The competition consists of 4 stages:
• Preliminary Round
• National Final Round
• Extra Round: Regional Qualifier Round & Play-Off Qualifier Round
• World Final Round

(1) PRELIMINARY ROUND

We offer 3 options for participants:

Option 1: Online at Home
• Date: 21, 22, or 23 March 2025
• Duration: Around 1 hour (during one of the dates above)
• Participants can take the test online from the comfort of their home.
• They must log into Zoom for invigilation.
• A laptop with a webcam, a stable internet connection, and a quiet room are required.
• The session is supervised by Hippo Malaysia team.

Option 2: Face-to-Face
• Duration: Around 1 hour

We have few venues available at different dates:

a) Sekolah Sri UCSI, Kuala Lumpur
○ 22 March 2025 (in the morning)

b) SAM Raja Uda, Butterworth
○ 22 March 2025 (4.00pm to 8.00pm)
○ 23 March 2025 (9.00am to 1.00pm)

c) SAM Iramanis Centre, Kota Kinabalu
○ 23 March 2025 (2.00pm to 5.00pm)

d) SAM Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru
○ 22 March 2025 (3.00pm to 7.00pm)

e) Wonderlearn Centre, Taiping
○ 23 March 2025 (9.00am to 2.00pm)

Option 3: At School (Paper-Based or Online)
This option is only available if the participant's school is conducting the test.
• Date: 19, 20, 21, 22 or 23 March 2025
• Duration: Around 1 hour
• Participants can take the test at their school or tuition center.
• The test can be either paper-based or online.
• Teachers at the school or center will handle the invigilation.
• The date and mode can be anytime between 19 to 23 March 2025, with the decision to be made by teachers.

(2) NATIONAL FINAL ROUND
• Date: 26 April 2025
• Duration: 1 hour
• Mode: Online

(3.1: EXTRA ROUND) REGIONAL QUALIFIER ROUND
• Date: July 2025 (actual date to be announced after the National Finals)
• Mode: Face-to-face
• Location: Da Nang, Vietnam

(3.2: EXTRA ROUND) PLAY-OFF QUALIFIER ROUND
• Date: 5 to 12 August 2025
• Mode: Face-to-face
• Venue: Bucksmore Education’s Oxford International College Brighton, United Kingdom

(4) WORLD FINAL ROUND
• Date: 29 September to 1 October 2025
• Mode: Face-to-face
• Location: Assisi, Italy
• Finalists and their accompanying teacher will receive a complimentary 3-night stay, including breakfast and dinner.

INDIVIDUAL REGISTRATION
If you’re a parent, teacher, or student looking to register individually, please click on Hippo Registration. You will be directed to our registration form. Select "To register myself/my child/students individually" and complete the subsequent sections of the form to register.

GROUP REGISTRATION (for school)
If you are a teacher and wish to register a group of students from your school or tuition center, please click on Hippo Registration. Select "I am a teacher, please send me bulk registration form", and we will WhatsApp you shortly to explain the group registration process.

Alternatively, you may download the bulk registration form here:
• Regular Category Bulk Registration Form
• Special Category Bulk Registration Form

For more information regarding group registration, please contact us at 012-3833218.

[Registration Deadline]
Please note that the registration deadline is 9 March 2025. Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted.

Students should enroll according to their school grade or school year in February 2025. The Contest consists of Regular Category and Special Category.

• Regular Category
Students from National (Public) or Private Schools (National Syllabus) are eligible to enroll in the Regular Category, equivalent to proficiency in "English as a Second or Foreign language".

Level Assignment based on School Grade/Year as of February 2025:
Primary 1 & 2: Baby Hippo
Primary 3 & 4: Little Hippo
Primary 5 & 6: Hippo 1
Secondary 1: Hippo 2
Secondary 2 & 3: Hippo 3
Secondary 4 & 5: Hippo 4
Form 6 & college students: Hippo 5

• Special Category
Students from English Medium Private or International Schools, or those who have studied for at least 3 years in an English-speaking country in the past 5 years will have to choose the Special Category, equivalent to proficiency in "English as a First Language".

Students from the Regular Category wishing to challenge higher levels can participate in the Special Category.

Level assignment based on School Grade/Year as of January 2025:
Year 1 & 2: Baby Hippo
Year 3 & 4: Little Hippo
Year 5 & 6: Hippo S1
Year 7: Hippo S2
Year 8 & 9 (or Sec 2 & 3): Hippo S3
Year 10 & 11 (or Sec 4 & 5): Hippo S4
Year 12 & 13 (or Form 6 & College): Hippo S5

[IMPORTANT NOTES]
1) For Baby Hippo and Little Hippo, there is no separation between Regular and Special Category. Students from both categories will compete together.

2) Baby Hippo examinations will be of the same level of difficulty as the ones for Little Hippo in all rounds of the Contest. The two categories will, however, have two separate ranking lists.

