- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$21 to $30
Math competitions for high school students
Timed problem-solving exams, proof olympiads and team leagues for grades 9 to 12. Almost all of them publish every past paper for free, which makes maths the easiest category to prepare for on your own.
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Math
CEMC Contests
Canada's national contest ladder, from grade 7 puzzles to the Canadian Computing Olympiad.
Check site
- Grades7 to 12
- CostUp to $20
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Math
Purple Comet! Math Meet
A free, online, team-based maths contest open to any school or club in the world.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Math
AMC 10 and AMC 12
The 75-minute exam that opens the door to the US math olympiad ladder.
187 days left
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree to $70
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Math
IM²C
A team modelling challenge with national rounds worldwide feeding an international judging round.
36 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationA strong result in COMAP's HiMCM or MidMCM
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Math
MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge
Fourteen hours, one open-ended real-world problem, and a written mathematical model. Free, with six figures in scholarships.
Math
Modeling the Future Challenge
Analyse a real dataset, quantify a risk, and make a recommendation, mentored by a working actuary.
Math
AIME
Fifteen problems, three hours, integer answers only. Invitation required.
Check site
- Grades11 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades11 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostUp to $25
PreparationA qualifying score on AMC 10 or AMC 12
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Math
ARML
Fifteen-student regional teams competing in relays and a power round over one intense weekend.
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- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$100 to $800
PreparationComfort with olympiad-style problems, and a place on a regional team
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Math
Math Prize for Girls
The largest cash prize in pre-college mathematics, open to girls and non-binary students.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationAn AMC 10 or AMC 12 score above the year's cutoff
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Math
HMMT
One of the hardest and best-run student math tournaments in the world, held twice a year in Boston.
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- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$20 to $100
PreparationRegular practice on olympiad-level problems
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Math
PUMaC
A team math tournament at Princeton with a live power round and a strong international field.
11 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$20 to $100
PreparationExperience with proof-based problems
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Check site
Questions people ask about this
What is the best math competition for a beginner?
Start with something rated 1 or 2 out of 5 for difficulty on this page. Those assume no prior competition experience and usually publish past problems or past winning entries so you know exactly what you are walking into.
Are there free math competitions?
5 of the 12 listed here have no entry fee for the student. Note that a free entry fee is not the same as a free competition: team-based events can carry materials and travel costs, which each listing states separately.