Practice Questions:

Practice for the COMC using the following past exam questions:

Topics to study:

Most of the problems on this year's COMC will be based on the mathematics curriculum taught in secondary schools and CÉGEPs. Some questions require a degree of understanding beyond the curriculum. Potential topics include:

• Euclidean and analytic geometry
• Trigonometry, including functions, graphs and identities
• Exponential and logarithmic functions
• Functional notation
• Systems of equations
• Polynomials, including relationships involving the roots of quadratic and cubic equations
• The remainder theorem
• Sequences and series
• Simple counting problems
• The binomial theorem
• Elementary number theory, including tests for divisibility, number of divisors, and simple Diophantine equations

Problem of the Week:

Beginning in the first week of September, we will post a sample problem to familiarize you with the kinds of questions you might find on a COMC exam. The solution is posted the following week when the next problem is posted. See our Problem of the Week page.

Other resources:

Crux Mathematicorum: This is the CMS's flagship problem solving periodical. Each issue contains articles on problems and problem solving as well as original problems and problems from mathematics competitions and Olympiads from around the world. The journal is interactive in the sense that the published solutions to the problem sets all come from the readership. Crux is designed for students and hobbyists who are keen to sharpen their skills with other national and international level problem solvers. You can download a sample issue of Crux, or check out the main Crux web site and the archive. Volumes 34 and earlier are free to the public, more recent issues are available by subscription.