Stanford Math Tournament 2023

Overview

DATE: April 8, 2023
LOCATION: Stanford University
WHO: High School students residing within the United States
TEAM SIZE: 5-6
COST: $15 per student (Financial aid available upon request!)

Note for International Students: Please visit this page.


Application Information

For SMT 2023, Stanford University policy limits us to 42 teams of 5-6 students from the United States in-person at Stanford’s campus. As such, we are now accepting applications for in-person participation from United States based schools and established mathematical organizations. We will not be accepting individual applications or applications for teams of size less than 5. All teams who don’t want to travel or are international should participate in our online tournaments.

We will be accepting 25 teams from within the Bay Area (defined as within 150 mi of Stanford University), and 17 are from other domestic locations. Of these, 10 Bay Area teams and 7 Domestic teams will be merit-based - selected on performance in previous year’s and other relevant tournaments, and the rest will be selected based on a lottery system. Note, depdendent on interest, we may cap the number of teams participating from an individual organization to 2. The remaining teams will not be allowed to come in person and should participate in the online tournament happening on April 9, 2023.

Do note that these selection criteria are not final and may change as we look for a set of criteria that make sense to promote both diversity and competition for this year and future ones. Decisions made by SMT Organizers are final and non-negotiable.

Registration Timeline

February 13, 2023: In-person application form opens here
March 12, 2023 at 11:59 PM PT: Application deadline
March 16, 2023: Announcement of teams selected for in-person competition
March 22, 2023: Deadline for selected teams to register on Eventbrite
March 29, 2023: Deadline for proof of travel and housing.
April 1, 2023: Deadline for student waiver submission.
April 8, 2023: SMT tournament day

Contest Schedule

Tournament Schedule (8:00 AM-6:00 PM PT)
TimeEvent
8:00 AM-8:30 AMEvent Checkin
8:30 AM-9:00 AMOpening Ceremony
9:10 AM-10:40 AMPower Round (80 min)
10:40 AM-11:40 AMTeam Round (50 min)
11:40 AM-12:30 PMLunch Break (50 min)
12:30 PM-2:30 PMIndividual Round(s)
2:30 PM-4:00 PMGuts Round (80 min)
5:30 PM-6:00 PMAward Ceremony

*Schedule subject to change. Note that there is built-in buffer time to explain instructions and assist with technical difficulties.*


Test Information

The Power Round is a 80-minute exam focused on proof-writing. The content of the test focuses on a single subject matter that is usually significantly different from traditional competitive math problems.

The Team Round is a 50-minute exam consisting of 15 short answer questions.

The Guts Round is an 80 minute team exam consisting of 9 series of 3 questions each, whereby teams must submit answers to a previous round in order to gain access to the next. Subsequent rounds are both harder and worth more points than previous rounds.

For the individual portion, students may choose to take two subject tests in a specific topic or take a single, longer General Test.

The Individual Round(s) are the rounds taken independent of your teams.

COVID-19 Policy

Proof of Vaccination and Proof of Negative COVID test within 24 hours of the start of the program are required. Students looking to request exemption from this protocol would have to email protectminors@stanford.edu.

FAQ

Q: How many students may be on a team?

A: Teams must consist of 5-6 members. Teams with less or more students will not be accepted.

Q: Can I participate in SMT remotely?

A: Yes, see the SMT Online and SMT Asyncronous Pages.

Q: Do students on the same team have to be from the same school or established mathematical organization?

A: Yes, students must be from the same school or mathematical organization.

Q: What schools or organizations can participate in SMT?

A: SMT 2023 will be open to all domestic students from US-based schools or organizations.

Q: Can international teams participate in SMT? If so, how do they register?

A: Yes, but they must participate in SMT Online or SMT Asyncronous - see that page for more details.

Q: Are calculators allowed?

A: No. Calculators are not allowed on any portion of the tests. Check the SMT rules for information on permitted items.

Q: What topics may appear on the tests? How hard are the tests?

A: See the mathematical expectations document for guidelines on what topics may appear on each test. It is also advisable to look at the test from previous years in order to get a sense of the typical style and difficulty of SMT tests.

Q: Which individual test should I take?

A: If you have little or no experience with contest math, we strongly recommend you take the General Test. Looking at past tests will help you get a sense of the difficulty of each test.

Q: Do we need to have a teacher or coach attend SMT in person?

A: Yes, you must have at least one authorized adult chaperone present per team.

Q: Can I use the problems from previous SMT tests listed below in my classroom/book/etc?

A: Yes! Feel free to use these problems provided you cite us in the format (Stanford Math Tournament [Year] [Round] [Problem #])