Most countries start on Thursday 18 March 2027
Kangaroo maths in Europe 2027
The international Kangaroo maths contest is run country by country, and each organiser sets its own date, level names and scoring. Here are the 2027 dates for seven countries, which level matches your child, where the papers come in English, and how the points work.
Austria, Switzerland, Poland; the Netherlands and Sweden run 18–26 March
Germany, moved because of Easter
In Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland; the Netherlands scores 5 / 1 / 0 instead
Kangaroo levels: which one is your child in?
Countries name the levels differently. Go by the level name your school uses, not your child’s grade number.
| Level names in Europe | Our guide |
|---|---|
| Felix (AT), Pre-Écolier (the international name), wizFUN (NL groep 3–4), Żaczek (PL, klasa 2 only), Milou (SE, F–åk 2)No level in Germany or Switzerland. | Grades 1–2 |
| Écolier (AT, SE åk 3–4), Klasse 3/4 (DE, CH), wizKID (NL groep 5–6), Maluch (PL) | Grades 3–4 |
| Benjamin (AT; SE åk 5–7), Klasse 5/6 (DE, CH), wizSMART (NL groep 7–8), Beniamin (PL) | Grades 5–6 |
| Kadett (AT), Cadet (SE åk 8–9), Klasse 7/8 (DE, CH), wizBRAIN (NL), Kadet (PL) | Grades 7–8 |
- Germany and Switzerland have no grade 1–2 level. Both start at Klasse 3/4. In Germany a younger child may enter Klasse 3 as an early starter if the school agrees; Minikänguru is a separate German-language contest for Klasse 1–2.
- Polish and Swedish children are about a year older at each level, because school starts later. Sweden’s Benjamin covers åk 5–7.
- Dutch groep numbers run two ahead: groep 5–6 (wizKID) is about grades 3–4.
- British-curriculum schools: our guides use US grades, which run one behind English Years. Grades 3–4 are about Years 4–5.
- Ireland runs from 1st Class to 6th Year; its public pages don’t list the levels. Irish 1st Class is about the same age as grade 1.
Kangaroo 2027 by country: dates, entry and English papers
As of November 2026, from each national organiser’s website. Check the organiser’s site before you rely on a date.
| Country | 2027 date | How to enter | In English? | Paper and scoring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany Mathematikwettbewerb Känguru e.V. | Thursday 8 April 2027 (later than usual because of Easter) | Through schools only, at least 15 children per school; 1 December 2026 – 31 January 2027; €2.50 per child. Parents can’t enter a child themselves. | Yes, on request: the school asks for English (or French) papers in the comment field when it registers. | Klasse 3–6: 24 problems in 75 minutes, 24 starting points, maximum 120. Klasse 7 and up: 30 problems in 75 minutes, maximum 150. −¼ for a wrong answer. |
| Austria Känguru der Mathematik | Thursday 18 March 2027 | Free. Registration from 31 October 2026 to 17 March 2027. A single child can take part at a participating school if the school and parents agree. | English versions of past papers are in the archive; whether the contest itself can be sat in English isn’t stated, so ask the organiser. | Felix: 15 problems in 60 minutes (maximum 75). Écolier and Benjamin: 24 in 60. Kadett and up: 30 in 75. −¼ for a wrong answer. |
| Switzerland Verein Känguru Schweiz | Thursday 18 March 2027 (the third Thursday in March) | Through a school or institution with a local coordinator; deadline 11 March 2027; CHF 3 per child (at least CHF 30 per school). | Yes: papers in German, French, English and Romansh; the online version also comes in English. 1,447 children took it in English in 2026. | 3/4: 18 problems in 45 minutes, 18 starting points (maximum 90). 5/6: 24 in 60. 7/8 and up: 30 in 75. −¼ for a wrong answer. |
| Netherlands W4Kangoeroe | 18–26 March 2027 (each school picks its day) | Through schools, at least 10 pupils; 1 December 2026 – 28 February 2027; €4 per pupil in the Netherlands, €5 for schools elsewhere in Europe. | Yes: every participating school can download all versions, including the English ones. | wizFUN groep 3: 12 problems in 30 minutes, groep 4: 24 in 60. wizKID and wizSMART: 24 in 50. wizBRAIN: 30 in 75. 5 points right, 1 blank, 0 wrong. |
| Poland Kangur Matematyczny | Thursday 18 March 2027 | Through schools. | Yes: the tests are available in Polish and English. | 75 minutes at every level. Żaczek: 21 problems, Maluch: 24, Beniamin and up: 30. Starting points equal the number of problems; a wrong answer loses a quarter of its points. |
| Sweden NCM, University of Gothenburg | 18–26 March 2027 | Free; schools register and receive the papers as PDFs. | Yes: at every level, schools can choose Swedish or English problems. | 18–24 problems in 60 minutes (Milou has no fixed time), 3, 4 or 5 points each. No penalty is stated; schools mark the papers themselves. |
| Ireland Kangaroo Maths Ireland | 26 April – 21 May 2027 | Registration for 2027 is open, for students living in the Republic of Ireland. | Yes: it runs in English, digitally (no printed papers). | 1st Class to 6th Year. The levels and scoring aren’t shown on its public pages. |
Each country builds its papers largely from a shared international pool, so the style of problem is the same everywhere. The exact problems, how many there are and the time limit differ from country to country.
