Pascal/Cayley/Fermat

Overview

Pascal, Cayley and Fermat are a family of three multiple-choice mathematics contests run by the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) at the University of Waterloo, each aimed at a specific secondary-school grade. They are written on the same day with the same format, differing mainly in grade level and the difficulty of the problem set.

Who can apply

Each contest targets a specific grade, though motivated younger students may also take part. A student may write only one of the three contests in a given school year.

Levels or stages

Pascal

For Grade 9 students.

Cayley

For Grade 10 students.

Fermat

For Grade 11 students.

Exam pattern

All three contests have 25 multiple-choice questions in three parts: Parts A and B use standard multiple-choice answers (A to E), and Part C requires a whole-number answer from 0 to 99. Each contest is 60 minutes long, for a total score out of 150.

Important dates

For the 2026 cycle, CEMC held the Pascal, Cayley and Fermat contests on 24–25 February 2026. For 2027, they are scheduled for Tuesday–Wednesday, 23–24 February 2027 in North and South America and Wednesday–Thursday, 24–25 February 2027 elsewhere. Check the CEMC contests page for the exact dates each year.

How to apply

Schools register and order papers through the CEMC Contest Supervisor Portal ahead of the ordering deadline, then write the contest on the scheduled date. Results are typically available through the Contest Supervisor Portal around 6 to 8 weeks after the contest.

Preparation tips

• Practise with the correct past paper for your grade (Pascal for Grade 9, Cayley for Grade 10, Fermat for Grade 11), since difficulty rises across the three.

• Work on Part C specifically, since it requires a numeric answer rather than choosing from options, so guessing strategies that work for Parts A and B do not apply there.

FAQs