What is SMT?

SMT is one of the largest and most prestigious high school competitions in the world, attracting over 2300 students from around the globe in 2024. Of these students, 800 from the United States attended the competition in person. The entire competition is run by students from Stanford, and it is supported by the university's undergraduate math organization as well as its mathematics department

When is SMT going to be hosted?

Optional social activities will happen on Friday, April 11, 2025 while the competition will occur the next day on Saturday, April 12, 2025

Where is SMT going to be hosted?

All events will occur at Stanford University (450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA)

How hard are the problems at SMT?

Comparable to harder AMC 12 questions, mid-range AIME questions, and in some cases, introductory US(J)AMO problems

How is the competition organized?

The tournament consists of a general round, individual round, team round, power round, and guts round.

General Round

The General Round consists of 25 short-answer questions which are to be completed in 110 minutes. This round will consist of problems from a variety of math disciplines.

Individual Round

The Individual Round consists of subject tests in Algebra, Calculus, Discrete Math, and Geometry (each 10 short-answer questions). You pick 2 of them to complete in 50 minutes

Team Round

In the Team Round, teams of 5-6 work together to solve a 15-question test in 50 minutes. The questions are short-answer and scale in difficulty.

Power Round

The Power Round is a similarly proof-based team round where teams prove foundational results in a unique topic, tied together by a common theme. This round takes 80 minutes to complete.

Guts Round

The Guts round is a fast-paced team round with 80 minutes for 27 short answer questions, divided into sets of 3, each set getting higher in difficulty. Teams send a "runner" to submit the current set and receive a new one. Grading is done simultaneously with a live scoreboard displayed during the round.

How many people are there on each team?

5-6 people

What if I don’t make the TMC team?

No worries! You still have 2 opportunities to compete.

You can apply to attend the competition in-person as an individual competitor, and if you are accepted, you will be put on a team with other individual competitors near Tennessee. However, it is harder to get accepted as an individual competitor.

Also, you can register to take the competition online, and EVERYBODY is accepted! This is the registration link: https://www.stanfordmathtournament.com/competitions/smt-2025-online

Are there any requirements for me to apply to be part of one of TMC’s SMT teams?

No! Students of all math levels and locations are welcome to apply. However, team member selections will be mostly based on competition math experience and results