Although these candidates represent the very best mathematicians in their age group, the difficulty level of the BMO papers mean that many of these attain a very low score.
In 2005, UKMT changed the system and added an extra easier question meaning the median is now raised.
[7] In recent years, entries to BMO have been made from schools in Ireland, Kazakhstan, India, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand.
Students who did not take the BMO1, or who did not qualify for an invitation, may be entered into the next round at the discretion of their school through payment of a fee of £50.
BMO2 (known as the Further International Selection Test, FIST from 1972 to 1991) is normally held in late January or early February, and is significantly more difficult than BMO1.
Twenty-four of the top scorers from BMO2 are subsequently invited to the training camp at Trinity College, Cambridge for the first stage of the IMO UK team selection.
[1] The top 4 female scorers from BMO2 are selected to represent the UK at the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad.
These tests have been held at training and selection camps in several locations, recently Trinity College, Cambridge and Oundle School.
The UK squad for IMO 2021 was Mohit Hulse, Isaac King, Samuel Liew, Yuka Machino, Daniel Naylor, and Jenni Voon, with Tommy Walker Mackay being the first reserve.