SA learner takes silver at mental calculation world champs

The Junior Mental Calculation World Championship tests the mental calculation capabilities of the children in three age groups: Junior 1 (8-11), Junior 2 (12-15) and Junior 3 (16-19). Scheepers was up against competitors who where up to two years older than him, including the 11-year-old winner who hails from India.

The exams include not just mental arithmetic but topics like currency conversion, complex fractions + - x ÷, prime factors, time conversion, square and cube roots, squares, cubes and much more. All calculations are required to be done mentally with no calculations on the paper. Only one answer is accepted.

A+Students was the first organisation from South Africa invited to the Junior Mental Calculation World Championship in Germany, October 2016. Ethan Kirstein was the first South African qualifying student who attended back then.

Scheepers achieved a top 10 position at the Junior Mental Calculation World Championship held in October last year and this year missed first place with a mere 101 points out of a total of 2500 points.

A+Students CEO Andy Raouna offered his congratulations, commenting that a two-year age difference at this age is massive and further underlines the fantastic result achieved by Scheepers. He added that with the correct education and training, South African students can compete on an equal footing with international competition.