How to Join UMTYMP
See the About UMTYMP page for information about the program, and the UMTYMP FAQ for general questions about admissions and eligibility. Each spring, students can apply to start UMTYMP in the fall, either in Algebra I or Calculus I. It is not possible to start in UMTYMP Algebra II, Geometry or Math Analysis (PreCalculus.)
Students in grades 7-9 who will have completed the "traditional" high school curriculum by the end of the school year (Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, PreCalculus with Trigonometry, or equivalent courses) can take our Calculus Qualifying Exam in May. Contact our office directly by mid-April to register for this exam.
The vast majority of students join UMTYMP in Algebra I. Each year about 900 students apply to UMTYMP Algebra and take our Algebra Qualifying Exam; all students in grades 5-7 are eligible to take the exam. We generally accept about 150 students in the Twin Cities, and about 25 each in Duluth and Rochester.
UMTYMP Algebra Qualifying Exam
Students who wish to begin UMTYMP Algebra in the fall must take the qualifying exam in the spring.
The cost of the exam in Spring 2023 will be $70 per attempt. This includes both the exam and access to a Canvas preparation site. There will be no preparatory class as there has been in some past years. Scholarships for students with financial need are available. Please contact the office if the exam fee is a hardship.
Testing Schedule for 2022-23
Students may take our entrance exams a maximum of two times per year.
Twin Cities Campus
We will have testing dates in both February and April. Students who take the exam in February but are not admitted will have the opportunity to register to take the exam again in April if they desire. This retake is an additional $70 charge. Students taking a February exam should not register for an April exam until they learn about admission results from the February tests.
Testing dates:
Round 1 - Saturday February 11th, Saturday February 18th
Round 2 - Saturday April 22rd, Wednesday April 26th, Saturday April 29th
These exams will be proctored in person on the Twin Cities University of Minnesota Campus.
Rochester Campus
We will have February and April testing dates in Rochester. Students who take the exam in February but are not admitted will have the opportunity to register to take the exam again in April if they desire. This retake is an additional $70 charge. Students taking a February exam should not register for an April exam until they learn about admission results from the February tests.
Students who take the exam in Rochester will only be admitted to the program in Rochester.
Testing dates:
Test 1 - Saturday February 18th
Test 2 - Saturday April 15th
These exams will be proctored in person on the Rochester University of Minnesota Campus.
Duluth Campus and Outlying Minnesota
There is a possibility we may be running a hybrid online course for students in Duluth and outlying Minnesota.
We may not know if we have resources to run this program until much later in the year.
Information about the Exam
What is on the UMTYMP Algebra Qualifying Exam?
This 50-question test is a specialized aptitude examination built on pre-algebra mathematics knowledge. A good mastery of elementary and junior high school mathematics is expected, and innate problem-solving skills and strategies are essential. The exam stresses accuracy, understanding, and speed.
Two sample questions are shown below. In each problem, students are given two quantities, labeled (a) and (b), and are asked to determine whether:
- (a) is greater than (b),
- (b) is greater than (a),
- they are equal, or
- there is not enough information to say.
Speed is important on the exam; students have an average of 30 seconds to solve each of these questions.
How can I study for the Algebra Qualifying Exam?
It would be very difficult to study for the exam, since it measures speed and reasoning skills more than any particular area of mathematics. The most we can offer is the UMTYMP practice test resources described above, in which students learn about the testing process and work with University faculty members to develop their reasoning skills and test-taking strategies. Experience has shown that this kind of information can reduce a student's anxiety about the test, which can (but may not always) lead to an increased score.