Founded in 2024, the Nueva Math Tournament (NMT) is an annual math competition organized and hosted entirely by members of the Nueva Math Club. Each spring, we invite middle schoolers from across the Bay Area to The Nueva School's San Mateo campus to compete in individual and team rounds covering a range of topics and difficulty levels. Whether you're a first-time competitor or a seasoned mathlete, NMT offers an exciting environment to test your skills and connect with other mathematicians. We hope our competition can foster a love for problem-solving and create a supportive community where students can grow and thrive in mathematics!
The competition lasts from 4:30pm to 9:30pm and consists of an individual round, a puzzle round, and a team round. Participants are provided a pizza dinner, and we also offer activities and tiebreakers between the final round and the award ceremony. Participation costs $10 per student, which will be handled shortly after registration and is to be paid by the participating school/organization. Each team must have a responsible adult (coach or parent) on site for the duration of the contest. One coach can be responsible for two teams, but if a school is bringing more than two teams, they need to bring enough adults to have one adult for every two teams.
Below is a general outline of the tournament day, although exact times may shift slightly as we finalize logistics.
Teams arrive, check in, and get settled. Coaches are responsible for managing all of their team members.
Doors close immediately following our opening remarks regarding the competition's format and rules.
45-minute test; each competitor works independently on the test provided, which contains 20 problems.
Teams work together on a creative, non-standard challenge. Format varies each year.
Participants can choose between cheese or pepperoni pizza.
Teams collaborate on a shared problem set containing ten questions.
Head-to-head rounds for top individual scorers while all other participants engage in fun activities.
Additional time available for any last-minute preparations or activities needed.
Top finishers in Individual, Team, and Puzzle rounds receive medals and certificates!
We design our tournament problems after other middle school contests such as AMC 8, MathCounts, and Math Kangaroo. We've received feedback that our problems are slightly too difficult, and are working to strike a better balance in future competitions to ensure an enjoyable experience for all participants, regardless of their prior math background. Nonetheless, we have attached past tests here for reference and practice for future competitors who are looking for an extra challenge!
Each year, we reward the top 3 scores in each category with awards and certificates. Below are the results from previous competitions; congratulations to all the amazing mathletes who participated!