January 2026 Contest — Grade 4
The January 2026 North Star contest paper for Grade 4 has 12 questions and a 45-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 4
- Questions
- 12
- Time limit
- 45 minutes
- Contest
- January 2026
- Subject
- Mathematics
- School year
- 2025-26
Before you start
- The timer starts when you press Start and runs for 45 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 — Number Sense & Operations
A number machine takes input and gives output based on the steps shown in the diagram. What is the output if we input 12 into this machine?
- A.31
- B.13
- C.62
- D.26
- E.24
Show the worked solution
Step 1 — Read the image:
By looking at the diagram, we can see a flow chart representing a number machine. The steps from left to right are:
An "Input" box.
A first processing step: "Divide by 2".
A second processing step: "Add 7".
A third processing step: "Multiply by 2".
An "Output" box.
Step 2 — Solve:
We are given that the input number is 12. Let's follow the steps one by one:
1. Start with the input: 12
2. Divide by 2: 12 divided by 2 is 6.
3. Add 7: 6 plus 7 is 13.
4. Multiply by 2: 13 multiplied by 2 is 26.
So, the final output is 26.
Step 3 — Select:
Comparing our result with the options, 26 corresponds to option D.
The answer is D
Question 12 — Logical Reasoning & Problem Solving
A palindrome is a number that reads the same forwards and backwards such as 1357531. What is the difference between two smallest 4 digit palindromes?
- A.2112
- B.2001
- C.110
- D.111
- E.1001
Show the worked solution
To find the difference between the two smallest 4-digit palindromes, we first need to identify what these numbers are.
A 4-digit palindrome is a number that reads the same forwards and backwards, which means it has the form abba, where a and b are digits.
1. Find the smallest 4-digit palindrome:
Since it is a 4-digit number, the first digit a cannot be 0. The smallest possible value for a is 1. This means the last digit must also be 1.
To make the number as small as possible, we choose the smallest possible digit for the middle digits b, which is 0.
Therefore, the smallest 4-digit palindrome is 1001.
2. Find the second smallest 4-digit palindrome:
We keep the first and last digits as 1.
The next smallest digit we can choose for the middle digits b is 1.
Therefore, the second smallest 4-digit palindrome is 1111.
3. Calculate the difference:
Subtract the smallest palindrome from the second smallest palindrome:
1111 - 1001 = 110
Thus, the difference between the two smallest 4-digit palindromes is 110.
Take the whole paper
All 12 questions, 45 minutes, marked as you go. No account needed.