The Qualifying Quiz is the centerpiece of the Mathcamp application.
It's a set of 5–10 problems, designed to be fun, challenging, and thought-provoking for you, and to give us a good read on how you think about math. We assume no background outside of the standard high-school curriculum, but the problems are anything but standard: you'll have to think hard to solve them. (And while all of your mathematical experience will be helpful, the Quiz is not designed like a contest, so you do not have to be a top scorer on competitions in order to solve these problems.) If the problems stick with you, nag you in the shower, and make you want to learn more, then that's a good indication that the classes at Mathcamp will be fun for you.
The 2025 Qualifying Quiz is not yet available; it will be posted January 10. It will be similar in format and difficulty to previous Mathcamp Qualifying Quizzes, so we invite you to check out the problems from past years. If you would like to receive an email when the Quiz is posted, you may join our updates list.