Colombian students can explore several types of Olympiad learning: national and university-organised competitions in mathematics and sciences, hands-on school STEM projects, and independently organised international subject practice. These pathways have different eligibility rules and purposes. This guide explains the real 2026 Colombian opportunities, how students and schools can decide where to begin, and how to practise with twenty original solved questions.

Which Olympiad pathway is right for students in Colombia?

In Colombia, school grades are usually described as grados, with educación básica primaria, básica secundaria and educación media. International organisers may use Class or Grade numbering. Families should check the exact grade equivalence and age restrictions on the organiser’s current rules rather than assume all programmes are interchangeable.

• Olimpiadas Colombianas de la Universidad Antonio Nariño (UAN): subject competitions in mathematics, sciences, computing, physics, astronomy and other disciplines for designated school levels. Find the actual event and grade rules on the UAN Olimpiadas Colombianas website.
• Olimpiadas STEM+ Colombia: a government education initiative that develops and evaluates school-team STEM projects, not simply a standard individual multiple-choice mathematics examination. Read the Ministry of Education’s 2026 regional-stage guide.
• International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO): an official competition between nationally selected teams of advanced students; participation is not the same as registering for a school-level online Mathematics Olympiad. See Colombia’s official IMO profile.
• School Connect Olympiad (SCO): an independent international educational Olympiad and free learning programme, with subject options including mathematics, science and English. See official SCO countries and subjects.

Olimpiadas Colombianas 2026: what the official UAN calendar shows

The Universidad Antonio Nariño 2026 competition calendar sets different dates for different subjects and grade groups. Dates below describe the 2026 edition, not a confirmed 2027 registration schedule:

• XLV Olimpiada Colombiana de Matemáticas (grados 6–11): qualifier 19 March 2026; final 26–29 May 2026. These rounds have already taken place.
• XLII Olimpiada Colombiana de Matemáticas para Primaria: rounds on 26 March, 23 April, 21 May, 8 September, and a final on 1 October 2026. The published award ceremony is listed for 24 October 2026; confirm any last-minute update directly with UAN.
• XXXIII Olimpiada Colombiana de Ciencias: qualifier 12 March 2026, selection 16 April 2026 and final 26–29 May 2026.
• Computación, Física, Astronomía and Biología: the published programme includes October 20–23 2026 finals and October 24 award ceremonies for selected categories. Eligibility and whether any event remains open must be checked by category; a final-date listing is not an invitation for new entry.

For the next edition, a school coordinator should ask UAN for the updated calendar, discipline, grade division, registration route, individual or institution participation rules, fees and required permissions. Do not rely on an old article’s universal payment amount or a closed 2026 registration page. UAN’s organiser contact and registration information are published on its official site.

Olimpiadas STEM+ Colombia 2026: learning through projects

Colombia’s Ministry of Education reported that 550 teams from public educational institutions reached the regional circuit in 2026. This school-team pathway asks learners to investigate real challenges and communicate their solutions. It is different from memorising answers to an individual Olympiad paper.

The 2026 regional-circuit guide describes team participation, project work and responsible uses of AI as an optional teaching support rather than a requirement. For a local class project, students might observe rainwater collection, monitor classroom energy waste or survey reuse and recycling habits. These are suggested classroom activities, not claims about any current qualifying project or awarded team.

Colombia at the International Mathematical Olympiad

The official IMO team-result history records Colombia’s 2026 team as earning two bronze medals and three honourable mentions. These achievements belong to Colombia’s selected national IMO participants; they must not be attributed to School Connect or presented as automatic outcomes for school-level registration.

Students interested in national-team mathematics can begin by solving increasingly demanding non-routine problems, joining school maths activities and understanding the relevant Colombian selection pathway. The official IMO is not an open online contest for every grade.

Preparing for Olympiads with School Connect’s free learning materials

School Connect provides free chapter-wise learning resources, linked educational videos and practice questions. These learning resources continue to be improved, and they can be used without purchasing the discontinued Learn, Grow or Compete subscriptions. Begin with the Class 3 Maths chapter hub or find the relevant age-appropriate subject from School Connect Online. Choose a subject at the child’s actual learning level rather than assuming a Colombia-specific national syllabus and the SCO curriculum are identical. Parents can also start with the free study-material guide. Older students who want more complex reasoning may benefit from the Maths Olympiad advanced problem-solving guide; it is separate from UAN or IMO selection.

The SCO international subjects directory lists Colombia among its countries, but country listing alone does not establish an in-person Colombian exam centre, automatic eligibility, a specific exam language or a fixed fee. Before registering, confirm the current cycle, age or grade, available language, online instructions, time zone and payment on the official student registration form or school registration form.