3) The following categories share the same papers: Hippo S1 and Hippo 2; Hippo S2 and Hippo 3; Hippo S3 and Hippo 4; Hippo S4 and Hippo 5. Despite the similar content, they are evaluated separately based on their respective categories.

4) Students who reached the Hippo 2024 World Finals cannot compete at the same level in Hippo 2025. They will be recommended to enter the Special Category or participate one level higher.

5) Students from lower levels may compete at a higher level if they feel adequately prepared for that level. You may consult us for advice.

6) The Global Hippo Association reserves the right to verify the school's curriculum, language of instruction, and the hours dedicated to English education.

7) Students who enroll in one of the regular categories but are supposed to compete in the special categories according to the regulations will be disqualified.

8) The Global Hippo Association reserves the right to disqualify those who do not comply with the regulations.

The participants will compete in 11 categories (7 regular and 4 special) based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and will take the Gatehouse Awards examinations as well as Hippo tests. The CEFR level of each Hippo category is stated below:

Baby Hippo & Little Hippo
• Preliminary Round: CEFR Pre A1 YL (Young Learners)
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR A1 YL (Young Learners)

Hippo 1
• Preliminary Round: CEFR A1 YL (Young Learners)
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR A2 YL (Young Learners)

Hippo 2 & Hippo S1
• Preliminary Round: CEFR A1
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR A2

Hippo 3 & Hippo S2
• Preliminary Round: CEFR A2
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR B1

Hippo 4 & Hippo S3
• Preliminary Round: CEFR B1
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR B2

Hippo 5 & Hippo S4
• Preliminary Round: CEFR B2
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR C1

Hippo S5
• Preliminary Round: CEFR C1
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR C2

If you wish to learn more about CEFR, click here.

• All candidates will receive a digital certificate after each round. Those advancing to the National Finals, Regional Qualifiers, or World Finals will also be awarded a medal.
• Physical certificates and medals for candidates in the Preliminary Round and National Finals will be sent to their respective schools if the school is a registered Hippo venue. The list of registered Hippo venues will be available after the Preliminary Round.
• If your school is not a registered Hippo venue but you wish to receive a physical certificate and medal, we can courier the items to your home upon request. Candidates will need to bear the courier charges. The request form will be available after the Preliminary Round.
• All candidates who pass the World Final round tests (scoring a minimum of 55%) will be awarded a Gatehouse Awards internationally recognized certificate in English.
• Other World Final prizes will be announced closer to the event date.

Sample papers to practice are available to download here.

All participants will receive 5 years worth of past year papers. Upon successful registration, we will send you a confirmation message containing the link to download the past year question papers, with login username and password.

There are 4 main competition rounds.

More of a visual person? Watch our video to understand better!

(1) PRELIMINARY ROUND (March 2025)
• Participants compete in Reading and Use of English tests (50 to 54 multiple-choice questions) across various categories.
• Top 10% (or more with the same marks) of participants from Malaysia proceed to the National Final round in April 2025.

(2) NATIONAL FINAL ROUND (April 2025)
• The National Final round includes Reading, Writing (30 questions), and a free-writing task (100–200 words, excluding Baby & Little Hippo) with difficulty one level higher than the preliminary round.
• The essay is assessed only if two or more candidates have the same scores on both reading and writing test.

(3.1: EXTRA ROUND) REGIONAL QUALIFIER ROUND (Vietnam, July 2025)
• Where the number of enrolments in Southeast Asia and Far East countries reaches 1,000 students (with a minimum of 100 candidates per category), Qualifiers will be organised.
• Best ranking participants from the National Final round, who did not qualify for the World Finals will be invited to join the qualifiers.
• The number of participants admitted will be proportional to the number of preliminary round participants in each category per country.
• The Qualifier Round will be held in Vietnam in July 2025, featuring Use of English open-ended questions and a crossword.
• There is a participation fee ranging from €100 to €180, depending on the location for the regional qualifier round.
• The winner of each category will proceed to the World Final Round in Italy.

(3.2: EXTRA ROUND) PLAY-OFF QUALIFIER ROUND (United Kingdom, August 2025)
• Offers a chance for additional participants to qualify for the World Finals.
• Open to selected categories and regions, held in the UK in August 2025.
• Participants take an intensive five-day Hippo English Language preparation course followed by a test on day 6. The fee will be announced after the National Final round.
• Winners proceed to the World Finals, with entries proportional to the number of preliminary round participants in each category per country.

(4) WORLD FINAL ROUND (Italy, September 2025)
• Top scorers from the National Final qualify for the World Final Round in Assisi, Italy in September 2025.
• Three-day half-board accommodation will be provided for all the candidates and their teachers free of charge, while the costs of travel will be borne by the participants.
• In the World Final, participants take the Gatehouse Awards exam covering all four language skills, Use of English test (30 questions), and a crossword test to determine the winners.

The tests for the preliminary round of the Olympiad will consist of two parts: Reading Comprehension test & Use of English test. All multiple choice questions. There is only one correct answer to every question. There are no negative marks. The number of questions, points, and maximum allowed time for each part is specified below.

