays

After school, with times converted to your province.

Weekends

Weekend mornings, away from the school timetable.

1-on-1

Fitted around the student and the chosen contest.

Entry advice

We help families find the right route, but never register anyone.

Our own problems

Original practice, with CEMC's free archive for past papers.

Exam conditions

Timed papers in the contest's own format.

Math and coding

Waterloo math contests and the CCC, side by side.

Across Canada

Students in every province and territory.

Batch or one to one

Fifteen to twenty in a batch, or a teacher of your own.

Student work

Built by our students

Our learners build real projects between contests. A sample is below; the student labs page has more of them.

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NutriLife

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Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

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GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · Open it

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Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

Fees

Contest fees go from the school to CEMC and have nothing to do with us. Our monthly fee pays only for live teaching, with no season contract, and past CEMC papers stay free, as CEMC requires.

Free first class

Free

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  • A free first class
  • A route check for your child's contest
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Group batch

$100 USD

a month, eight live classes

  • Fifteen to twenty students in a batch
  • A regular teacher
  • Choose the batch time
  • Monthly billing
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One to one

$150 USD

a month, eight live classes

  • A teacher for one student
  • Paced to the chosen contest
  • Built around the student's level
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Questions from Canadian families

Registering for Waterloo contests: common questions

Can my child register for a Waterloo contest on their own?

No. CEMC rules out individual registration: every student takes part through a school. A teacher orders the contest, and the student writes it in that school.

How do I register for the CCC?

Through a school that orders it. The student opens a CCC Online Grader account using the school's CEMC number (never its password), and the teacher then approves it. CEMC's ordering deadline for the 2027 CCC is Thursday 11 February 2027.

What if my child's school does not take part?

CEMC points to one fallback: a nearby school that agrees to let the student join its writers. The sitting then happens there, under that school's supervision. The host school is free to decline.

Can a home-schooled student write a CEMC contest?

The only mention of home schools we found is on CEMC's New School Application form, which says parents, students, home schools and others should contact CEMC for assistance. We suggest doing that early in the school year, through CEMC's contact form.

Can a parent open a CEMC school account?

No. CEMC says only educators may request a school account, and that the principal or head of math submits the application. Parents are directed to contact CEMC instead.

How long does a new CEMC school account take?

A person at CEMC reviews each application, which can take as long as three weeks, and the form adds that approval by the ordering deadline cannot be guaranteed. A school should apply well before the deadline of the contest it wants.

Can my child write a CEMC contest online from home?

No. CEMC bans remote and unsupervised writing, and the sitting must happen at the ordering school. That holds for the online CCC as well as paper contests.

Can my child write a contest for a higher grade?

Yes. CEMC lets a student working ahead write the contest for a more advanced grade, but not one below their official grade. A student may write only one contest from each contest family in a school year.

Can Modern Age Coders register my child?

No. We are not connected with CEMC and cannot order contests or host sittings. We teach the preparation, and we will help you work out which entry route fits your situation.

When are your preparation classes for Canadian families?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. We agree a time in Eastern time, then give it to you in your own province's clock.

Elsewhere on this site

Related pages

Once a student is entered, these pages help with the preparation.

Coding classes in Canada

Our full list of pages for Canada.

CEMC Waterloo contests

How we prepare students for the math contests.

CCC Junior guide

The February 2027 Junior paper explained.

CCC preparation

Junior and Senior coaching, worked back from February.

Online math tutor, Canada

School math, the base for every contest.

How we teach

What a live lesson with us looks like.

Start here

Book a free first class

Tell us the contest and your child's school situation. In the first class the teacher sets a short problem in that contest's format and, if you need it, walks you through the entry route that fits.

Prefer to look around first? How we teach shows a real lesson, and the course list holds every syllabus.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · connect@modernagecoders.com

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