The Princeton Math Club participates or has participated in the following undergraduate competitions:
William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
This is the premier U.S. / Canada undergraduate math exam, held annually on campus on the first Saturday of December. There is no limit on the number of students who may participate. The contest lasts 6 hours with a lunch break, and Princeton has historically performed very well.
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Virginia Tech Regional Mathematics Contest
This is the warm-up to the Putnam exam, easier in nature and lighter in time, held annually on campus in late October. The number of problems varies; it is typically 7. Many institutions use the Virginia Tech contest to pick the Putnam teams. Princeton has participated in this contest since 2007.
Mathematical Contest in Modeling
The MCM is the premier international math modeling contest, with over 1200 teams participating. The contest is held on campus in early February. Teams of three spend 5 days working on a given math modeling problem, and present their solution in paper format. Past problems have included modeling earthquake flood damage in South Carolina, minimizing toll booth traffic, and designing fair congressional districts in New York State.
International Mathematics Competition for University Students
The IMC is an international proof-based math competition held during the summer in various Eastern European universities. Traditionally, Princeton has been the only American university to participate. Universities compete as a team, and individuals are awarded in an IMO-like Medal structure. The team score is scored as the top three individual scores plus the average for the entire team.
South Eastern European Mathematical Olympiad for University Students With International Participation
SEEMOUS is a top-level IMO-style international math competition for current freshmen and sophomores where there are both university-level awards like the IMC and country-level awards like the IMO. Universities may send a team of 6, and in the case that a national team isn’t announced, the top 6 scores from a given country will be used as the country score.
Garden State Undergraduate Mathematics Conference
The Garden State Undergraduate Mathematics Competition is held concurrently with the annual NJ state MAA conference, which alternates among various New Jersey universities. The contest is regional in nature, with a team round and individual round.