May 2026 Contest — Grade 2
The May 2026 North Star contest paper for Grade 2 has 12 questions and a 30-minute limit. Two sample questions with worked solutions are below, and you can take the whole paper online for free — no account, no sign-up.
- Grade
- Grade 2
- Questions
- 12
- Time limit
- 30 minutes
- Contest
- May 2026
- Subject
- Mathematics
- School year
- 2025-26
Before you start
- The timer starts when you press Start and runs for 30 minutes.
- Answer the 12 questions in any order; each is multiple choice.
- Your answers are marked as you go. Nothing is saved to an account, so finish in one sitting.
Sample questions
The first and last questions from this paper, with their worked solutions.
Question 1 — Logical Reasoning & Problem Solving
Emma made a friendship bracelet with beads in a repeating pattern shown in the image. Which of the given options could be a part of Emma's bracelet?
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
- E.None of these
Show the worked solution
Step 1 — Read the image:
Let's look at the pattern of beads on Emma's bracelet from left to right:
Star, Moon, Moon
Star, Moon, Moon
Star, Moon, Moon
Star, Moon, Moon
Star, Moon, Moon
This shows that the pattern repeats as: Star, Moon, Moon.
Step 2 — Solve:
We want to find which of the given options can be found inside this repeating pattern.
Let's write out a longer part of the pattern:
... Star, Moon, Moon, Star, Moon, Moon, Star, Moon, Moon, Star, Moon, Moon ...
Now let's check each option:
Option (A) shows: Star, Star, Moon, Moon. In our pattern, we never have two stars next to each other. So, this is not correct.
Option (B) shows: Moon, Star, Moon, Moon. If we look at our pattern, we can find this exact sequence: ... Star, Moon, [Moon, Star, Moon, Moon], Star, Moon, Moon ... This fits perfectly!
Option (C) shows: Moon, Moon, Star, Star. This has two stars next to each other, which does not happen in our pattern.
Option (D) shows: Star, Moon, Star, Moon. In our pattern, every star must have two moons after it, not just one. So, this is not correct.
Option (E) shows: Moon, Moon, Moon, Star. In our pattern, we never have three moons next to each other.
Therefore, option (B) is a part of Emma's bracelet.
Step 3 — Select:
The correct option is B.
The answer is B
Question 12 — Number Sense & Operations
Alice reads 2 pages each day from Monday to Friday and 5 pages on each Saturday and Sunday. How many pages does she read in 2 weeks?
- A.10
- B.20
- C.25
- D.30
- E.40
Show the worked solution
Let's find out how many pages Alice reads in one week first.
1. From Monday to Friday, there are 5 days. Alice reads 2 pages on each of these days:
2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10 pages.
2. On Saturday and Sunday, there are 2 days. Alice reads 5 pages on each of these days:
5 + 5 = 10 pages.
3. Now, let's add these together to find the total pages read in one week:
10 + 10 = 20 pages.
4. Since we want to know how many pages she reads in 2 weeks, we add the pages for two weeks together:
20 + 20 = 40 pages.
So, Alice reads 40 pages in 2 weeks.
The answer is E
Take the whole paper
All 12 questions, 30 minutes, marked as you go. No account needed.