Compete

Preparation guide

How to prepare for MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge

Fourteen hours, one open-ended real-world problem, and a written mathematical model. Free, with six figures in scholarships.

Competitive · Grades 11 and 12 in the United States, including US territories and DoDEA schools, and sixth form students in England and Wales.

Competition details and how to enter Official website

Where the points actually are

Judges score the modelling process, not the answer. That means stating assumptions, justifying them, building something tractable, testing sensitivity, and explaining the limitations honestly. Every past problem and every winning paper is published free, and reading three winning papers teaches more than any textbook.

Topic breakdown

01Model building
Turning a vague question into variables and relationships. Start simple and add complexity only if time allows.
02Assumptions
State each one and justify it. This is explicitly scored and it is where weak papers are exposed.
03Sensitivity analysis
How does the answer change if a key assumption is wrong? Papers that skip this cap out at the middle of the field.
04Data handling
You will be given or must find real data. Cleaning and citing it properly matters.
05Technical writing
Executive summary, clear structure, labelled figures. One team member should own writing from hour one.

A study plan that works backwards from the date

  1. December Read three past winning papers end to end. They are published free and they are the clearest possible specification of what wins.
  2. January Do a full practice run on a past problem, timed to fourteen hours. This is the single most valuable thing you can do.
  3. February Assign roles: modeller, data, coder, writer, editor. Agree the paper structure before the day so you are filling a skeleton, not inventing one.
  4. Challenge day Spend the first hour on the problem statement and assumptions, and start writing by hour four whatever state the model is in.

Tips that come from the format itself

  • Every past problem and winning paper is free on the official site. Read them.
  • Write from the beginning. A complete paper describing a simple model beats an incomplete paper describing a sophisticated one.
  • Assign one person to own the write-up and give them authority over scope.
  • Sensitivity analysis is the cheapest way to move up a judging band.

Practice resources

Past papers and official materials

Skills this builds

  • Mathematical modelling
  • Assumption-making and justification
  • Data analysis
  • Technical writing under extreme time pressure
  • Team division of labour

Read what other students said about preparing