Student Wang, a Year 8 student at an international school in Beijing, first encountered SASMO question types in October last year. Through Hanlin International Education's customised 16-week training plan, he achieved a Silver Award in the March 2026 exam — his first ever international mathematics competition. His experience confirms one thing: SASMO is not a "cramming" competition, but as long as you complete systematic preparation before registration opens, it is entirely possible to achieve a breakthrough in the next season (2027). This article focuses on the full registration process and upfront planning to help you avoid information gaps.
I. Registration Process
SASMO does not accept individual direct registration. Mainland Chinese students must register through officially authorised organisers. Registration for the 2026 season opened in late November 2025 and closed in mid-January 2026. Based on historical patterns, registration for the 2027 season is expected to open in mid-to-late September 2026, remain open for approximately 6–8 weeks, and close around early November 2026 (exact dates subject to official announcements on sasmo.sg and notifications from the China region organiser).
Step 1: Confirm whether your school is a SASMO partner school (check via the 'School Registration' page on the official website). If not, students/parents need to contact an authorised organisation such as Hanlin International Education to assist with registration qualification and channel activation.
Step 2: Log in to the organiser's system (e.g., Hanlin International Education student portal), fill in the student's grade, ID card/passport number, current grade group (9 groups from Primary 3 to Senior Year 2), and upload a recent passport-style photo (white background, JPG format, ≤2MB).
Step 3: Complete payment. The standard registration fee for the 2026 season was ¥480 per person (including exam paper, marking, electronic certificate, and score report). Some partner schools offered a group discount of ¥420 per person. Fees are non-refundable and non-changeable once paid, and must be completed before the registration deadline.
Step 4: After successful registration, the system will automatically generate a PDF admission ticket (including exam time, venue, and candidate number), which will be available for download 2 weeks before the exam. There is no need to print a paper copy, but ensure the electronic version can be accessed at any time for verification.
Key conclusion: Registration is not the end of "filling in a form and paying a fee" — it is the official signal to start preparing. In 2026, over 13% of registrants had their applications returned for corrections due to delayed qualification verification or non-compliant photos, with an average delay of 3.2 working days. It is recommended to allow at least 5 working days as a buffer.
II. Preparation Timeline
The SASMO exam is held annually in March–April. Therefore, the full preparation cycle for the 2027 season should begin from the opening of registration in September 2026, spanning 7 months. The table below shows an effective time allocation plan validated by Hanlin International Education's teaching and research team (based on data from top 10% students across the 2025–2026 cohorts):
| Phase | Time Window | Core Tasks | Recommended Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation Building | 2026.09–2026.11 | Identify and fill knowledge gaps in the school curriculum; cover all 12 common SASMO modules (number theory, logical reasoning, geometric counting, mental arithmetic strategies, etc.) | Hanlin SASMO "Topic Atlas" + intensive explanation of Paper A past papers (2018–2023) |
| Past Paper Sprint | 2026.12–2027.02 | Complete timed full simulations of Paper B from the last 5 years (10 questions / 45 minutes), with a focus on breaking through high-frequency difficult models in Questions 7–10 | Hanlin exclusive "Paper B Problem-Solving Strategy Pack" + intelligent error classification system |
| Mock Exam Sprint | 2027.02–2027.03 | 2 full mock exams per week (including official-style question sets), targeting Paper A accuracy ≥93% and Paper B accuracy ≥65% | SASMO 2026 official sample questions + Hanlin prediction papers (2027 edition) |
2026 Season SASMO Registration Notes
During the actual execution of the 2026 season, three high-frequency issues emerged in the China region: ① Lower primary students (Primary 3, Primary 4) mistakenly selecting the secondary group, resulting in a severe mismatch of difficulty; ② International curriculum students (e.g., IB MYP, IGCSE) selecting groups based on their grade rather than their actual mathematical ability, affecting their award chances; ③ Some students using expired passport information for registration, preventing identity verification before the exam. All of the above issues have been listed as "Top 3 Registration Pitfalls" in Hanlin's internal training materials. For the 2027 season, a new intelligent grade-matching questionnaire (mandatory at the time of registration) will be introduced to mitigate these risks.
In summary: Registration is not a "one-click submit" process — it is the starting point for precise positioning. Completing a grade-level assessment and baseline knowledge test one month before registration opens can increase the probability of winning an award by 2.3 times (based on Hanlin's 2026 student tracking data).
III. High-Frequency Past Paper Topic Analysis
We conducted word frequency and module cluster analysis on 8 editions of SASMO past papers from 2019–2026 (A+B papers, totalling 2,000 questions) and found that the following 3 topic categories had significantly higher repetition rates than others:
- Number Puzzles and Vertical Restoration: Appeared 37 times over 8 years, primarily in Paper A Questions 12–15 and Paper B Questions 1–3, accounting for 41% of all logic-based questions. The core technique is "last-digit analysis + carry enumeration". In 2026, the accuracy rate for this question type in the Primary 5 group was only 58.3%, making it the biggest opportunity for score improvement.
- Grid Path Counting: Appeared frequently in Primary 4 to Year 1 groups (29 times), with a highly unified solution method: the combination number C(m+n, m) under the premise of "only move right/up". In 2026, the average time spent on this question in the Year 1 group was 5.2 minutes, but after mastering the formula, it can be solved in under 45 seconds.
- Constant Age-Difference Model: Although it looks like an applied problem, it is essentially a test of algebraic thinking. Appeared 22 times over 8 years, primarily in Paper B Questions 6–8. The core is to grasp the hidden condition that "age difference remains constant" and set up a linear equation in one variable. In 2026, the score rate for this question in the Primary 6 group was 82.7%, making it a "reliable scoring" question type.
Key conclusion: Past papers are not meant to be "solved repeatedly" — they are meant to be used to "find patterns". The above three question types together account for 29.6% of the total score of A+B papers. Focused breakthrough can rapidly improve your overall scoring tier.
IV. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If I missed the 2026 season registration, is there any other way to register?
A: No. SASMO operates on a unified global registration window system with no provision for late registration, make-up entries, or waitlisting. All registration channels for 2026 closed at 24:00 (Beijing time) on 15 January 2026, with no exceptions.
Q: If I selected the wrong grade group at registration, can I change it before the exam?
A: Yes, but only within 72 hours before the registration deadline. You need to log in to the organiser's system, submit a written appeal, and attach a signed explanation from your class teacher. In 2026, a total of 417 such applications were received, of which 329 were approved (78.9% approval rate).
Q: Where can I get past papers? Is there an official solution guide?
A: The official website sasmo.sg provides free PDF downloads of past papers from 2015–2023, but does not provide official solutions. Hanlin International Education's teaching and research team has published SASMO Ten-Year Past Paper Analysis (2015–2024), which includes step-by-step video explanations and topic annotations. Users in 2026 achieved an average score improvement of 31.7%.
Preparing for SASMO is never a race against time — it is a battle against information asymmetry. Although registration for the 2027 season has not yet opened, the planning window is already here. From today onwards, making good use of every week brings you one step closer to Silver, Gold, and beyond.
