Your next action
Qualified for autumn 2026 round two? Check your result and organiser email, then confirm arrangements with your school for Wednesday 30 September, afternoon.
- New entry
- The first round has closed. Round two is for qualifiers.
- Duration
- Three hours for collège; four hours for lycée.
- Start time
- The notice specifies afternoon, not one exact start time. Confirm with the organising school, especially if abroad.
- Fee
- A current participation fee was not verified.
Official second-round notice, published 16 September and updated 19 September 2026
Checked 24 September 2026.
Which French programme leads towards the IMO?
Animath runs the Préparation Olympique Française de Mathématiques, usually shortened to POFM. Its official FAQ distinguishes this international preparation from the ministry’s Olympiades de mathématiques de première. They are different competitions; a similar name does not make an award an automatic IMO qualification.
Coupe Animath d’Automne: the entry round
The autumn 2026 notice covers French-speaking students from quatrième to terminale, with cinquième also permitted; sixième and primary pupils are excluded. Questions and responses are in French, and translation tools are not permitted.
This cycle’s first round ran online on 11–13 September 2026. Entrants had one continuous two-hour attempt under parental supervision, answering numerical puzzles without written proofs. Registration closed with that round. Do not use a general description of an October opening to assume that entry remains available.
For a later edition, use its dated announcement, create or update the official competition profile and follow that edition’s instructions. The next new-entry window has not been verified here.
Already qualified: prepare for 30 September
Use your account on the official Coupe platform to check your result. Read the linked notice’s qualification conditions.
Your school organises the supervised sitting and returns the scripts electronically. Electronic devices and outside communication are prohibited during the exam. If your school has not received instructions, contact POFM promptly through its official contact page.
Read the 2026 round-two prerequisites (French PDF, 3 pages). The current notice also links writing advice. Start with recruitment-stage practice before later POFM tests.
Training, selection and students outside France
The recruitment overview explains that selected students receive instructions for POFM problem sets and tests. The spring Coupe is a separate route to summer-camp selection; it is not a late application to the closed autumn round.
POFM’s FAQ welcomes students living abroad to its activities. Representing France internationally has additional nationality, residence or French-school conditions. Obtain the team’s ruling for your situation and also read the IMO eligibility guide. Access to training and eligibility for a national team are separate questions.
French past papers and worked solutions
For Coupe practice, start with the official Coupe Animath archive. It separates autumn recruitment from spring camp selection. The POFM selection-test archive contains later-stage material.
- Autumn 2025 round-two questions — French PDF, 4 pages: held 1 October 2025, with separate collège and lycée sections.
- Matching worked solutions and marker comments — French PDF, 25 pages.
These are historical practice files, linked from the organiser. Their sitting date is not this year’s exam date. We have not copied the papers onto this website or obtained republication permission.
Attempt a problem, write down where the argument stops, then compare it with the solution. Our proof-writing guide and first proof-practice plan provide an introductory bridge.
Results and qualification
Use the official platform for your own Coupe score and the POFM announcements for programme and team decisions. International appearances and medals are recorded separately in France’s official IMO history.
If you missed entry or your school cannot help
POFM’s FAQ says missing autumn recruitment does not allow a late place in the programme. Check the next announced spring opportunity and its eligibility; terminale is excluded from the spring Coupe. You can still use published materials while preparing for a suitable future route.
For an arrangement the notice does not cover, give POFM your school level, country and the stage involved. Do not send passwords or private result screens to this website.
Organiser-enquiry checklist · France paper catalogue · National results index
Entry notices, programme sources and paper labels checked 24 September 2026. This is an independent guide.