About

ARML's format is unlike any other high school mathematics competition. Teams of exactly 15 students — drawn from a geographic region rather than a single school — compete across four rounds: a 20-minute Team Round, a proof-based Power Question completed collaboratively over one hour, five Individual Rounds of short-answer problems, and a fast-paced Relay Round requiring answers to pass sequentially between teammates. No calculators are permitted in any round. Problems span algebra, geometry, number theory, combinatorics, and probability at a difficulty level generally above AIME — though calculus is never required. The competition takes place simultaneously at five university sites across the US, with all teams solving identical problems on the same day.

Entry is not through individual application. Students earn spots on regional teams through local and state-level tryouts organized by their region's ARML coordinator — meaning the selection process varies significantly by geography. States with deep competitive math communities are correspondingly harder to make. Travel and lodging costs, typically $240–$345 depending on region, are the student's or school's responsibility, though many districts provide funding.

ARML is the right competition for a student who has moved beyond individual math contests and wants the specific experience of high-level collaborative problem-solving — but making the regional team first requires demonstrating you belong among your state's strongest mathematical minds.