CareerBox ExamsSchool Olympiads

INMOIndian National Mathematical Olympiad

Conducting body
Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE, TIFR), under the National Board for Higher Mathematics (DAE)
Level
national
Frequency
Once a year (January)
Mode
Offline (pen-and-paper, fully subjective)
Duration
4 hr 30 min
Negative marking
None (fully subjective, evaluated on written proofs)

About INMO

INMO is India’s national championship of school mathematics and the second stage of the official olympiad programme run by HBCSE under the National Board for Higher Mathematics. Roughly the top thousand students from IOQM sit a four-and-a-half-hour paper of six problems demanding complete, rigorous proofs — a format deliberately mirroring the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Performing well at INMO places a student among the strongest young mathematicians in the country. Awardees join the IMO Training Camp at HBCSE, where selection tests decide the team of six that represents India at the IMO and the team for the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad; many INMO awardees also go on to institutions like CMI and ISI, which value the credential highly.

Accepted by: INMO awardees advance to the IMO Training Camp, from which India’s six-member IMO team and EGMO team are selected; an INMO award is also a nationally respected credential for research-track programmes

Official website

INMO eligibility

Students who clear the IOQM cut-offs (Classes 8–12); INMO awardees of the previous year may be directly eligible per HBCSE rules

INMO exam pattern

Questions
6 problems
Total marks
102 (17 marks per problem, per recent marking schemes)
Duration
4 hr 30 min

Sections

  • Single subjective paper of six proof-based problems

Marking scheme: None (fully subjective, evaluated on written proofs)

INMO syllabus outline

  • Olympiad-level number theory, algebra, combinatorics and Euclidean geometry — calculus-free
  • Full written proofs are required; partial credit is awarded for substantial progress
  • Top INMO performers (typically the best few dozen) are invited to the month-long IMO Training Camp (IMOTC) at HBCSE

Preparing for INMO?

Olympiads reward deep fundamentals — the same preparation that pays off later in JEE, NEET and other entrance exams. Explore every national and international olympiad, or check the official site for this year's dates and registration.

More olympiads: Government-Backed National Olympiad Cycle (Science, Maths & Computing)

Sources & official references