The Euclid Mathematics Contest, organized by the University of Waterloo in Canada, is an international math competition for high school students. Known for its high academic standards, strong university alignment, and its significant weight in University of Waterloo undergraduate admissions, it has earned the title “TOEFL of the Mathematics World.” This article explains the registration process, core advantages, difficulty level, and phased preparation strategies for the Euclid Contest, helping you efficiently prepare for the April 2026 exam.
I. Euclid Contest Registration
1. School Registration
Applicable: Students whose schools are official Euclid offline test centers.
Process: Registration organized by the school; individual registration is not supported.
Tip: Consult your school’s math teacher or contest coordinator for details. Canadian students can register directly through their schools.
2. Agency Registration
Applicable: Students whose schools are not Euclid test centers.
Process: Register through an authorized contest agency partner.
Tip: Contact the teachers of relevant agencies to inquire and secure registration eligibility. (We are an authorized test center and can act as an agency for registration.)
II. Why Choose Euclid?
1. The “TOEFL of the Mathematics World” in Canada, Highly Recognized by Top Schools
North American Admissions Edge: Excellent scores significantly boost competitiveness when applying to top institutions like the University of Waterloo, University of Toronto, UBC, and McGill. High Global Recognition: Especially suitable for students without AMC scores, serving as supplementary proof of academic ability in STEM fields.
2. Direct Link to Scholarships
University of Waterloo Admission Scholarships: High scorers have the chance to win substantial scholarships, achieving both “admission through contest” and “funding through excellence.”
3. Moderate Difficulty, Excellent Value for Effort
Emphasis on Logical Thinking: Unlike some contests that focus on out-of-syllabus content, Euclid emphasizes logical reasoning, problem-solving steps, and mathematical expression. Structured Training Yields Success: With systematic preparation, most students can achieve impressive results, making it ideal for the majority of high school students aiming high.
III. Euclid Difficulty & Comparison
1. Overall Difficulty Level
Positioned between AMC10 and AMC12, significantly lower than AIME, slightly harder than the later part of AMC10 and less challenging than the final problems of AMC12. The difficulty curve is gentle at first and steep later. Questions 1–5 are “easy points” for those with a solid foundation. Questions 6–8 are the “watershed,” requiring flexible application of in-class knowledge. Questions 9–10 are the “high-achiever zone,” testing Olympiad-level thinking and skills.
2. Knowledge Scope
Covers core high school math: Algebra, Geometry, Number Theory, Combinatorics, Functions, Trigonometry, etc. No Calculus/Linear Algebra: However, the depth of conceptual exploration and cross-module integration goes far beyond the standard curriculum. Typical questions involve exponential and logarithmic operations, function solving, analytic geometry, trigonometric simplification, recurrence relations, and circle geometry.
IV. Euclid Exam Prep: A Phased Strategy
Stage 1: Foundation Building
1. Quickly Review Knowledge Points
Core Resource: Past papers and solutions from the official Waterloo website. Task: Quickly review core high school math concepts, ensuring no knowledge blind spots.
2. Thoroughly Practice First 8 Questions of Past Papers
Goal: Master the logic of basic question types and improve reading comprehension. Task: Thoroughly work through the first 8 questions of past papers from 2015-2020, while memorizing English math vocabulary.
3. Maintain a Categorized Mistake Log
Annotate Error Causes: e.g., vague concepts, calculation errors, unclear thinking. Targeted Remediation: Conduct specialized training for weak areas (e.g., geometric auxiliary line construction).
Stage 2: Skill Enhancement
1. Focus on Integrated Problem Types
Target Questions: Past paper questions 6-9. Method: Refine core models like substitution and case classification to develop versatile problem-solving approaches.
2. Conquer Difficult Modules
Key Focus: Tackle challenging areas like Number Theory and Combinatorics. Task: Expand training with problems from similar contests to enhance problem-solving ability in complex scenarios.
3. Standardize English Solution Writing
Requirement: Ensure derivations are clear to avoid losing step-by-step points. Structure: Use a “Given → Reasoning → Conclusion” framework for your solutions.
Stage 3: Pre-exam Sprint (March 26 – Exam Date)
1. Full-length Mock Exams to Adapt to the Pace
Task: Use past papers from the last 5-10 years for timed mock exams (150 minutes), simulating the test environment. Time Allocation: Aim to complete questions 1-7 within 90 minutes, leaving ample time for the challenging final problems.
2. Strategy for Scoring on Challenging Problems
Priority: Tackle the first two sub-questions of Question 10. Task: Organize your thoughts and list relevant formulas to secure every possible point.
3. Review and Optimize Exam Strategy
Cross-check with Rubrics: Correct any issues in steps or time management. Optimized Strategy: Adjust your answering order and time management based on mock test performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does registration work?
Through an institution, always. Either your school holds an account with the organiser and orders the paper itself, or an authorised test centre registers on your behalf and provides the seat. There is no individual sign-up. In mainland China most writers enter through the test-centre route because relatively few schools hold their own account.
Where does the difficulty sit relative to other contests?
Between the two AMC levels in raw difficulty, and well below AIME. But the comparison is loose, because this paper asks for written argument rather than an answer. A student comfortable with AMC-level problems can still find their first full-solution paper punishing, and that is about the format rather than the mathematics.
What does a phased preparation look like?
Review the core topics quickly to find gaps rather than to relearn everything. Then work past papers properly — full written solutions, marked against worked solutions. Finish with timed whole papers. Our collected 1998-2026 set is free to claim by scanning the code on this page; it includes worked solutions for many of the years.