23rd PHILIPPINE

MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD

GUIDELINES FOR CONTESTANTS

(Version 1, Feb. 19, 2021)

While we tried to anticipate the potential challenges of holding the PMO online, ultimately, we have no
precedent, and we will be learning new things as we go along. We therefore ask for your patience,
flexibility, and understanding. In case the 24th PMO will also be done online, what we learn this year
will help us improve the implementation next year.

The General Guidelines of the 23rd PMO: bit.ly/PMO23GenInfo . See our Facebook page for updates.

A. STAGES OF THE 23rd PMO

Qualifying Stage Feb. 20, 2021 (Sat) Trial Session on Feb. 13, 2021 (Sat)
National Stage Mar. 19 (Fri) and 20 (Sat), 2021

We will refer to February 20, 2021 as Contest Day, the day where most contestants participate. The
Trial Session was a simulation of what will happen on Contest Day.

QUALIFYING STAGE – 3 hours (Feb. 20)

Part I Multiple Choice 15 questions 2 points each 30 points
Part II Short Answer 10 questions 5 points each 50 points
80 points

General Set-up on Contest Day

 You (contestants) will be monitored by proctors via an online conference software like Zoom.
 You will then be instructed to login to the Contestant Portal where you can access the problems
and give your answers. While the PMO problems are not designed with the particular grade
level in mind, you will need to specify your grade level during login. This is part of verifying
your identity.
 All contestants will answer the same set of questions, but the ordering may vary.
 Grading is automated. Thus, for Part II, you need to STRICTLY follow format instructions
mentioned in the problem. It’s possible for 5/4 to be credited but not 1.25 if the problem
specified the answer should be in fraction form.
 There will be no deduction for an incorrect answer.

B. TECHNICAL SETUP FOR CONTESTANTS

Required

1. Email account. Check your Inbox – and your Spam folder – regularly. If you have not received any
email from PMO since the time you were registered, raise this issue to your SC immediately. Maybe
the email address submitted is incorrect, or your email server keeps blocking PMO emails.

Mathematical Society of the Philippines

Institute of Mathematics, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101 Philippines
http://www.mathsociety.ph
 2. Laptop or desktop computer. This is to access the problems in the Contestant Portal. The large
screen will help you view the problems better.
 Restart before the contest to minimize the possibility of computer crashes.
 (Advanced tip, i.e., only if you know how) Update your browser to the latest version.
Reschedule any automatic system or software updates if they will happen close to or during the
contest.
 If you have no laptop or desktop computer, you can use a tablet. But again, the larger the screen,
the better.

3. Online conference software. This could be Zoom, Google Meet, or MS Teams, depending on what
your proctor tells you.
 Minors cannot download Zoom. We were informed that even without Zoom installed, a
contestant can click the Zoom link given by the proctor and still join the session through a
computer browser. At any rate, this should have been tested during the Trial Session already.
 While Zoom is the default, other regions were permitted to use other software. For technical
questions, ask your proctor who is more familiar with the other software mentioned.

4. Audio and video capability.

 The ideal setup is for the contestant to have a separate device such as a standalone webcam that
can be connected to a computer, or a phone that will be used exclusively for Zoom.
Meaning of ideal: not required, but highly desirable

During the contest, you can direct the webcam to you and your work area, and you can still
comfortably see the contest problems.

 However, if all you have available is a laptop with a built-in webcam, then position your laptop
screen so that you can comfortably read the problems. This will most probably point the laptop
webcam to your face. This will be acceptable.

Recommended

Tablet or cellphone. Have it available nearby, and fully charged. If available, you can use mobile data
in case you get disconnected from the internet. For power interruptions, you won’t be able to use your
desktop computer so if you don’t have a laptop, you can use these alternative gadgets (although the
screen will be smaller). If you get disconnected, you should inform your proctor (example: send a text
message).

C. BEFORE CONTEST DAY

Prepare a conducive environment.

