Enigma is a fun bi-annual series of online, academic competitions for students in grades 3 to 12 in Mathematics, Computational and Algorithmic Thinking (CAT) and English. All students in relevant grade levels are eligible to take part in the competitions: grades 3 to 12 for Mathematics, grades 5 to 12 for CAT, and grades 5 to 12 for English.
- An online, individual academic competition.
- Open to students worldwide. All students are recognized for participation and performance.
- Held twice a year: October/November & March/April.
- Offered in Mathematics, Computational & Algorithmic Thinking (CAT). More subjects coming in 2017.
Enigma takes place in two rounds:
|Round 1||March 6, 2017 - March 31, 2017||All students||40 minutes|
|Round 2||April 19, 2017 - May 11, 2017||Top Round 1 Students||40 minutes|
How the Competition Works
|Students register for Round 1. Students can register directly, or an educator can register multiple students.||See Registering for Round 1.|
|Students prepare for the competition.||See Preparing for the Competition.|
|Students participate in Round 1. The competition is open for approximately four weeks and students can take the competition at any time. Round 1 is based on a honor code.||See Participating in Round 1.|
|Round 1 entries are scored, and the top performers are invited to Round 2.|
|Students find a supervisor to supervise them during Round 2.||See Finding a Supervisor.|
|Students participate in Round 2.||See Participating in Round 2.|
|Scores are finalized and awards are given out.||See Commendations and Award Criteria.|
Registering for Round 1
All students in relevant grade levels are eligible to take part in the competitions - grades 3 to 12 for Mathematics, grades 5 to 12 for CAT, and grades 5 to 12 for English. There are no other selection criteria.
Enigma supports group registration by schools and educators as well as individual registration by students and parents.
Preparing for the Competition
For practice and preparation, each Enigma competition is bundled with a collection of problem sets and mock competitions.
Participating in Round 1
Students can participate any time between March 6, 2017 and March 31, 2017. There is a one week interim period after Round 1 closes in order to process scores and invite students to participate in Round 2.
- The competition is based on honor code, and no supervision is required.
- Ensure you have uninterrupted Internet access for 40 minutes.
- Log in to begin your competition.
Students in the top 30% of Round 1 will be invited to participate in Round 2 of the competition.
Finding a Supervisor
If chosen to participate in Round 2 of the competition, each student needs to find a supervisor. A supervisor is a volunteer who ensures that a competition is conducted in accordance with competition guidelines in order to preserve the integrity of the competition. The supervisor assists students in starting a competition, and watches over them until the competition is complete.
If you are a student and registered through your instructor to participate in Round 1, then your instructor can become your supervisor. Otherwise, you will need to find a teacher or other adult not related to you to act as supervisor.
Participating in Round 2
Once a supervisor has been designated, a student can participate in Round 2 any time between April 19, 2017 and May 11, 2017.
||Please see the Supervisor Guidelines for Round 2 for complete details.|
||Please see the Student Guidelines for Round 2 for complete details.|
Commendations and Award Criteria
After Round 2 closes, final scores will be calculated and students will be notified of their awards.
All students are eligible for one Round 1 award. A list of awards for each participant will be available to schools or individual entrants at the completion of Round 1.
All students sitting Round 2 are guaranteed at least a credit grade for the competition. Students sitting Round 2 will be awarded individual certificates which will be sent in electronic form to schools or individual entrants shortly after the completion of the competition.
|HIGH DISTINCTION||Awarded to a student who is in the top 2% of their level|
|DISTINCTION||Awarded to a student who is in the top 15% of their level|
|CREDIT||Awarded to a student who has not received a higher award but is in the top 50% of their level|