Frequently asked questions

PAMA was founded in 1999 as the Pan Pacific Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Association and later renamed PAMA Global Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Association to represent members around the world.

It is known for its professional instructor training and its instructor certification program, which sets one standard for teachers’ credentials and gives them the recognition they deserve. Members meet every year at the International Competition, held in a different country each time. See the members directory.

Membership is for legally registered abacus and mental arithmetic schools that have operated for at least five years and teach at least 300 students, in a country that has no PAMA member yet. Admission is US$2,000 and membership US$1,000 a year. Join PAMA has every requirement, the fees and the application questionnaire.

• Review new membership applications
• Help members with the certification exam
• Help host countries run the International Competition
• Chair the post-competition meeting and the annual meeting
• Administer the professional instructor certification program
• Publish the abacus and mental arithmetic encyclopedia
• Answer questions about abacus and mental arithmetic
• Educational and classroom materials (paid)
• Professional instructor training (paid)
• Instruction videos for teachers (paid)
• Online discussion panels and seminars (paid)

Prices are on member services and prices.

Yes. PAMA trains members in every part of running a program: competitions, exams, instructors, materials, course planning, marketing and video conferencing, with the aim of a program that lasts.

Anyone can attend the first phase of the instructor training, so you can train first and decide on membership later. Because membership needs a school of five years and 300 students, PAMA suggests that newer schools join its sister organisation, the Summit Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Association (SAMA), whose requirements suit new programs. Ask the Secretariat how to start.

Yes. A long-term contract bundles PAMA’s materials, training and know-how:

• Years of proven instructor training save the cost and time of trial and error.
• You don’t have to build your own curriculum, where crucial details are easy to miss early on.
• Sharing costs across members worldwide gives you a recognised brand and a lasting program for a modest investment.
• PAMA’s name helps your marketing and your step onto the international stage, and PAMA can help you start franchise and multi-site operations.

See member services and prices or ask about a package.

The program runs in phases of 20 hours, taught over three days. Completing a phase earns a Certificate of Completion. Each phase ends with an exam; pass it and you receive the professional instructor certificate for that phase, from one star to four stars.

The first phase has no prerequisites and is open to anyone. From the second phase on, training is for teachers at member schools. See instructor certification and the teacher training seminar.

• 27 levels: Level 12 (beginner) up to Level 1, then Advanced Levels 1 to 15. Levels 12–7 are basic, 6–4 intermediate, 3–1 advanced; the Advanced Levels are for professional instructors.
• Each level is clearly defined, so students move at their own pace.
• Two parts, abacus and mental arithmetic, each testing addition and subtraction, multiplication, and division, for balanced calculation skills.
• Passing earns a certificate for that level: a real test and a real incentive.
• Teachers can plan their syllabus around the exam and review their teaching from the results.

Find your level or try the sample papers.

The competition is held in a different country every year, usually near the end of the year. The next is the 24th PAMA International Competition in Moscow, Russia, on 26–27 December 2026.

Students compete in age groups, and each group’s questions match a certification level. Register and pay through the PAMA member in your country; PAMA doesn’t accept entries directly from individuals or companies. See the annual competition.

The main aim is fast, accurate arithmetic: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Learning the correct technique early matters; bad habits are hard to undo. Students also train memory and focus, and grow more confident in maths class.

How long depends on the student’s goals. As a general target, PAMA suggests Level 3 on the abacus and, in mental arithmetic, 2-digit 6-row addition and subtraction, 2 × 2 multiplication and 4 ÷ 2 division.

PAMA teaches the one-hand method, the standard since the abacus began. Clerks held the abacus and turned ledger pages with the left hand while the right hand moved the beads.

Since the calculator, the abacus has become a tool for early learning, mostly for children around five, whose first step in maths is linking numbers to quantities. The one-hand method does that well and is easy to learn. Some programs say two hands are faster and work both sides of the brain, but all mental arithmetic uses both hemispheres, so PAMA recommends one hand for young students.