Putnam Competition
The Putnam Exam is justifiably famous as the premier mathematics competition for undergraduates in the US and Canada. It is also a lot of fun! Brandeis students usually participate, and if you are an undergrad you are very welcome to give it a try or at least come to the department's practice sessions.
The exam itself takes place every year in individual university math departments on the first Saturday of December, with accommodations for those students who observe Shabbat.
Officially known as the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, "the Putnam" began in 1938 as a friendly match-up between math departments of different colleges and universities. These days, literally thousands of students get involved—from Mexico, Canada, and the USA, including Brandeis University. What you’ll find is a variety of tricky problems and puzzles like these.
To get ready, all Brandeis undergrads are invited to join the math department practice sessions twice a week in the fall months leading up to the exam. (You don’t have to even take the exam if you don’t want to!) Please keep an eye on your email in September for announcements about when and where to come for practice sessions. Come join, everyone, and give it a try.
In this video, Brandeis PhD student Tudor Popescu talks about what to expect and how to get ready.