Reports given to Elisa Martins
Journalist, special for Yvirá
They begin to study with more purpose, to seek challenges, to dedicate themselves with a type of motivation that is difficult to awaken through traditional school assessments alone.
It presents them with a new relationship with knowledge — more challenging, more intriguing and, at the same time, more enjoyable.
Interest has grown every year, in part due to increasingly clear evidence, especially in the job market, about the value of this training in mathematics.
We often see children who grow up liking mathematics, but who, at some point, stop being interested, perhaps because they think that the subject is limited to school content or the pure application of formulas.
Reports given to Elisa Martins
Journalist, special for Yvirá
JULY/AUGUST 2025 | nº2 | The Brazilian Math Olympiad (OBMEP) had a record number of applicants this year
The Brazilian Math Olympiad (OBMEP), aimed at public and private schools, completes two decades with a record. In 2025, students from 57,222 schools in 5,566 municipalities were registered, which represents 99.93% of national coverage. It is the highest number ever recorded since the creation of this scientific competition, held by the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA).
YVIRÁ spoke with two educators to understand how OBMEP encourages the study of mathematics and helps reveal talents. The teachers highlight the growing interest of students, attracted by the challenges and a broader understanding of mathematics, beyond the school curriculum. The list of those approved in the first phase, which took place on June 3, will be released on August 1. The final phase of OBMEP 25 will take place on October 25.
Gustavo Soares
Mathematics teacher in the federal public school system in Rio de Janeiro – RJ
“In 2025, our school had a record participation rate in the OBMEP. More than 800 students took the test in the first phase. This number did not happen by chance. The school mobilized strongly to encourage students, and the result was massive participation. This reinforces our perception that the OBMEP is today the main gateway to the so-called Knowledge Olympiads — and not just the Math Olympiads.
Participating in Olympiads like the OBMEP encourages students to go beyond the curriculum content. They start to study with more purpose, to seek challenges, to dedicate themselves with a type of motivation that is difficult to be awakened by traditional school assessments alone. In addition, many of these competitions — especially the OBMEP — have also become a concrete way of accessing higher education.
They begin to study with more purpose, to seek challenges, to dedicate themselves with a type of motivation that is difficult to awaken through traditional school assessments alone.
Today, OBMEP is the main gateway to IMPATECH, the bachelor’s degree in mathematics from IMPA, one of the most prestigious institutions in the world in the field. IMPA has already trained Fields Medal winners and other great names in world mathematics, and IMPATECH is one of the most innovative and promising undergraduate programs today. But that’s not all. Several Brazilian public universities already allocate specific spots for students who win prizes in Olympiads, including OBMEP.
This connection between Olympiads and access to university provides extra motivation for our students. After all, in addition to representing a form of intellectual recognition, medals and honorable mentions also become a passport to real opportunities for academic and professional advancement.
When we see so many students interested and motivated by OBMEP, we feel that we are on the right track. The impact that the Olympiad has on them goes far beyond a single day of testing. It presents them with a new relationship with knowledge — more challenging, more intriguing and, at the same time, more enjoyable. That is why we will continue to encourage this participation, year after year, with the certainty that OBMEP not only trains future mathematicians but also broadens the horizons of thousands of young people all over Brazil.”
Vitor Tinoco
Mathematics teacher in a private school in Rio de Janeiro – RJ
“We always offer students the opportunity to register for the OBMEP and encourage them to participate, highlighting its importance in the classroom. Many already have the habit of taking the test every year, they like it and see it as a valuable opportunity to strengthen their resumes and even as a path to entering universities in the future. Some institutions already use the results of the Olympiads as a criterion for selecting vacancies.
It presents them with a new relationship with knowledge — more challenging, more intriguing and, at the same time, more enjoyable.
Interest has grown every year, partly due to increasingly clear evidence, especially in the job market, about the value of this training in mathematics. This is also related to the growing interest in technology areas and careers related to computing, economics and programming, where mastery of mathematics is essential.
With the changes in the world, I notice that not only has students’ curiosity for mathematics increased, but families have also become aware of its importance and talk more about it with their children. A student who takes the OBMEP for the first time usually takes part again in the following years. It ends up becoming a habit. I believe that the trend is for the number of registrants to increase and continue to grow.
An Olympiad like OBMEP has exactly this role: to promote mathematics. It also serves the purpose of showing new aspects of the subject. It shows that, in addition to the traditional school curriculum, there are many other interesting elements linked to logical reasoning and challenges in the form of games. This is usually explored more in the Olympiads in general.
By means of innovative and attractive questions for young people, OBMEP sparks interest by demanding greater reasoning skills and less formal content. This is excellent for students who like this type of challenge, as it captures their attention.
We often see children who grow up liking mathematics, but who, at some point, stop being interested, perhaps because they think that the subject is limited to school content or the pure application of formulas — and that is not really the case.
The Olympiads usually show the most pleasurable side of mathematics, hence the importance of participating from an early age, to never stop liking it.”
