Math Competitions Information

Harvey Mudd College participates in the annual Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM), the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM) and the Putnam Exam.

MCM/ICM Information

This contest is typically held in late January or early February over the course of four days. Rooms will be reserved for each team to use for the duration of the contest. Look out for the email in late December or early January!

Fun Fact! Many of our students do exceptionally well in the MCM/ICM Competition. In 2024, one team placed in the Top 18 out of 10,000 teams participating in the ICM. In 2025, two teams received honorable mention, one team received meritorious mention, and one team was designated as finalist for the MAA Award.

Important Links

  • The Contest Instructions
  • Contest Questions (Available after 2:00 PM PST, Thursday, January 29, 2026.)
  • The questions are also available from any of several mirror sites.
  • There is a LaTeX template available here.
    • Important Note on Submissions: Be sure not to mention your names, the name of your advisor(s), or the name of your school anywhere in your report. If you do, your team will be disqualified!

Putnam Exam

The Putnam Competition is an annual competition sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America, usually held the first Saturday in December. Students interested in taking it should watch for an e-mail announcing registration in the Fall. There’s also an associated problem-solving class called the Putnam Seminar (Math 93), whose goal is to have fun, but a side-benefit is preparing for the competition.

Fun Fact! In 2023, one of our students earned Honorable Mention for placing 49th overall. In addition, many students have placed in the Top 500.