Odyssey of the Mind

• Admin
• May 30, 2014
• Extracurricular Activities
• 550

Odyssey of the Mind, often called OM (although the official acronym is OotM), is a creative problem-solving competition involving students from kindergarten through college.

The Odyssey of the Mind teaches students how to think divergently by providing open-ended problems that appeal to a wide range of interests. Students learn how to identify challenges and to think creatively to solve a long-term problem. The problems may involve mechanical vehicles, classical literature, or an improv act.

Odyssey of the Mind teams are divided into four divisions:

Division I — Grades K-5 (U.S.): Less than 12 years of age on May 1 of the competition year (Other International).

Division II — Grades 6-8 (U.S.): Less than 15 years of age on May 1 of the competition year (Other International).

Division III — Grades 9-12 (U.S.): Oldest team member does not qualify for Divisions I or II and is attending regular school–not a college or university or anything similar (Other International).

Division IV — Collegiate for ALL TEAMS. All team members must have a high school diploma or its equivalent and be enrolled in at least one course at a two- or four-year college or university.