Australia · Maths for Young Australians · Years 3 to 10

Maths Challenge for Young Australians practice

Most maths competitions are an hour in an exam room. The Maths Challenge is different: a few problems, several weeks to work on them, a partner or small group to think with, and written solutions that a teacher marks. That format rewards something many capable students have never been taught, which is how to write a full mathematical argument rather than just an answer. This page explains the Australian Maths Trust's program, which used to be called the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians, sets out the 2026 dates and scoring from the Trust's own pages, and works through one original problem to show how a complete solution earns marks that an answer alone does not.

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Format and scoring from the AMT's pages · Rubric and problem are ours · 7 October 2026

In short

Maths for Young Australians is the Australian Maths Trust's problem-solving program, previously the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians. Its Maths Challenge module runs for 3 to 4 weeks for Years 3 to 10, with students working in pairs or small groups on 4 or 6 problems, each worth 4 marks, and writing worked solutions that teachers mark. In 2026 it ran between 2 March and 26 June.

For the Maths Challenge

Three courses for problem solvers

Reasoning for primary students, problem-solving depth for the middle years, and competition training for the keenest.

Problem Solving and Computational Thinking for Kids course thumbnail

MCHA / 01

Problem solving for primary

Patterns, systematic lists and explaining an answer, the habits the primary divisions reward.

Open the syllabus →
Middle School Mathematics Mastery course thumbnail

MCHA / 02

Middle years maths

The number, geometry and algebra the Junior and Intermediate problems lean on, with reasoning written out.

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Maths Olympiad & Competition Course course thumbnail

MCHA / 03

Competition maths

For students heading towards Maths Enrichment and the olympiad contests.

Open the syllabus →

The program

Three modules under one name

The Trust describes Maths for Young Australians as a modular program. These details come from its program page, read on 7 October 2026.

The Maths for Young Australians modules, as the AMT describes them
ModuleWho it is forLength
Maths ChallengeAn introductory module for students in years 3 to 10, working individually or in small groups3 to 4 weeks, between March and June
Maths EnrichmentMore advanced students in years 4 to 1012 to 16 weeks, flexibly between April and September
Australian Intermediate Mathematics OlympiadAn open contest, generally for students who have done well in the Challenge or EnrichmentA 4-hour contest

The Trust states that "the Maths for Young Australians program was previously known as the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians (MCYA)". Many parents and teachers still use the old name, which is why both appear on this page.

The modules "can be taken independently of each other or as a progressive course", in the Trust's words. A student can do the Challenge alone, or treat it as the first step towards Enrichment and the olympiad.

Schools enter and run the modules. Teachers receive the problem booklets and teacher guides, run the sessions and mark the work. Fees are set in Australian dollars by the Trust, so we do not quote them.

The program also matters for later invitations. The Trust's olympiad page says that students need "outstanding results in the Australian Mathematics Competition or one of the three modules under Maths for Young Australians" to be considered for maths training by invitation.

Sources: Australian Maths Trust, Maths for Young Australians and Olympiad and Pathways Programs, read on 7 October 2026. We are independent of the AMT.

Maths Challenge in detail

Dates, divisions and scoring for the Maths Challenge

From the Trust's Maths Challenge page, read on 7 October 2026.

Maths Challenge 2026, as published by the AMT
DetailPrimary divisionsSecondary divisions
DivisionsMiddle Primary (Years 3 and 4), Upper Primary (Years 5 and 6)Junior (Years 7 and 8), Intermediate (Years 9 and 10)
Problems4 problems, worked solutions6 problems, worked solutions
Marks4 problems of 4 marks: 16 marks6 problems of 4 marks: 24 marks
Working arrangementGroups of three are encouragedGroups of two are encouraged
AwardsDistinction 14 to 16, Credit 10 to 13, Proficiency 6 to 9High Distinction top 10 per cent, Distinction next 15, Credit next 25

In 2026 the Challenge ran from Monday 2 March to Friday 26 June, with entries closing on Friday 22 May. The Trust says it is designed to run over 3 to 4 weeks, with around 1 hour of class time and 2 to 3 hours of study time per week. Topics "vary from year to year, based on the national maths curriculum".

Marking is done by teachers, with the Trust's detailed marking guide, and results are submitted online; the Trust can mark at extra cost. It notes that "students' understanding of the problems is enhanced when teachers mark the student submissions and use the materials provided to give feedback."