Inform the members of your household that this is a contest. They should not casually enter your room.
They should not ask you to perform household tasks and other errands during the contest. The proctor
should not see anybody else nearby, or else, you may be disqualified.

Expect these two emails.

1. The Contest Pass. It has information on how you can access the Contestant Portal.

Schedule of sending: February 16, 2021

Upon receipt, DO NOT reply to the email. If many of you students reply only to confirm receipt,
you will unnecessarily fill up our inbox, and it will take longer to address those emails with urgent
concerns.

Page 2 Contestant Guidelines (v1 Feb. 19, 2021) 23rd PMO

 If you have not received this yet, inform your School Coordinator (SC). He will give you a link
where this can be reported. As of Feb. 19, there should only be very few contestants who have not
yet received the contest pass, so the SC can report this directly to the PMO email address.

2. Email from your Proctor. It has information on how you can join the online conference software
and the exact time you should join the session for check-in procedures.

Schedule of sending: February 19, 2021

Upon receipt, REPLY TO THE PROCTOR, as instructed in the email.

If by 3 pm on February 19 you have not received this yet, you can inform your SC or report this
directly to the Regional Coordinator (RC) whose email address is in the PMO webpage, pmo.ph.
The report should be to the RC since they are the ones who know your proctors.

Prepare the following beforehand.

 The two emails mentioned above.

 The ID submitted by the School Coordinator.

Note that schools were allowed to submit old school IDs, even the Grade 6 ID from a different
school of a contestant who is in Grade 7. This was one of the reminders in the portal of School
Coordinators.

However, if a school ID was not submitted for you, see if you can present alternative identification.
The proctor may not ask you this anymore, but in case he does, then you have something ready. In
the end, if the proctor recognizes that your appearance is the same as the picture submitted, you
should be alright.

 Pens and sufficient amount of paper for scratch work

 [Optional] Straightedge (ruler) and compass (for drawing circles)

 [Optional] Snacks and drinks

The following are NOT allowed:

o protractor (for measuring angles)
o reference materials – physical (e.g. books) or online (files, webpages)
o calculator

D. ZOOM SETTINGS

These instructions are for Zoom since this is what majority of contestants will use. For those who will
use other online conference software, follow the instructions of your proctor.

1. Do not use a Zoom virtual background.

By not using a virtual background, you will help make it easier for everyone to be able to participate
in the Zoom session. The proctor also needs to be able to see that there is nobody else nearby.

2. Change your displayed name. Follow the format specified by your proctor in the email sent. If your
proctor is Charles Mirasol and your name is Rowena Padoga, you may be asked to display the name
“Mirasol – Rowena Padoga” (again, this depends on the format you are asked to use).

Page 3 Contestant Guidelines (v1 Feb. 19, 2021) 23rd PMO

 The steps below illustrate how to do it when joining Zoom using the downloaded app. We are
unable to provide illustrations if you can only join using a browser.

From the downloaded app, before the

meeting:

Click “Join”.
Change your displayed name.

From the downloaded app, during the meeting:

Click “Participants” at the bottom. This will

display the list of participants.

In the list of participants, hover the mouse over

your name. Click on “More” which will appear.

Change your displayed name.

3. After being admitted into the main room in Zoom, you need to enter the breakout room on your
own. Click “Breakout Rooms”.

You should have already been preassigned to one. There are some exceptions though: some Zoom
sessions are devoted to just one class, so there is not breakout room.

4. CHAT ONLY WITH A PROCTOR.

During check-in procedures, you will be allowed to speak as you identify yourself. But once the
contest has started, communication should only be by chat, and should only be with a proctor.

Once the contest has started, do not communicate with other contestants, even if the ability to chat
with them is enabled. The chat log will be available for review by the PMO after the contest.

EXCEPTION: It has been reported by some that direct chat with a proctor is unavailable for them,
and that the only option is to send a chat message to “Everyone”. If this is your case, notify the
proctor before the contest starts. If it is a non-math message, you can send a brief chat message to
“Everyone”. But if you want to ask a math-related question, send it by email, then notify the proctor
by sending a chat message to “Everyone”
Example: “I’d like to go to the restroom” or “I sent an email.”

