The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition® is the preeminent mathematics competition for undergraduate college students in the United States and Canada. The Putnam Competition takes place annually on the first Saturday of December. The competition consists of two 3-hour sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. During each session, participants work individually on six challenging mathematical problems.

The Putnam began in 1938 as a competition between mathematics departments at colleges and universities. Now, the competition has grown to be the leading university-level mathematics examination in the world. Although participants work independently on the problems, the competition has a team aspect. Prizes are awarded to the participants with the highest scores and to the departments of mathematics of the five institutions, the sum of whose top three scores is the greatest.

This year, the 84th Putnam competition will be on Saturday, Dec. 2. The first session will be from 10am to 1pm, and the second session will be from 3-6pm. Pizza will be available in the interval, and friends and fans are welcome to offer support and share pizza.

Eligibility

The Putnam Competition is open only to actively enrolled undergraduate students who have not yet received a bachelor’s degree. No student may participate in the competition more than four times (not counting the unofficial 81st Putnam competition).

Registration

VCU students can use the below link to register for the Putnam Competition proctored at VCU.

Register Here

Once you have filled out the Official Student Registration Form from Putnam please also fill out the Putnam Competition Registration Google Form so that we can confirm your application.