MAT Problem Solving Competition

For more than 40 years, the Mathematical Association of Tasmania has conducted the MAT Problem Solving Competition for Tasmanian students in Years 7 to 12. In 2018, MAT extended the competition to include students in Years 5 and 6. Through this Competition, some outstanding Mathematics students have been identified. For other students, the competition has sparked an interest in Mathematics. The event consists of a set of mathematical problems which aim to test the student’s logic. There are normally 8 - 12 questions for each of the four divisions: Primary (5/6), Junior (7/8), Intermediate (9/10) and Senior (11/12) which are undertaken within a 2-hour time frame (1.5 hours for Primary).

The cost is $8 per student ($5 per student for members - members have received a promo code via email).

The questions are designed to elicit mathematical thinking and may require students to apply their mathematical skills to topics outside of the standard curriculum or to link different topics of mathematics together which are traditionally taught separately. Each question may require some experimentation and different approaches before a student makes significant headway.

For each question, students need to explain their reasoning and show their working (using English as well as Mathematics as necessary) to gain full marks. A correct answer with little or no working will receive few marks. Students may not be able to complete all questions fully in the time frame but they will receive a better mark if they answer some questions very well rather than many questions poorly.