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 2024 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 2023-24

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 10th, Saturday February 17th
Round 2 - Saturday April 13th, Wednesday April 17th, