I am a high school student from Maryland or the District of Columbia. How do I register for the UMD High School Math Competition?
You should contact a math teacher at your school and register with them. We do not register individual students. We only register schools. If you are being homeschooled or your school does not participate contact us and we will accommodate you.
I am a high school teacher in Maryland or District of Columbia. How do I register my school?
You should send us an email from your institution email address and we will help you with that. If you are a parent to one of the participants or there are any potential conflict of interest inssues, please let us know.
What is the format of the UMD High School Math Competition?
The competition will be held in two parts. Part I of the Competition is open to all students enrolled in high schools in Maryland and the District of Columbia. High scorers on Part I will qualify to participate in Part II of the Competition. Part I consists of 25 multiple choice questions, and Part II consists of 5 essay/proof problems. In addition to a sound knowledge of high school mathematics (up to, but not including, calculus), both parts will require a fair amount of mathematical insight and ingenuity. No calculators or computers are allowed for any contestant
What are the prizes of this competition?
- The top three winners will receive a scholarship for full tuition and expenses if and when they enroll at the University of Maryland (for non-seniors, this might be a few years from when they take the competition). In addition to that they will receive $500, $400, and $300, respectively.
- Among those completing both parts of the competition, the highest scorer in each county and in Baltimore City and in the District of Columbia will be awarded a prize of $100.
- The highest scorer of each year who chooses to enroll at the University of Maryland in the following Fall and has not earned a full scholarship will receive the Krahn prize. The amount and duration of the prize has varied.
- Note that receiving some of these awards may require having US citizenship.
Who is eligible to participate in the UMD High School Math Competition?
All participants must be residents of Maryland or the District of Columbia. Most participants are high school students. We do allow younger interested students to compete as well, however participants should be interested in a challenge beyond what they see in a regular math class. Maryland and DC residents who attend schools outside of Maryland and DC are also eligible.
Are students with disability allowed to use their accommodations?
Students who have a documented learning disability (LD) are allowed extended time on our competition. No calculators or computers are allowed for any contestant, including students with LD. The required documentation, which specifies how much extra time a student with LD requires, should be provided to the Contest Administrator by the student before the date of the exam. The Contest Administrator must send an email to us before the exam date to inform us that there will be student(s) with LD taking the exam at their school.
When do you announce the results?
We generally announce the results of Part I 3-4 weeks after the competition is held. Results will be sent to the teachers who administered the tests at each school. Students should contact their respective teachers to obtain their results.
Results of Part II are sent to the teachers who administered the competition by the end of the year in which the competition is held.
Do you accept appeals for the scores?
Part I of the exam is automatically graded and the chance of an error is very slim.
Each problem in Part II of the test is graded by different people and care is taken to ensure that the grading is correct and consistent. Partial credit is awarded only in specific instances where meaningful progress towards a solution has been made. If you would still like us to review your test feel free to contact us with your request within three days of the announcement of the results.
Do you allow use of a dictionary for non-native speakers of English?
If a student needs a bilingual dictionary, the Contest Administrator must contact us to get pre-approval. Our general policy is to allow such uses of a dictionary as long as the dictionary does not contain any mathematical formulas, definitions, theorems, diagrams and such.
What topics are covered in the UMD High School Math Competition?
The competition covers a range of topics up to, but not including, calculus. Past Contests should give you a good idea of the types of questions you would see in the contest. The main topics that could come up in our competition are listed below:
- Algebra:
- Word problems.
- Algebraic expressions: simplifying and manipulations, factorization, properties of exponents, solving equations and systems, binomial formula.
- Functions: domain, range, graphs, polynomials, exponentials, logarithms, roots, inverse functions, floor, ceiling, trigonometric functions, and the unit circle
- Inequalities: solving inequalities, basic properties of inequalities, interval notations.
- Sequences: arithmetic and geometric.
- Conic sections: ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas.
- Combinatorics:
- Counting: addition and multiplication principles, factorials, permutations, combinations, and complementary counting.
- Probability: counting in probability, independent events, and conditional probability.
- Geometry:
- Points, lines, angles, areas.
- Triangles: triangle inequality, congruent and similar triangles, Pythagorean theorem, laws of sine and cosine, orthocenters, centroid, circumcircles, incircles and related properties.
- Quadrilaterals and polygons: cyclic polygons, regular polygons, areas and angles of polygons.
- Circles: angles in circles, power of a point, tangent circles and lines.
- 3D geometry: Lines and planes in space, volumes of common solids such as boxes, prisms, spheres, and pyramids, similarity in space.
- Number Theory: Divisors and remainders, primes, unique factorization, divisibility tests, number bases, GCD and LCM.