Math Kangaroo (Individual)
Expert Overview
Individual math competition for students in grades 1 to 12, taken by about 60,000 U.S. students each March at proctored centers or online. Scores rank students nationally and by state within each grade, and top finishers earn medals or ribbons, with a few scholarships and camp places. Registration costs $20 to $35.
Format
Judging Format
Recognition
Grade Eligibility
Geographic Eligibility
Discipline
Entries
Percent Awarded
Important Dates
Regular registration opens
September 15, 2026
Regular registration closes
December 31, 2026
Late registration deadline
February 1, 2027
Competition Date
March 18, 2027
Passed
Open
Approaching: < 1 mo.
Priority: < 2 weeks
Urgent: < 1 week
Registration Cost
Registration fee
$18 per student
Late registration fee
$35 per student
About
Families register in the fall at a center, usually a school or learning center, and each student must enter at their own grade level. The exam has 24 questions for grades 1 to 4 and 30 for grades 5 to 12, worth 3, 4, or 5 points each, with no penalty for wrong answers. The top 20 scores per grade nationally earn ranking, with gold, silver, and bronze medals for the top three; the top three per state earn ribbons. A separate coach-formed team competition runs in the fall.
Placement is common: the organizer reports 7,680 national Top 20 placements and 2,197 state Top 3 placements in 2026, so a ranking alone is a modest credential. The stronger signals are a gold medal and the scholarships and camps, which in 2026 went to only a few dozen students, including 9 senior grants of $500 or $750. The virtual self-proctored format gives a score only, with no awards. Registration is nonrefundable.
A national medal shows a student scored at the very top of their grade.
Prizes Offered
Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals
Money Maze Puzzle Boxes with the Math Kangaroo logo (Top 10)
Kangaroo Keepsake (grade 12, Top 10)
Puzzle Rulers (Top 20)
Wolfram Licenses (grades 5-12, Top 20)
Blue, Red and White Ribbons (Top 3)
$1,000 Math Kangaroo College Grants Awarded to Outstanding High School Seniors
$750 Math Kangaroo Special Recognition Awards Given to Exceptional High School Seniors
$500 Math Kangaroo Special Recognition Awards Given to Exceptional High School Seniors
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