A Guide to Math Competitions

Competitive, timed tests allow children to showcase their knowledge and practice performing under time constraints. Taking part in these Olympiads also generates pride among students in the level of math knowledge that they've attained. Additionally, regular participation in math competitions can also be an impressive addition to future college applications. Colleges love to see what a student is passionate about and a skill or extracurricular where they have shown growth.

But of the myriad of math competitions available to students, which are the best to participate in and why?

Download our 2026-27 Competitions Calendar to stay up to date and read on to learn more!

Individual Competitions

American Mathematics Contest (AMC)

The AMC 8 and AMC 10/12 are challenging and prestigious national competitions, administered by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). The AMC 8 is recommended for students in grade 8 and is a 25-question, 40-minute contest with problems based on knowledge and logic. The AMC 10/12 is a 25-question, 75-minute, multiple-choice examination in high school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills. 

• The 2027 AMC 8 will be held from January 21-27, 2027.
• The 2026 AMC 10/12A will be held on November 5, 2026.
• The 2026 AMC 10/12B will be held on November 13, 2026.

Students who earn a score of 100+ on the AMC 10 or an 85+ on the AMC 12 are invited to continue participating in the MAA AMC series of examinations that culminate in the selection process for the USA International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) team. 

The first in this series is the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME). The AIME is a 15-question exam, administered in two 90-minute parts. This year, the AIME will be administered at Pearson testing centers across the United States and Canada. Students who earn a qualifying score on the AIME are invited to take the USA(J)MO, which is a 9-hour examination held over 2 days, containing 6 essay/proof questions. 

• The 2027 AIME will be held from February 5-6 2027.
• The 2027 USA(J)MO will be held from March 20-21 2027.

International Math Contest (IMC)

The IMC is a celebration of the beauty of mathematics and the joy of learning it. Designed to be both fun and challenging, the IMC offers students in grades 1-8 a unique opportunity to showcase their math skills in a dynamic and engaging competition setting.

Developed by experienced math professionals from RSM, the IMC emphasizes problem-solving and logical reasoning. This 75-minute competition features thought-provoking problems based on leading math curricula from around the world, allowing contestants to benchmark their knowledge against international standards.

The 2027 IMC will be held at in-person RSM branches on Tuesday, February 2. For students who do not live near an RSM location, an online version of the competition will be available on February 7 for students in grades 3-8.

MOEMS (Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools)

Held annually from November through March, MOEMS is a popular math competition for students in grades 4-8. Its objective is to teach participants multiple strategies for out-of-the-box problem solving, develop mathematical flexibility in solving those problems, and foster mathematical creativity and ingenuity.

• The MOEMS Contest 1 will be held from November 9-30, 2026.
• The MOEMS Contest 2 will be held from December 7-28, 2026.
• The MOEMS Contest 3 will be held from January 4-25, 2027.
• The MOEMS Contest 4 will be held from February 1-22, 2027.
• The MOEMS Contest 5 will be held from March 1-29, 2027.

Noetic Learning Math Contest (NLMC)

The NLMC is a semiannual problem-solving contest for students in grades 2-8. This competition challenges students to think deeply, discover the beauty of mathematics, and build a strong foundation for advanced STEM learning.

• The Fall Noetic Learning Math Contest will be held from November 12-25, 2026.
• The Spring Noetic Learning Math Contest will be held from April 1-15 2027.

Team Competitions

HMMT

Organized by students at Harvard, MIT, and other nearby schools, HMMT is a prestigious high school team competition. Teams of 6-8 students compete in individual tests, a team round, and their signature guts round. Applications for the Fall tournament close on September 20.

• The Fall Tournament will be held on November 7, 2026 at Harvard University.
• The Spring Tournament will be held on February 13, 2027 at MIT.

Girls in Math at Yale

This is an annual high school math competition hosted at Yale University. Girls in Math aims to cultivate a love for math in its participants and empower students to pursue careers in STEM. Teams of 6 students compete in Individual, Team, Tiebreaker, and Guts Rounds. 

Girls in Math at Yale will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2027.

Brown University Math Olympiad (BrUMO)

BrUMO is a math competition that aims to create an inclusive environment for young students to learn and challenge themselves in math and critical thinking. Teams of 4-6 middle and high school students compete in Individual, Team, Mystery, and Guts rounds. 

BrUMO will be held in February 2027.

The Purple Comet! Math Meet

The Purple Comet! Math Meet is an online team mathematics competition designed for middle and high school students. Teams of one to six students compete by submitting solutions to a list of math problems, ranging in difficulty from fairly easy to extremely challenging. 

The 2027 Purple Comet! Math Meet will be held in April 2027.

Math Competition Preparation at RSM

RSM’s Math Competition Preparation program is designed for students who are interested in advanced mathematical topics as well as participating in elite math competitions. Our selective and tiered competitions program prepares students for the full array of national and international math Olympiads.

This blog was previously posted in 2017 and has since been updated.