How To Benefit from Math Competitions

Math Competitions as Practice Opportunities

Taking competitive, timed tests in elementary and middle school is great practice for the standardized tests that students will likely take in high school, including the SAT, ACT, and AP tests. Having prior experience with math competitions will allow students to feel confident and prepared when they encounter standardized testing, as they are already familiar with the timed, competitive setting. Competitions also give students the opportunity to learn persistence and to keep working when the answer doesn't come to them quickly.

Build Skills with Math Competitions

Math Olympiads provide students with additional challenges outside of the traditional classroom environment and beyond academics. Employers value analytical skills and critical thinking now more than ever. Companies want to invest in young professionals who can make sound, logical decisions. Students who have participated in team competitions can also highlight this skill as the ability to work with others and achieve a common goal which is a valuable skill in nearly all careers.

Math competitions are an excellent opportunity for students to build skills, including time and stress management, working collaboratively with peers, and thinking analytically.

How to Use Math Competition Scores on College Applications & Resumes

Competition scores can also be used to bolster future college applications and resumes. College applications will ask for details regarding extracurricular activities. You can use your math competition experiences in the application or in the essay portion. Essay questions may ask students to share a story that is central to their identity, to describe a place or environment where they are perfectly content, or to discuss an accomplishment or event that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood. If you believe that your math competition experiences apply, use the essay prompts to illustrate your abilities for your college admissions officers.

Some college applications may ask you to include a resume, which gives you the opportunity to include details about your competition experiences. Resumes and applications also give students the opportunity to show progress over time. While you can include specific awards on resumes, showing growth over the years and across competitions is a great way to showcase how a student has improved.

Math competitions teach students how to perform under pressure, manage their time, embrace challenges, and work with others on a team, all of which are invaluable skills that students can utilize inside the classroom and in their future careers. 

Written by Irina Khavinson, Co-Founder of the Russian School of Mathematics

This blog was originally published in 2020 and has since been updated.