BABY HIPPO & LITTLE HIPPO (same paper)
• Reading: 30 questions | 1 point each | 20 minutes max
• Use of English: 20 questions | 1.5 point each | 20 minutes max

HIPPO 1
• Reading: 30 questions | 1 point each | 30 minutes max
• Use of English: 20 questions | 1.5 point each | 20 minutes max

HIPPO 2 & HIPPO S1 (same paper), HIPPO 3 & HIPPO S2 (same paper)
• Reading: 34 questions | 1 point each | 30 minutes max
• Use of English: 20 questions | 1.5 point each | 20 minutes max

HIPPO 4 & HIPPO S3 (same paper)
• Reading: 34 questions | 1 point each | 40 minutes max
• Use of English: 20 questions | 1.5 point each | 30 minutes max

HIPPO 5 & HIPPO S4 (same paper), HIPPO S5
• Reading: 40 questions | 1 point each | 45 minutes max
• Use of English: 20 questions | 1.5 point each | 30 minutes max

Note: Answers are recorded on an answer sheet (OMR) for the paper-based test; there is no OMR for the online test.

The exam level for the National Final Round will be one CEFR level higher than the one in the Preliminary Round. The tests for the National Final Round of the Olympiad will consist of Reading test, Writing test (30 questions) and Essay test (except for Baby & Little Hippo).

The essay will be assessed only in case two or more candidates have the scores on both the reading and the writing test, to decide who will enter World Final Round.

There is only one correct answer to every question. There are no negative marks.

BABY HIPPO & LITTLE HIPPO (same paper)
• Reading: 30 questions | 1 point each | 30 minutes max
• Writing: 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

HIPPO 1
• Reading: 40 questions | 1 point each | 30 minutes max
• Writing: Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

HIPPO 2 & HIPPO S1 (same paper)
• Reading: 34 questions | 1 point each | 30 minutes max
• Writing: Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

HIPPO 3 & HIPPO S2 (same paper)
• Reading: 34 questions | 1 point each | 40 minutes max
• Writing: Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

HIPPO 4 & HIPPO S3 (same paper), HIPPO 5 & HIPPO S4 (same paper)
• Reading: 40 questions | 1 point each | 45 minutes max
• Writing: Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

HIPPO S5
• Reading: 40 questions | 1 point each | 50 minutes max
• Writing: Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

Note:
• Reading test answers are recorded on an answer sheet (OMR), while Writing test answers are given in the test booklet for the paper-based test.
• For the Online test, all answers will be submitted through the online system.

In the Qualifiers Round, the candidates will take a Hippo Test of English consisting of 30 Use of English open-ended questions and a crossword.

The Contest participants will be divided into the Contest regions (hereinafter regions) for the purpose of organising regional qualifiers. The pre-set regions are as follows:
1. Mediterranean Europe
2. Continental Europe
3. Middle East
4. Central Asia
5. Indian Subcontinent
6. Maritime Southeast Asia
7. Far East
8. Africa
9. Central & South America

The 2025 Qualifiers will be held in:
1. Venice, Italy for Mediterranean countries and Continental Europe
2. Samarkand, Uzbekistan for Central Asia
3. Doha, Qatar for Middle East and Indian Subcontinent
4. Da Nang, Vietnam, for Southeast Asia and Far East countries
5. Central & South America location to be announced

Where the number of enrolments in a specific region reaches 1,000 students in the 2025 edition, with a minimum of 100 candidates per Hippo Category, Qualifiers will be organised.

Students with the best ranking among those not qualified for the World Finals will be admitted to the Qualifiers. The number of students admitted to the Qualifiers per category and country will be proportional to the number of preliminary round participants in each category per country.

Regional Qualifiers will be held in person. Online examinations will not be available and no exemptions will be made. Initially, the top 10% of the students who do not qualify for the World Finals will be invited to participate in the Qualifiers. If a student does not confirm their participation, the next student in the ranking list from the same country will be invited. The minimum percentage of achievement for a student to be invited to the qualifiers will be 70% of the first ranked student points.

Students invited to the Regional Qualifiers will be requested to pay a participation fee ranging from €100 to €180, depending on the location. The participation fee will cover the costs of insurance, merchandising (given to the participants upon arrival), participation in the organised activities and examination materials. Where applicable, a package including accommodation and participation fee will be proposed to the participants through an exclusive service provider. Participants who book accommodation through the service provider will not need to pay the participation fee. Students and accompanying teachers or parents will need to cover the costs of travel and accommodation. Travel arrangements will need to be made by the participants themselves, while Hippo will propose accommodation options. Consequently, participants will be able to choose between the two options.

Students and one accompanying teacher or parent are expected to arrive at the venue one day before the examination date. The examinations will take place on the morning after while the proclamation of winners will take place in the evening.

First place winners of each Hippo category and for any of the Regions will proceed to the World Finals.