Caribou Help / FAQ
Please look for your question among the >200 questions in our FAQ before emailing us. Caribou aims to be 100% self-service. This helps keep our services affordable.
To use this Help Tree, choose the appropriate category and subcategories. If you are unable to find your question, use the Contact Us form located in the leaves of this tree. Thank you for your help.
Questions & Answers:
What level should a student participate in?
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What level should a student participate in?
Answer:
A student can participate in their grade level or a higher grade level, but never a lower one. The only exception are countries, states or provinces where high school includes a grade 13 which then is also allowed to participate in grade 11/12 contests. Students returning to grade 12 are allowed to write the 11/12 level as well.
Students may not participate in more than 1 level at the same time. If you’re unsure which level to participate in, we recommend trying out previous tests to see which is the best fit on the page Take a Past Contest.
Why does Caribou group 2 grades together?
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Why does Caribou group 2 grades together?
Answer:
Currently, there are 7 contest levels: K/1, 2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12. This means that students in grades 3 and 4 write the same contest.
We do this mainly because creating separate tests for each grade level would be twice as much time and effort. This system has the added benefit of ensuring a wider range in question difficulty which better accommodates the variety of mathematics curricula across the globe.
For those students who participate in the mathematics contests throughout their schooling, this system makes one more conscious of their progress: while the grade 7/8 level is difficult but feasible for a grade 7 student, it will seem much easier for a grade 8. Such awareness of one’s progression builds a student’s confidence.
Is there an age limit for each level?
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Is there an age limit for each level?
Answer:
There is no age limit nor age minimum but there is a grade limit. Students can participate in a level higher than their own, but not a lower one.
For example, grade 3/4 contests are for students in grades 3 and 4 only, not grade 5 students. The only exception are countries, states or provinces where high school includes a grade 13 which then is also allowed to participate in grade 11/12 contests.
Students may not participate in more than 1 level at the same time. If you’re unsure which level to participate in, we recommend trying out previous tests to see which is the best fit on the page Take a Past Contest.
Can a student participate before they reach grade 3?
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Can a student participate before they reach grade 3?
Answer:
Yes, the K/1 level is non-competitive and is intended for students who cannot yet read independently. From grade 2 on, students must be able to read the questions by themselves.
Can students participate in the contests for a higher/lower grade level?
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Can students participate in the contests for a higher/lower grade level?
Answer:
Students can participate in a level higher than their own, but not a lower one.
For example, grade 3/4 contests are for students in grades 3 and 4 only, not grade 5 students. The only exception are countries, states or provinces where high school includes a grade 13 which then is also allowed to participate in grade 11/12 contests.
If you are unsure which level is the best fit, we recommend trying out practice contests at different levels. Students may not participate in more than 1 level at the same time.
If you’re unsure which level to participate in, we recommend trying out previous tests to see which is the best fit on the page Take a Past Contest.
Can a student participate in multiple levels?
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Can a student participate in multiple levels?
Answer:
They can, under some restrictions:- They can only participate in a level higher than their own, not lower.
- They can only participate once in each contest (e.g. only 1 test entry for October, not 2) because there is overlap in questions between grade levels, meaning they might get a question they’ve already seen, which would not be fair.
- They must use a different access code for each level (e.g. one code for grade 5/6, one code for grade 7/8)
What if a student participates in the wrong level?
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What if a student participates in the wrong level?
Answer:
This happens if the student uses the wrong Access Code, since each Access Code is tied to a grade level (K/1, 2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12).
What happens next depends on whether they participated in a level higher or lower than their own:- If the student participated in a level higher than their own…
In this case the student can either- A) continue participating in the higher level for the rest of the Caribou Cup using the same Access Code or
- B) hereafter participate in the correct level using a new Access Code from their Caribou Coordinator.
- If the student participated in a level lower than their own…
In this case the student will need a new access code to participate in the correct level in the next contest. Their score from the lower level contest cannot be used as the student is too old for the contest level and so it would not be fair.
- If the student participated in a level higher than their own…
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