Ecolier: Kangaroo-style practice for Class 3 and 4
Ecolier is the Kangaroo level for Class 3 and 4. A Kiwimath Ecolier paper has 24 questions in three sections worth 3, 4 and 5 points, with five options each, drawn from our Level 2 questions.
It is Kangaroo-style practice, not an official paper. Try four questions here, then sit a full paper free.
Sit a Ecolier paper No sign-in needed to start.
Try four Ecolier questions
They cover all three sections. Hints come one step at a time, and nothing you pick is sent anywhere.
In a grid challenge, a 2×2 grid of squares is drawn. How many rectangles (including squares) can you find in total?
- 2 Strategy, not opened yet
- 3 Worked step, not opened yet
How is Ecolier different from Pre-Ecolier?
Ecolier keeps the same length as Pre-Ecolier, 24 questions in 90 minutes in India, but the questions ask for more. Numbers run into the hundreds, a question can need two or three steps, and patterns hide their rule one level deeper.1
In our Ecolier pool of 191 questions, 51% stay within 20 and 82% within 100, and every one stays within 1,000. Questions are short, 12 words on a typical one, so the difficulty sits in the idea rather than the reading.
41 questions have a picture, mostly grids, solids and symmetry. The biggest single topic is Balance the Scale, missing numbers and change from a purchase, with 53 of the 191 questions.
Which topics carry the points in Ecolier?
Our Ecolier pool has 191 checked questions in 8 topics. This is how they spread across the three sections. A paper draws from every row, so a topic with few questions can still appear.
| Topic | 3 points | 4 points | 5 points | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance the Scale | 29 | 4 | 20 | 53 |
| Turn and Flip | 11 | 17 | 12 | 40 |
| Brain Benders | 12 | 16 | 10 | 38 |
| Rule Finders | 8 | 8 | 5 | 21 |
| Big Numbers | 19 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Fair Shares | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Measure Masters | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Number Families | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| All topics | 96 | 45 | 50 | 191 |
What should a Ecolier child be able to do?
Number puzzles, patterns with a rule to find, counting shapes in a grid, and who-is-oldest style logic. Topic by topic, this is what our Ecolier questions ask for.
- Balance the Scale
- Equations in disguise: a missing number in a sum, the change after a purchase, and how many more on one day than another. Counting up is often faster than taking away.
- Turn and Flip
- Lines of symmetry, faces, edges and corners of solids, and counting every rectangle in a grid, big ones included.
- Brain Benders
- Ordering clues, magic squares and comparisons, where the answer comes from reading every clue, not from a sum.
- Rule Finders
- Patterns whose gaps grow, square numbers, and two-step rules such as “double, then add 1”.
- Big Numbers
- Multiplication as rows and columns: 8 rows of 11 chairs. Times tables to 10 × 10 carry these, and all of them sit in the first section.
- Fair Shares and Measure Masters
- Halves, quarters and the fraction of a shape that is shaded; perimeters of squares and rectangles.
How do you solve a Ecolier question? One worked through
This is one of the Ecolier samples above, a 4‑point question from our Rule Finders topic. Try it first if you like; the working is folded away below.
What is next: 4, 9, 16, 25, ___ ?
- 26
- 34
- 36
- 38
- 46
What to notice first
The numbers do not go up by the same amount each time. When the jump changes, look at how the jumps themselves change.
See it worked through
- Write the jumps under the numbers: 4 to 9 is 5, 9 to 16 is 7, 16 to 25 is 9.
- The jumps are 5, 7, 9: each is 2 more than the one before. So the next jump is 11.
- Add it on: 25 + 11 = 36.
- A second way to see it: 4, 9, 16, 25 are 2 × 2, 3 × 3, 4 × 4 and 5 × 5. Next is 6 × 6 = 36. Two methods giving the same answer is a good check.
The answer is C, 36.
The tempting wrong answer
A child who looks only at the last jump might add 9 again and look for 34, or add 1 and pick 26. The pattern is in the jumps, not in any one of them.
Ask: “What comes after 36?” (49, with a jump of 13.)
Which mistakes cost marks in Ecolier?
Each one comes from a wrong option in our Ecolier samples and the note we wrote on why it tempts.
