Image Credit: Math Prize for Girls website
The Math Prize for Girls is one of the world’s premier high school math competitions for female-identifying students. This guide covers what it is, its application requirements, key dates, and how to get in.
What is Math Prize for Girls?
Math Prize for Girls is an annual, one-day high school math competition hosted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Each year it welcomes around 250 female students to the Cambridge campus for the contest, plus panel discussions, networking, campus tours, and a game night.
Our goal is to promote gender equity in the STEM professions and to encourage young women with exceptional potential to become mathematical and scientific leaders.
Math Prize for Girls official website
It’s the largest math prize for female high school students in the world. Students compete for cash prizes from a $100,000 pool, with $50,000 going to first place. There’s also a $2,000 Youth Prize for the top student in 9th grade or below.
The program itself is free, but travel and lodging are not reimbursed.
Math Prize for Girls Requirements
Math Prize for Girls is very hard to get into, so make sure your application includes everything required and that you’re eligible. Here are the application components and eligibility criteria:
- Be in 11th grade or below as of March 1 of the application cycle (and not graduating high school or starting full-time college before the contest)
- Be female in gender identity
- Live in the United States or Canada (U.S. citizens or permanent residents living abroad may apply but must submit additional documentation)
- Submit an AMC 10 or AMC 12 score
- If applicable, also submit your AIME and/or previous year’s Math Prize for Girls score
The application deadline is typically May 31. Check the official site for the current cycle’s exact date, as no late applications are accepted.
A low score in a second qualifying exam will not affect your application if you are above the cutoff in another qualifying exam. E.g. If your AMC 12A exam is above our cutoff this year but your AMC 10B score is below our cutoff this year, you will get an invitation from us.
Math Prize for Girls official website
How to Get into Math Prize for Girls
Math Prize for Girls is unusual in that its application doesn’t require essays or short answers. The core of your application is your AMC score, so the key to getting in is scoring as high as you can on either the AMC 10 or AMC 12.
The annual cutoff to be invited is a little higher than the AIME cutoff, which is roughly the top 2.5% of AMC 10 scorers and top 5% of AMC 12 scorers. It’s extremely selective. If you’re a hopeful, follow these steps.
Decide whether you’re taking the AMC 10 or 12
The American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) is one of the most prestigious high school math exams in the world. Top scorers are invited to the AIME, the intermediate exam between the AMC and the USA Mathematical Olympiad.
Image Credit: Mathematical Association of America
The AMC has two versions, the AMC 10 and AMC 12, both 25-question tests done in 75 minutes.
The AMC 10 is for tenth graders and below; the AMC 12 is for twelfth graders and below. The AMC 12 cutoff is generally lower, but the test is harder and covers more material.
The common advice online is to take the AMC 12 over the AMC 10, since competing against a smaller field outweighs the cost of learning the extra material, which usually isn’t too difficult.
Start prepping early
Whichever you choose, start preparing well in advance. The AMC is held annually around November, and regular registration closes in late October.
Competition math is a skill honed over months, if not years, of practice. If you’re just starting high school, good news: you already have the basics down from your core classes.
Build from there with foundational books, online classes, and videos. Then practice. Work through past AMC tests and pinpoint the areas that need more intuition. You don’t have to be a genius to do well in math competitions. Most people can do it, but few stick with the process.
Use every resource
Competition math has a thriving community, and with it a wealth of resources that veterans and active competitors have built over the years. Here are some good places to start your next (or first) practice session:
- Foundational books: Art of Problem Solving Volume 1: The Basics, Art of Problem Solving Volume 2: and Beyond, Modern Olympiad Number Theory, A Gentle Introduction to the American Invitational Mathematics Exam
- AMC 10 and AMC 12 problem datasets (from 2000 onward)
- Key formulas to memorize and get comfortable with
- Online courses and video series: AoPS AMC Problem Seminars, 3Blue1Brown
- AoPS online community (discussion and problem boards, other contests, and more)
Concluding Remarks
That’s the guide to Math Prize for Girls. But don’t stop here. Watch the video below for advice from an International Math Olympiad winner, the highest level of math competition.
Don’t be intimidated as you start practicing. Everyone begins somewhere. Hard work beats talent in the long run, so stay consistent. Best of luck!
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