Every student receives a certificate at some level. In the secondary divisions, cut-off scores are set by comparing students in the same year level and region, so they move from year to year.

The Trust publishes sample problems and sample solutions for each division. They are the clearest place to see what a full solution looks like, and we point students to them rather than reproducing them.

Source: Australian Maths Trust, Maths Challenge, read on 7 October 2026. Dates for 2027 had not been published.

How solutions earn marks

A worked solution against a marking rubric

Each Challenge problem is worth 4 marks, and the work is written, not ticked. The difference between 1 mark and 4 is almost always the explanation. Here is an original problem of ours, a rubric we use in class, and three answers marked against it.

The problem

A post office sells only 3c and 5c stamps. Which amounts from 1c to 20c cannot be made exactly, using any number of each stamp? Explain why every amount above your largest impossible one can be made.

The answer is 1, 2, 4 and 7. We checked it by listing every combination; the reasoning a student writes should not depend on a computer, which is where the marks come from.

A full solution

List the amounts systematically: 3, 5, 6 (3 plus 3), 8 (3 plus 5), 9, 10, 11 (6 plus 5). Checking 1 to 10 one by one shows 1, 2, 4 and 7 cannot be made.

Then the key step: 8, 9 and 10 can all be made, and they are three amounts in a row. Adding one more 3c stamp to each gives 11, 12 and 13, then 14, 15 and 16, and so on for ever. So every amount from 8 upwards can be made, and 7 is the largest impossible amount.

Our marking rubric for this problem (4 marks), and three answers marked against it
Rubric pointMarkAnswer A: "1, 2, 4, 7"Answer B: list to 20, no argumentAnswer C: full solution
Correct list of impossible amounts1YesYesYes
Systematic check of small amounts shown1NoYesYes
Notices three consecutive makeable amounts1NoNoYes
Explains why adding 3c covers every larger amount1NoNoYes
Total41 of 42 of 44 of 4

Answer B is the most common in our classes: correct, careful, and still missing half the marks, because checking up to 20 does not show that 21, 22 or 100 can be made. The marking rubric is ours, written for teaching, and the Trust's own marking guide may divide marks differently. The lesson carries across both: in a written challenge, the argument is the answer.

Problem, rubric and marked answers are ours. The impossible amounts 1, 2, 4 and 7 were confirmed by enumeration in Python on 7 October 2026. The AMT's marking guide is supplied to teachers and is not reproduced here.

The next module

Maths Enrichment: longer, deeper, by stage

Students who enjoy the Challenge often move on to Enrichment, a longer extension course with its own stages.

Maths Enrichment 2026 stages and the AMT's general year recommendations
StageGeneral recommendationScoring
RamanujanAustralian Years 4 and 58 problems of 4 marks, 32 marks
NewtonAustralian Years 5 and 68 problems of 4 marks, 32 marks
DirichletAustralian Years 6 and 78 problems of 4 marks, 32 marks
EulerAustralian Years 7 and 810 problems of 4 marks, 40 marks
GaussAustralian Years 8 and 910 problems of 4 marks, 40 marks
NoetherCapable or very capable Years 9 and 10Not listed with the others on the page read
PólyaTop 10 per cent of Year 10Not listed with the others on the page read

In 2026 Enrichment ran from Monday 30 March to Friday 16 October, with entries closing on Friday 24 July. The Trust says it is designed to run over 12 to 16 weeks, with around 1 hour of class time and 2 to 3 hours of individual study time per week, and that its material "develops mathematical concepts not covered by the standard curriculum".

The Trust notes that stages "are not limited to school years", so a strong Year 5 student might begin at a higher stage. Schools decide placements.

Each student receives a Student Notes book with a structured extension course and a Student Problems booklet. The later stages include topics such as modular arithmetic, Diophantine equations, methods of proof, functional equations and graph theory.

Our competition maths classes prepare students for the kind of thinking Enrichment expects, through our own problems. We do not work on the Trust's booklet problems with students during the module; that work belongs to the student and their school.

Source: Australian Maths Trust, Maths Enrichment, read on 7 October 2026.

From answers to arguments

Four steps to a full written solution

Most students can find answers long before they can explain them. These steps close that gap.