- Counting only the small shapes. In a 2 × 2 grid there are 4 small squares but 9 rectangles in all. Sorting shapes by size, and counting each size, catches the big ones.
- Borrowing in subtraction. 947 − 871 can trip a child at the tens. Counting up from 871 to 900 and then to 947 avoids the borrow altogether.
- One layer instead of the whole box. For a box 6 by 9 by 3, the bottom layer is 54 cubes, and 54 is an option. The box has 3 layers.
How is a Ecolier paper marked?
A Ecolier paper has 24 questions in three sections of 8. Every question has five options, A to E, and exactly one is right. The sections get harder as you go, and so they are worth more.
| A right answer | 3 points in the first section, 4 in the second, 5 in the third. |
|---|---|
| A wrong answer | Loses a quarter of that question’s points: ¾, 1 or 1¼. |
| A blank | Nothing gained, nothing lost. |
| Starting points | You start with 24, one for each question, so no score can fall below zero. The top score is 120. |
Kiwimath marks its practice papers this way. Math Kangaroo India, the organiser in India, takes 1 mark off for each wrong answer and gives no starting points, so its Ecolier top score is 96. Why a blind guess is worth nothing on average, and when guessing starts to pay, is on the Kangaroo-style practice page.
How should my child prepare for Ecolier?
Children of this age can work for longer and enjoy explaining. This plan takes eight weeks, three sessions a week.
- Weeks 1 and 2Sessions of 20 minutes at Kiwimath Level 2. After each answer, right or wrong, ask “how do you know?”
- Weeks 3 to 5Make sure times tables to 10 × 10 are quick, then spend extra sessions on Turn and Flip and Rule Finders, the two picture and pattern topics.
- Week 6Sit one full Ecolier paper with the clock showing. Go through every question that lost points, and redo it the next day without help.
- Weeks 7 and 8One more full paper each week. Practise leaving a question and coming back to it. Keep the last two days light.
For the real contest, check the dates, the rules and the time allowed with Math Kangaroo India or the organiser in your country. Our Math Kangaroo guide covers the official marking and where the past papers are.
All six levels
- Pre-EcolierClass 1 and 2Kiwimath Level 124 questions
- EcolierClass 3 and 4Kiwimath Level 224 questions
- BenjaminClass 5 and 6Kiwimath Level 330 questions
- CadetClass 7 and 8Kiwimath Level 430 questions
- JuniorClass 9 and 10Kiwimath Level 530 questions
- StudentClass 11 and 12Kiwimath Levels 6 and 730 questions
Questions parents ask about Ecolier
My child is in Class 3. Should they sit Ecolier or Pre-Ecolier?
Ecolier is the level for Class 3 and 4. If a first Ecolier paper feels far too hard, a few weeks of Pre-Ecolier questions build confidence, but the contest level follows the class.
Does Ecolier need times tables?
Yes. Multiplication up to 10 × 10 appears across the paper, in rows of objects, in volumes and in money. Quick tables leave time for the thinking questions.
How much harder is Ecolier than Pre-Ecolier?
The paper is the same length, but the questions take more steps and the numbers reach the hundreds. A strong Pre-Ecolier child usually needs a few weeks to get used to that.
Are these real Ecolier papers?
No. They are Kangaroo-style practice made from Kiwimath’s own Level 2 questions, in the same format. Official past papers come from the organiser in your country. Where to find official past papers.
Ecolier matches Kiwimath Level 2
Everyday Kiwimath practice at Level 2 builds the skills a Ecolier paper tests, one question at a time, with hints and a solution after each answer.
Sit a Ecolier paper Free during early access.
Sources
Kiwimath is not connected with Math Kangaroo, Math Kangaroo India or Kangourou sans Frontières. Our papers are Kangaroo-style practice made from Kiwimath’s own questions; no question is taken from a real Kangaroo paper. Contest facts were checked on against these pages. If something here differs from what the organiser says, trust the organiser, and write to hello@kiwimaths.com so we can fix it.
- Contest categoriesMath Kangaroo India, the organiser in India
- Scoring systemMath Kangaroo India, the organiser in India
- Exam datesMath Kangaroo India, the organiser in India
- Kangourou sans FrontièresThe international association behind the contest
- Free sample questions and answer keysMath Kangaroo USA, the organiser in the United States