Media Release
Mangaluru, Nov 7: Three students of Centre for Advanced Learning (CFAL) have qualified for the Regional Mathematical Olympiad (RMO) through the Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics (IOQM) 2026, the first stage of India’s national mathematics Olympiad pathway.
The qualifiers Chirag Adiga, grade 11 (I PU): 67 marks, Shridhara Hegde, grade 11 (I PU): 56 marks, and Tejas S, grade 12 (II PU): 56 marks.
Chirag has now qualified two years in a row. He also made it to RMO last year, as a grade 10 student, and this year records the highest score of the three. All three will now sit the RMO on November 15.
IOQM and the Olympiad Pathway
IOQM is where the Olympiad pathway begins, and it is the gateway to everything that follows. It is conducted by the Mathematics Teachers’ Association (India), MTA(I), in coordination with the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE–TIFR). Only students who clear it are invited to RMO, then to the Indian National Mathematical Olympiad (INMO). The strongest performers at INMO are called to the International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp, from which India’s team for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is chosen.
Why IOQM Matters
IOQM does not reward familiarity with a syllabus or speed on standard problems. Its questions call for reasoning in number theory, combinatorics, algebra and geometry that no textbook exercise has prepared the student for. Qualification is also competitive, as each region sends only a limited number of its top performers to RMO. Clearing it shows the habit that sustains a mathematician: staying with an unfamiliar problem until it yields.
Olympiad performance is also valued by premier institutions such as ISI, CMI, the IISc, the IITs and the IISERs, and by universities abroad, as a sign of real mathematical ability.
A Word from the Academic Team
“Olympiad mathematics cannot be crammed. It is built over years, by students who learn to be patient with a problem and honest about what they do not yet understand. Chirag, Shridhara and Tejas have begun that work, and this result is the first step. The road ahead is demanding, but we are confident that the three will meet it with the same patience and curiosity that brought them here, and we look forward to supporting them all the way.”
A Tradition of Olympiad Scholars
When CFAL was founded in 2009, its first aim was to produce Mangaluru’s first national Olympiad qualifiers. That aim has since grown into a record across mathematics and astronomy. In 2017, Aditya Prakash became the first student from Karnataka in 21 years to represent India at the International Mathematical Olympiad. In 2018, Prathyush P Poduval won a silver medal at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in Beijing. In 2024, CFAL students made up one in every ten Category A INMO qualifiers in Karnataka.
The record continues. Last year, ten CFAL students qualified for RMO through IOQM, seven from the PU program and three from the Foundation programme. Earlier this year, two more students qualified for the Indian National Astronomy Olympiad.
At CFAL, students are encouraged to pursue Olympiads and research-oriented learning alongside JEE, NEET, ISI, CMI and IISER, in the conviction that depth of understanding, rather than exam technique, is what carries a student furthest.
About CFAL
Centre for Advanced Learning (CFAL) builds strong foundations in mathematics and science and prepares students for premier national examinations including JEE, NEET, and Olympiads, as well as entrance exams for institutes such as ISI, CMI, and IISER. The institution is built around a culture of curiosity, discipline and science learning.
For further information:
CFAL India, Mangaluru
+91 99005 20233
office@cfalindia.com
www.cfalindia.com