Writing mathematics, step by step
StepWhat the student doesThe sign it is secure
1. Show the searchWrites the cases tried, not just the resultA reader can follow how the answer was found
2. Spot the structureLooks for a pattern behind the casesNames the pattern in a sentence
3. Argue for all casesExplains why the pattern always holdsThe argument works beyond the cases listed
4. Check and tidyReads the solution as a stranger wouldNo step relies on something unwritten

If writing explanations is a struggle

Talking the solution through out loud first, then writing what was said, helps most students.

Working with a partner, as the Challenge encourages, makes explaining natural.

Related reading

Our AMC by year page covers the Trust's timed competition.

The APSMO Maths Olympiad page covers another schools contest.

The catalogue

Nine courses for Australian problem solvers

Grouped by stage. Each card opens a full outline.

I

Primary

Years 3 to 6

MCHA / P / 01

Problem solving for kids

Patterns and careful lists.

Open the syllabus
II

Middle years

Years 7 to 10

MCHA / M / 02

Algebra foundations

Expressions and equations, understood.

Open the syllabus
III

Extension

Towards Enrichment and olympiads

MCHA / X / 02

Senior-ready maths

Algebra and geometry for older students.

Open the syllabus

MCHA / X / 03

Maths through coding

Testing conjectures with Python.

Open the syllabus

How lessons run

Small-group problem solving, live

Our teachers are in India, which is behind every Australian state. A 4 pm lesson in Brisbane starts at 11.30 am India time throughout the year, since Queensland does not change its clocks.

Terms 1 and 2

Ahead of and alongside the Challenge window.

Weekly sessions

One rich problem, written up properly.

Holiday workshops

A few days on writing proofs.

Pairs and threes

Students solve together, as the Challenge encourages.

Write, then mark

Every solution is marked against a rubric.

Groups of fifteen to twenty

Placed by problem-solving level.

One-to-one option

For students aiming at Enrichment stages.

Short parent notes

One idea learned and a problem to discuss at home.

School work stays theirs

We never work on live Challenge problems with students.

Student work

Student projects

Work our learners chose to make, apart from any competition. More in the student labs.

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Fees

Fees

Families in Australia pay monthly in US dollars, our usual rate for every country outside India. No deposit, and you can stop at any month end. The Trust's modules are entered and paid for by schools.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

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Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

  • Fifteen to twenty students at one level
  • The same teacher every week
  • Solutions marked and discussed
  • A certificate at the end
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One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

  • A teacher for one student
  • Focused on written solutions
  • A weekly time that suits you
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Questions about the Maths Challenge

What Australian families ask

What is the Maths Challenge for Young Australians?

It is the old name for the Australian Maths Trust's Maths for Young Australians program. Its Maths Challenge module gives students in Years 3 to 10 a few problems to solve over 3 to 4 weeks, with written solutions marked by teachers.

How many problems are in the Maths Challenge?

Four in the primary divisions and six in the secondary divisions, each worth 4 marks, for totals of 16 and 24 marks.

Do students work alone?

The Trust encourages groups of three in primary divisions and groups of two in secondary divisions, although students can also work individually.

When does the Maths Challenge run?

In 2026 it ran between Monday 2 March and Friday 26 June, with entries closing on Friday 22 May. Check the Trust's page for the next year.

Who marks the Maths Challenge?

Teachers, using the Trust's marking guide, then results are submitted online. The Trust can mark submissions at an extra cost.

What is a marking rubric?

A list of the points a full solution must contain, with marks for each. Ours shows why a correct answer without an argument earns only part of the marks.

What is Maths Enrichment?

A longer module of 12 to 16 weeks for more advanced students, in stages from Ramanujan, recommended for Years 4 and 5, to Pólya, for the top 10 per cent of Year 10.

Can you help my child with their Challenge problems?

Not with the live problems: they are the student's own work. We teach problem solving and written argument with our own problems, before and around the module.

How do students enter?

Schools enter and run the modules. Ask your child's maths teacher or coordinator.

Are you connected with the AMT?

No. We are an independent online school; the details here come from the Trust's pages.

Related pages

More maths challenges in Australia

The Trust's other competitions and our competition maths pages.

AMC practice by year

The Trust's timed competition.

APSMO Maths Olympiad

Five-question contests for Years 5 to 8.

AMC, AIO and CAT

Three Trust contests compared.

Competitions calendar

Every contest through the year.

Maths challenges

Puzzles to try at home.

Maths tutoring in Australia

Our main Australian maths page.

Start here

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Tell us the year level and whether the Maths Challenge or Enrichment is coming up. The free class works a problem through to a full written solution and ends with honest advice.

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