1. What is the High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM)?
High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling, more commonly known as HiMCM, is an international virtual math contest for high school students to collaborate in teams, developing skills in mathematical modeling, problem-solving, and technical writing. MidMCM is the middle school version of the contest, open to participants aged 14½ or younger. Hosted by the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP), HiMCM is a highly competitive math competition for high school students. Students collaborate in small teams to solve a real-world problem, draft a comprehensive report, and submit it for judging—all within a 14-day timeframe. Last year, 1,055 teams (comprising over 4,000 students) from locations ranging from China to New York participated, including teams from prestigious private high schools like Tabor Academy, which won the HiMCM Outstanding Award.
How it works
First, form teams of four students with classmates from your high school. Second, choose either Problem A or Problem B. It’s ok if you don’t finish the problem, as you’ll earn points for partial solutions. Third, solve the selected problem within 14 days, following contest participant guidelines. Fourth, prepare a max. 25-page written report including a 1-page Summary Sheet, Table of Contents (recommended), references list, notes pages, and appendices (optional). You may use AI responsibly and cite it in a Report on Use of AI page, not included in the 25-page count. Other citations use footnotes, endnotes, or in-line documentation. Finally, submit your PDF report online to COMAP for judging. Your report must be in a minimum 12-point font size, and your file should be under 20 MB. Title your file with your team’s control number (e.g., 1234.pdf). Before you submit, review all details.
2. Is HiMCM prestigious?
Yes, but HiMCM is not one of the most well-known competitions for high school prodigy mathematicians. Check out other prestigious math contests for high school students.
However, it is not enough on its own to get you into a top-tier school. First, it depends on the level of award you receive. Outstanding Winners are in the top 1% of participating teams, Finalists in the top 5-6%, Meritorious in the top 14-16%, and Honorable Mention only in the top 24-28%. Meritorious or Honorable Mention may not be enough to impress top-tier universities. Additionally, Outstanding Winners and Finalists, aiming for math-related majors such as Physics, Economics, Applied Math, etc. at Ivy League and similar schools, have been shown to need more accolades for an acceptance letter.
3. Who Is Eligible to Enter Himcm?
All high school students across the world are invited to enter the High School Mathematical Competition in Modeling. HiMCM requires all four students in each team to be from the same school. There is no age limit or minimum as long as the participant is enrolled in high school. Each team must have a faculty advisor from their school. There is no limit to the number of teams a school can send to the competition.
For MidMCM, middle school students and high school students younger than 14½ can participate in the Middle School Mathematical Competition in Modeling. Middle school students who feel confident in their abilities may participate in the HiMCM instead of MidMCM.
4. HiMCM 2025 Dates
The 28th HiMCM contest will be held Nov 5 – Nov 18, 2025.
Registration opens in September. Review the registration guide and sign up your team at www.himcmcontest.org in September.
Registration Deadline: 2:00 pm EST Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Contest Results: The results will be posted on or before February 2026.
Price
$100 Registration Fee
5. HiMCM Past Problems
HiMCM consistently provides innovative, complex, and exciting math modeling challenges for students to test their creativity. Previous problems have included “Drone Clusters as Sky Light Displays: Design an Aerial Drone Light Show,” “Swim, Bike, and Run: Minimize Congestion and Road Closures for a Triathlon,” and “Art Gallery Security: Determine Most Secure Configuration for an Art Exhibit.” See all HiMCM 2024 past problems, HiMCM 2023 past problems, HiMCM 2022 past problems, and view all previous HiMCM problems. Some problems will include a corresponding data set available for download as an Excel file.
6. Why You Should Participate in HiMCM and Prizes
Different from other popular math competitions such as the AMC American Mathematics Competition, the HiMCM isn’t a simple test of knowledge and memorization with multiple choice/short answer questions.
Instead, what sets HiMCM apart and makes it extra challenging and rewarding is that high-achieving students need creativity and a deep understanding of mathematical modeling concepts that go beyond knowledge and into real-world application of math skills learned in the classroom. The questions are never-before-seen problems with no one right answer, and it’s up to the team of students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills to develop a unique solution. Doing well in HiMCM requires much more extensive preparation than repetitively solving practice questions and scoring high on math exams; it requires out-of-the-box thinking, imagination, and connectedness to the community.
With its innovative and hands-on approach to math contests, HiMCM is a more exciting and fun opportunity to apply your math skills in a novel setting, as well as to learn from your peers. Whether you win an award to showcase in your college application or not, your experience collaborating with a team of diverse intelligent minds, tackling challenges that occur throughout the two weeks, and thinking about realistic applications of math will surely provide a compelling story to share in an application essay or interview.
7. HiMCM Competition Winners and Finalists
8. Prepare for HiMCM with Aralia Education
A HiMCM Outstanding Essay has an organized structure with concise writing, clear points, and supporting figures. Your report will be judged on your team’s thought process, problem analysis, modeling strategies, and mathematical methods used. Teams should restate the problem if needed, define variables, assumptions, and hypotheses, and provide a thorough problem analysis that justifies their chosen model. They should detail the model design, discuss its strengths and weaknesses, suggest testing methods, and summarize key computations within the main text, placing longer calculations in appendices. Conclusions should be clear, with results explicitly reported and all resources thoroughly documented.
Industry-leading online class provider Aralia Education can help you prepare for HiMCM! Check out our HiMCM prep class with a team of expert instructors carefully selected from the best high schools in the country. This online class will walk you through each necessary step to learn math modeling skills, practice thinking creatively, and craft a tight, eloquent written report. Learn more.