How Kangaroo scoring works, and when to guess
Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland: −¼ for a wrong answer. Problems are worth 3, 4 or 5 points. A wrong answer loses a quarter of that (0.75, 1 or 1.25), and a blank scores 0. Everyone starts with as many points as there are problems, so the total can’t go below zero.
With five choices, a blind guess on a 5-point problem is worth 1/5 × 5 − 4/5 × 1.25 = 1 − 1 = 0 points on average. Rule out one choice first and it becomes 1/4 × 5 − 3/4 × 1.25 ≈ +0.31. So guess only when you can rule out at least one choice.
The Netherlands: 5 points right, 1 point blank, 0 wrong. There is no penalty, but a blank earns a point. A blind guess (1/5 × 5 = 1 point on average) is break-even with leaving it blank; after ruling out one choice it is worth 1/4 × 5 = 1.25. Same advice: rule out a choice, then guess.
Sweden: NCM states no penalty, and schools mark the papers themselves, so it pays to answer every question. Ireland doesn’t publish its scoring on its public pages.
Time limits differ by country, from 30 minutes for the Dutch groep 3 paper and 45 for the Swiss 3/4 paper to 75 minutes at every level in Germany and Poland. Do practice tests at your country’s time limit. US scoring has no penalty at all; the details are in our guide to US Kangaroo scoring.
Where to find past Kangaroo papers in English
- Austria: the kaenguru.at archive has English versions of past papers for every level, from Felix to Student, next to the German ones.
- Germany: the mathe-kaenguru.de archive has the past papers by level, with an “English Versions” section going back to 2016.
- Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden: look on the organiser’s site (linked in the table above); a school that takes part can get the English papers for the contest itself.
- Download the papers from the organisers. We link to them and never copy them.
Kangaroo practice in English, by level
Our guides are written for the US Math Kangaroo grade bands, but the problem style is the international one, so they fit the European levels in the table above. Each guide has topic chapters with worked solutions and full practice tests. Each level also has a free set of 10 problems with solutions.
Grades 1–2
Felix (AT), Pre-Écolier (the international name), wizFUN (NL groep 3–4), Żaczek (PL, klasa 2 only), Milou (SE, F–åk 2)
Grades 3–4
Écolier (AT, SE åk 3–4), Klasse 3/4 (DE, CH), wizKID (NL groep 5–6), Maluch (PL)
Grades 5–6
Benjamin (AT; SE åk 5–7), Klasse 5/6 (DE, CH), wizSMART (NL groep 7–8), Beniamin (PL)
Grades 7–8
Kadett (AT), Cadet (SE åk 8–9), Klasse 7/8 (DE, CH), wizBRAIN (NL), Kadet (PL)
Kangaroo maths in Europe: FAQ
When is the Kangaroo maths contest in 2027? +
In most of Europe it is Thursday 18 March 2027 (Austria, Switzerland and Poland), with the Netherlands and Sweden running it from 18 to 26 March. Germany moved its contest to Thursday 8 April 2027 because of Easter, and Ireland runs it online from 26 April to 21 May 2027.
Can my child take the Kangaroo contest in English? +
In Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden, yes: the organisers offer English papers, and 1,447 children in Switzerland took it in English in 2026. In Germany the school can ask for English papers when it registers. Ireland runs the whole contest in English. Austria publishes English versions of past papers, but doesn’t say whether the contest can be sat in English, so ask the organiser.
Is there a Kangaroo level for grades 1 and 2 in Germany or Switzerland? +
No. Both start at Klasse 3/4. In Germany a younger child can enter Klasse 3 as an early starter if the school agrees, or try Minikänguru, a separate German-language contest for Klasse 1–2. Austria (Felix), the Netherlands (wizFUN), Poland (Żaczek) and Sweden (Milou) do have a level for the youngest children.
Can parents register a child themselves? +
Mostly not: in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden entries go through a school. Germany says outright that individual entries are excluded. In Austria a single child can take part at a participating school if the school and the parents agree. Ireland takes registrations for students who live in the Republic of Ireland.
Should my child guess on the Kangaroo test? +
It depends on the country. In Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland a wrong answer loses a quarter of the question’s points, so a blind guess is worth nothing on average: guess only after ruling out at least one choice. In the Netherlands a blank earns 1 point and a right answer 5, so again guess only after ruling out a choice. Where no penalty applies, answer every question.
Which level is my child in? +
Go by the level name your school uses, not the grade number. Écolier, Klasse 3/4, wizKID and Maluch match our Grades 3–4 guide; Benjamin, Klasse 5/6, wizSMART and Beniamin match Grades 5–6; Cadet, Kadett, Klasse 7/8, wizBRAIN and Kadet match Grades 7–8. Polish and Swedish children start school later, so they are about a year older at each level.
Math Explorers Club is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kangourou sans Frontières, Math Kangaroo USA or any national organiser named on this page (Mathematikwettbewerb Känguru e.V., Känguru der Mathematik in Austria, Verein Känguru Schweiz, W4Kangoeroe, Kangur Matematyczny, NCM at the University of Gothenburg, Kangaroo Maths Ireland). “Math Kangaroo” is a trademark of its respective owner. Dates and rules are taken from each organiser’s website; always check there and with your child’s school before you rely on them.