Undergraduate mathematics; demanding, clever and non-typical problems intended to challenge even excellent students.
The competition is open only to regularly enrolled undergraduates, in colleges and universities of the United States and Canada, who have not yet received a college degree. No individual may participate in the competition more than four times. An eligible entrant who is also a high school student must be informed of this four time limit. A college or university with at least three registered entrants obtains a team rank through the positions achieved by three designated individual contestants. No collaboration or outside assistance is permitted during the examination. Each contestant, even if designated as a team member, must work independently on the examination questions. Please note that there are no provisions for “unofficial’ entrants. The local supervisor must be a regular faculty member.
Date for 2026: Saturday, December 5, 2026
The 87th Putnam Competition will take place on Saturday, December 5, 2026.
Please find more information about the competition at https://maa.org/putnam/
Starting in week 5, regular practice sessions will be held. For information about the time and location of the practice sessions, please send an email to Dr. Rooney.
All interested students are encouraged to attend these sessions. We will discuss all the relevant administrative details of the competition, including how to register, as well as practicing the skills necessary to perform well on the Putnam exam. Things to note:
For any questions, or to receive future emails about the Putnam exam, please send an email to Rooney at rooneyjp@mcmaster.ca.