Math Kangaroo vs MOEMS vs Noetic: Which Contest Fits?
Math Kangaroo is one big multiple-choice day in March. MOEMS is five short team contests from November to March. Noetic is a 20-problem test in fall and spring. Here is how they compare.
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Math Kangaroo guides: 1–2 3–4 5–6 7–8
MOEMS guides: Division E Division M
Free practice problems: Math Kangaroo Noetic MOEMS
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Math Kangaroo, MOEMS and Noetic are three of the most popular contests for elementary students, and they work very differently. Math Kangaroo is one 75-minute multiple-choice test in March. MOEMS is five short contests, one a month from November to March, taken with a school or homeschool team. Noetic is a 20-problem test held in fall and again in spring. If you searched for “math olympiad” for an elementary schooler, you may have meant MOEMS: its full name is Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools.
Side by side
| Math Kangaroo | MOEMS | Noetic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades | 1–12 | 4–8 (Division E 4–6, Division M 6–8) | 2–8 |
| How often | Once a year | Five contests, monthly | Twice a year |
| When | March (third Thursday) | November to March | Fall (Nov–early Dec) and spring (April) |
| Questions | 24 (grades 1–4) or 30 (grades 5+) | 5 per contest | 20 |
| Time | 75 minutes | 30 minutes per contest | 45 minutes (50 online) |
| Time per problem | About 2.5–3 minutes | 6 minutes | About 2 minutes |
| Style | Multiple choice | Five non-routine problems per contest, no calculators | Mostly number answers, a few multiple choice |
| Scoring | 3, 4 or 5 points; no penalty for wrong answers | 1 point each | 5 points each, no partial credit |
| Who registers | Parent, at a center or a proctored online format | School or homeschool team, run by a coordinator | School team, or a family through At-Home |
| Cost | Per child | Per-team fee | Per team (school), or per child (At-Home) |
| Recognition | National and state ranks by grade; top 20 per grade nationally | Patches top 50%, pins top 10%, medallion for a perfect score | Medals top 10%, ribbons top 50% per grade (At-Home: score and percentile only) |
| Size | 60,504 students in 2026 | 120,000+ a year | 65,000+ in 2025–26 |
Time per problem is our arithmetic from each contest’s official length and question count.
Math Kangaroo: one big day
- One sitting, 75 minutes, on the third Thursday in March.
- Multiple choice, no penalty. Questions are worth 3, 4 or 5 points, and a wrong answer costs nothing, so every question should get an answer.
- Parents sign up directly, at a testing center or through a proctored online format. A self-proctored virtual option (a score and ranking range, no awards) has been offered in past seasons; its registration is closed as of October 2026.
- Ranks are by grade, nationally and by state, even though two grades share each paper.
Best for: a child who enjoys one big event, families without a school team, and young starters. Kindergartners can take the grade 1 test.
MOEMS: a season of short, hard contests
- Five contests, one a month from November to March, five problems each in 30 minutes.
- Team-based. A coordinator (MOEMS calls this person the PICO) runs the contests for a team of up to 35. The team score adds the ten best individual totals.
- No calculators, rulers or graph paper.
Best for: a child who enjoys puzzling for a while, does well with a regular rhythm, and has a school or homeschool group to join.
Noetic: a quick check, twice a year
- 20 problems in 45 minutes, in a fall window and a spring window.
- Most answers are a number, written or typed, with only a few multiple-choice questions. Each correct answer is worth 5 points with no partial credit, so a slip in the last step costs the whole problem.
- Schools enter teams of up to 30 students from one grade. Families whose school doesn’t take part can use the At-Home edition, which reports a score and national percentile but no awards.
Best for: a child who wants a short, low-stakes test, and families who want a fall result to plan from and a spring retry.
Which one fits your child
| If your child… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Is in grade 1 | Math Kangaroo (the only one of the three open to grade 1) |
| Has no school team and you want to sign up yourself | Math Kangaroo, or Noetic At-Home (online, score and percentile only) |
| Likes having answer choices to check against | Math Kangaroo |
| Likes hard problems and has time to think | MOEMS |
| Focuses best in short sittings | MOEMS (30 minutes), or Noetic (45 minutes) |
| Wants a team | MOEMS, or Noetic through school |
Can you do more than one?
Yes, but check the calendar. Noetic’s fall school window falls inside the window for MOEMS Contest 1, and Math Kangaroo’s March date falls inside a MOEMS window too. Ask your MOEMS coordinator which days they plan to use. A common pairing is MOEMS through school plus Math Kangaroo in March. A family entering on its own can do Noetic At-Home in the fall and Math Kangaroo in March. If your child is new to contests, start with one and add the second next year.
Dates and deadlines
As of October 2026. Confirm on each official site before you register.
| Contest | Register | Contest dates | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math Kangaroo | Open now; $20 to Dec 31, 2026; $35 Jan 1–Feb 1, 2027 | Thursday, March 18, 2027 (details) | $20 / $35 per child |
| MOEMS | Open now, through the school or homeschool team | Contest 1 window Nov 9–30, 2026; then monthly to March 2027 | Per team |
| Noetic, fall | By Oct 22, 2026 (late to Nov 5, +$25) | School Nov 12–25, 2026; At-Home Nov 27–Dec 4, 2026 | $129 per team per contest / $29 At-Home |
| Noetic, spring | By Mar 11, 2027 (late to Mar 25, +$25) | School Apr 1–15, 2027; At-Home Apr 16–23, 2027 | $129 per team / $29 At-Home |
Sources: mathkangaroo.org, moems.org, noetic-learning.com.
This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Math Kangaroo USA or Kangourou sans Frontières. “Math Kangaroo” is a trademark of its respective owners. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS®). “MOEMS” is a trademark of its respective owners. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Noetic Learning. “Noetic Learning Math Contest” is a trademark of its respective owners.
Where to go from here
Try a free set before you decide: Math Kangaroo practice problems, MOEMS practice problems and Noetic practice problems, each by grade with worked solutions. Each contest has a parent guide: Math Kangaroo, MOEMS and Noetic. If you are also weighing CML or AMC 8, our decision guide covers all five.