How a Colombian parent or teacher can plan participation

1. Choose the goal: do you want fun subject practice, advanced problem-solving, a project fair or a national selection competition?
2. Check the organiser: UAN, the Ministry of Education, the IMO and SCO are different organisations with different rules.
3. Confirm grade and language: compare grado with the advertised Class level; ask about Spanish or English arrangements rather than making assumptions.
4. Check dates carefully: Colombia normally uses Colombia Time (UTC−5); an online event organised abroad might display another time zone.
5. Use free learning resources first: build fundamentals through chapter videos, practice questions and short discussions.
6. Register through the correct official form: verify fees, consent, technical requirements and the current exam cycle before payment.

A four-week Olympiad learning plan for Colombia

• Week 1 — Foundations: choose two or three age-appropriate maths concepts, read a short English text and practise observation in science.
• Week 2 — Reasoning: solve number patterns and word problems, run a simple supervised experiment and explain your thinking.
• Week 3 — Data and problem-solving: collect fictional or classroom data, make a chart, discuss a coding sequence and compare more than one method.
• Week 4 — Explain and review: work through the twenty original problems below, revisit mistakes and try an appropriate officially available sample resource if its paper and answer key are verified.

20 original Olympiad practice questions with fully explained answers

These examples are newly written educational exercises. They are not official questions from UAN, the Ministry of Education, the IMO or SCO examination papers. Fictional school data, costs and surveys are marked as examples. For younger children, ask an adult to read and adapt the problems; older students can explain each solution in complete sentences.

Question 1. A class takes 3 buses with 12 children on each. How many children travel?

A. 36 B. 24 C. 30 D. 48

Answer: A. 36. Three groups of 12 make 12 + 12 + 12 = 36.

Question 2. A garden is 8 m long and 5 m wide. What is its perimeter?

A. 13 m B. 26 m C. 40 m D. 30 m

Answer: B. 26 m. The distance around is 8 + 5 + 8 + 5 = 26 m.

Question 3. A fictional school club has 1,250 pesos and receives 750 more. What is the total?

A. 1,750 pesos B. 1,900 pesos C. 2,000 pesos D. 2,250 pesos

Answer: C. 2,000 pesos. Add 1,250 and 750 to get 2,000 pesos. This is an invented practice example, not an actual price.

Question 4. Three quarters of 20 students attend a club. How many attend?

A. 5 B. 10 C. 12 D. 15

Answer: D. 15. One quarter of 20 is 5, so three quarters is 3 × 5 = 15.

Question 5. Complete the pattern: 3, 6, 12, 24, …

A. 48 B. 30 C. 36 D. 42

Answer: A. 48. Each term doubles: 24 × 2 = 48.

Question 6. To study whether water amount changes plant growth, what should the student deliberately change?

A. The kind of plant and sunlight B. Only the amount of water C. The soil, water and light together D. Every feature of both pots

Answer: B. Only the amount of water. Change one variable, water amount, while keeping the plant, soil, pot size and light alike.

Question 7. When a puddle gradually becomes water vapour in warm air, this is called …

A. condensation B. freezing C. evaporation D. melting

Answer: C. evaporation. Evaporation changes liquid water to water vapour.

Question 8. Which object will usually be attracted by a simple magnet?

A. A wooden spoon B. A paper sheet C. A glass cup D. An iron nail

Answer: D. An iron nail. Iron is a magnetic material, unlike wood, paper or ordinary glass.

Question 9. Which habit can reduce disposable plastic waste near a river?

A. Using a reusable water bottle B. Throwing wrappers into the water C. Buying a fresh single-use bottle every hour D. Leaving litter on a riverbank

Answer: A. Using a reusable water bottle. A reusable bottle can replace many single-use bottles and reduce waste.

Question 10. A fictional class collects 12 used paper sheets on Monday and 17 on Tuesday. How many more were collected Tuesday?

A. 4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 7

Answer: B. 5. Subtract 12 from 17: the difference is 5.

Question 11. Two lamps each use 1 unit of energy during an activity. What is their combined use?

A. 0.5 units B. 1 unit C. 2 units D. 4 units

Answer: C. 2 units. Add 1 + 1 = 2 units. The numbers are invented for arithmetic practice.

Question 12. A computer instruction says REPEAT 3 TIMES: display the word HOLA. What is displayed?

A. HOLA once B. HOLA twice C. Nothing D. HOLA three times

Answer: D. HOLA three times. The repeat instruction executes its enclosed step three times.