Page 4 Contestant Guidelines (v1 Feb. 19, 2021) 23rd PMO

E. CHECK-IN ON FEBRUARY 20, 2021

Contestant
Join the Zoom session. Prepare to login just before your designated check-in time. See the email that the
proctor sent.

Change the displayed name, if instructed by your proctor. See the instructions in
Section D above.

Example: Mirasol – Rowena Padoga

Wait to be let in by your proctor into the main room.

If you’ve already been waiting for 10 minutes, or less than 15 minutes are left until
the contest starts, contact your proctor by email or text messaging. He may need to
be reminded in case he got too busy with the check-in procedures with the other
contestants.
Enter your breakout From the main room, click “Breakout Rooms”. Your specific room should have
room. already been assigned.

DO NOT LEAVE A BREAKOUT ROOM ON YOUR OWN since you would be

taken out of the meeting itself. If you were assigned to the wrong breakout room,
inform a proctor who can then move you to the right room.
Submit to verification You may be asked to state your first name and last name, school, and grade level.
of your identity.
When asked, and if available, show the actual ID that your School Coordinator
This should be done by submitted for you.
VOICE, not chat.
[OPTIONAL] Inform the proctor if you do not speak the major Filipino language
EXCEPTION: If you are in your region, e.g. you can only understand instructions in English.
late, the verification
should be done by chat. While waiting for the proctor to finish with the whole class, review again the rules
in this document and also the technical manual which came with your Contest Pass.
Listen to last minute Time: approximately 10 minutes before the start time for your room.
reminders.
The proctor may read this much earlier, or a little bit later.

From the time this document was written until the actual reminders have been read,
some more items may have been added which your proctor will read.

Last Minute Reminders

1. Turn ON your video at all times. However, mute yourself so you don’t distract the other contestants.

2. Once the contest has started, you can ONLY CHAT WITH A PROCTOR. When you send a message
by chat, choose the proctor and not everyone. DO NOT SPEAK OR USE AUDIO ON ZOOM
UNLESS PERMITTED BY THE PROCTOR. Do not communicate with another contestant. The
chat log and the video recording are available for review by the PMO later.

3. Have enough paper for scratch work nearby, although you will not submit any written work.
You can have snacks and drinks available.
Put cellphones away, except if it is a device which you will use for Zoom or the contest.
You can use the following: a ruler or a compass.
You cannot use the following:
 a protractor

Page 5 Contestant Guidelines (v1 Feb. 19, 2021) 23rd PMO

  a calculator – whether standalone or on a different device such as your wrist watch
 a reference resource or tool such as a notebook, software, or book – whether online or in
physical form.

4. For Part I, choose the letter of the best answer. For Part II, type your answer. Follow the format
specified, if any. Since the contest will be machine graded, if your answer does not follow the
format, you might not receive credit for it. DO NOT COPY PASTE since you might copy invisible
text which affects how your answer is interpreted.

5. Do not login yet to the Contestant Portal. Wait for the proctor to give permission. Then later when
you log in, wait for further instructions. Wait for permission before clicking “Start the Exam”. The
timer for 3 hours starts when you click this button.

6. If you need to go to the restroom, ask permission from the proctor via chat messaging. Don’t just
leave. When you return, inform the proctor via chat messaging and resume answering.

7. If you are disconnected from the internet and it will take long for you to get back online, start
recording yourself and inform the proctor. When you are reconnected, save your answers. Then
much later, submit the recorded video to the proctor’s email address.

8. If you finish early, inform the proctor by chat. In this case, or at the end of 3 hours, don’t just leave.
Follow the proctor’s instructions for checking out.