Question 13. In the sentence ‘The bird sings’, which word names an animal?

A. bird B. the C. sings D. none

Answer: A. bird. Bird is a naming word and identifies the animal in the sentence.

Question 14. Which word is the opposite of ‘increase’?

A. grow B. decrease C. expand D. rise

Answer: B. decrease. Decrease means become smaller; increase means become greater.

Question 15. Which word usually introduces a reason in English?

A. although B. quickly C. because D. inside

Answer: C. because. Because introduces a reason: ‘I stayed inside because it rained.’

Question 16. Choose the correct verb: ‘We ___ to school every day.’

A. goes B. going C. went yesterday D. go

Answer: D. go. With ‘we’ and ‘every day’, the simple present verb is go.

Question 17. In a fictional rainfall study, why record the same garden’s rain amount each day?

A. To compare observations over time B. To make it rain more C. To change yesterday’s weather D. To prove every day is identical

Answer: A. To compare observations over time. Daily records allow observations to be compared and patterns to be discussed.

Question 18. In a classroom survey, 8 children choose mango and 5 choose papaya. How many more choose mango?

A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5

Answer: B. 3. 8 − 5 = 3; these survey figures are invented examples.

Question 19. A short activity begins at 9:45 a.m. and lasts 30 minutes. When does it end?

A. 9:55 a.m. B. 10:05 a.m. C. 10:15 a.m. D. 10:45 a.m.

Answer: C. 10:15 a.m.. Fifteen minutes reaches 10:00, and another fifteen reaches 10:15.

Question 20. Seven groups each prepare four seed packets. How many packets are there?

A. 11 B. 21 C. 24 D. 28

Answer: D. 28. Multiply seven groups by four packets each: 7 × 4 = 28.

Three Colombia-inspired classroom projects to try

• Rainfall observation: use a safe, teacher-supervised rain gauge and write down readings at the same time each day. Keep real measurements separate from imagined practice data.
• Reuse and recycling: tally how many reusable bottles classmates bring over several days, graph totals and discuss how to reduce litter near local waterways.
• Neighbourhood mapping: draw a simple map of a fictional walking route and practise scale, time, safety observations and clear explanations in Spanish or English.

Frequently asked questions about Olympiad exams in Colombia

Which Olympiad is organised locally in Colombia?

Universidad Antonio Nariño organises several Olimpiadas Colombianas subject competitions. The Ministry of Education separately supports the STEM+ team-project programme.

Is UAN the organiser of School Connect Olympiad?

No. The UAN national subject competitions and independent School Connect Olympiad are separate organisers with separate registration rules.

Can any student represent Colombia at the official IMO?

No. The official IMO uses nationally selected teams. A school-level independent online registration does not constitute selection to Colombia’s IMO team.

Are the 2026 Colombian Maths Olympiad registration dates still open?

The main UAN 2026 maths qualifying rounds listed here already occurred. Refer to the current UAN calendar for remaining award dates and later editions.

What does the STEM+ programme assess?

It develops student-led science and technology projects and considers aspects such as problem relevance, evidence, design and explanation, according to its own current rules.

Does School Connect offer free learning materials?

Yes. School Connect offers free chapter-wise learning content, linked educational videos and practice questions, updated over time.

Do Colombian students have to pay USD 11 to register with SCO?

Do not rely on that historic figure. The current official registration flow shows subject and currency selection and should be consulted for the actual fee at the time of entry.

Is Spanish guaranteed for a School Connect exam?

No specific exam language is assumed here. Parents should confirm available instructions, language and access arrangements for the chosen subject and cycle.

Can a Colombian school register a group?

UAN and School Connect each have their own school participation routes. Schools should use the relevant organiser’s official directions.

Are the 20 practice questions official past papers?

No. They are original exercises written to build mathematics, science, English and reasoning skills, each with a worked explanation.

How can I prepare for a national mathematics team pathway?

Begin with rigorous problem-solving and current UAN or other authorised Colombian competition guidance; later stages may have specific eligibility and selection requirements.

What should parents check for international online participation?

Verify the child’s grade, available subject, date and Colombia time, internet/device access, payment currency, parental consent and current organiser rules.

Continue learning, one problem at a time

A good starting point is to choose one subject from SCO’s current Olympiad directory, use free chapter resources, and discuss the solutions with a parent or teacher. For a broader overview, explore School Connect’s country-wise Olympiad learning guides. Schools pursuing a Colombian national competition should consult the relevant official UAN or Ministry programme instead.