9. Not complying with the rules could be grounds for disqualification from the contest.

10. Finally, a few words about fair play. Ultimately, we can only rely on all participants to maintain the
integrity of the PMO. Its success depends on each one of us making the right choices. Regardless
of the outcome, know that you were selected by your school not just for your aptitude in math but
also for your good judgment. In these uncertain times when we feel so many things are beyond our
control, remember that today, we have a choice to do what’s fair and right. Good luck

F. CONTEST PROPER ON FEBRUARY 20, 2021

Wait for the proctor to give separate permission for EACH of the following two steps:
 Logging in to the Contestant Portal.
 Clicking “Start the Exam”.

If you have not yet done it, immediately before or after clicking “Start the Exam”, mute yourself on
Zoom. FROM THIS POINT ON, ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ONLY WITH THE
PROCTOR, AND IT SHOULD BE DONE BY CHAT.

For any issues encountered with the Contestant Portal, inform only your proctor by chat. Provide the
proctor with your Transaction Number. Do not volunteer your Assigned Code, unless asked. In this
case, PMO will not be liable if somebody else logs in to the Contestant Portal.

If you need to go to the restroom or you need to find a pen that writes so you have to leave the room,
inform only your proctor by chat. Wait for permission unless it is urgent.

For any other concerns, e.g. you cannot clearly read a mathematical symbol in the problem statement,
inform only your proctor by chat.

Page 6 Contestant Guidelines (v1 Feb. 19, 2021) 23rd PMO

 Special Situations

Your computer might shut down, or your internet connection might become unstable.

If you will transfer to a different device, you will have to go through the same check-in procedure.
 Send a message to your proctor so he will know he needs to admit you from the waiting room.
 You can login again to the Contestant Portal.
 Inform the proctor if you encounter issues logging in so he can ask for technical support for you.
 During the transfer, your timer will continue running. There will be no extension because of this.

If you were disconnected due to unstable internet, try to go back online.

 Use mobile data so you can resume work on the Contestant Portal and you can be monitored on
Zoom.
 If this is impossible or not feasible, start recording yourself right away, AND inform the proctor
(text message). Submit this later to your proctor when the contest is over. Do not modify the
recorded video (don’t even rename it) or it might become inadmissible as proof.
 During the disconnection, your timer will continue running. There will be no extension because of
this.
 The displayed problems and saved answers will not disappear. However, when you are online again
and you refresh the page, only the saved answers are guaranteed to reappear. Thus, when
disconnected, write your answers on paper so that you can type and save them right away when you
are back online.
 If you are unable to return online, the portal will submit your answers at the end of 3 hours since
you clicked “Start the Exam”.

If you are late, there will be no extension. Suppose the proctor was able to officially start the contest
for your class at 1:30 pm, so the class has until 4:30 pm. Suppose too that you made it to the Zoom
waiting room only at 2:00 pm.
 The verification of your identity is a necessary step. However long this process takes, you should
click the “Submit” button at 4:30 pm.
 If you finally get to access the problems at 2:10 pm, you should click the “Submit” button at 4:30
pm, even if on its own, the contestant portal will leave this button enabled until 5:10 pm.
 Clicking “Submit” afterwards, say, at 4:50 pm, is reason for disqualification.

G. CHECK-OUT

If you finish before 3 hours, you can click “Submit” but do not close the Contestant Portal yet. Inform
your proctor – and only your proctor – by chat.

If you were not late, you are allowed to answer for 3 full hours. If you are unable to click “Submit” at
the end, the portal will automatically submit the answers that it was able to save. Do not just leave.

You may be asked to show the submission screen from the Contestant Portal. To do this, click “Share
Screen” at the bottom of Zoom. When you are given permission, you may now leave the Zoom session
and close the Contestant Portal.

The 23rd Philippine Mathematical Olympiad (PMO) is a project of the Mathematical Society of the
Philippines and Science Education Institute – Department of Science and Technology.
Email pmo@math.upd.edu.ph
Webpage pmo.ph
Facebook facebook.com/PhilippineMathematicalOlympiad
Twitter twitter.com/PhilMathOlym

Page 7 Contestant Guidelines (v1 Feb. 19, 2021) 23rd PMO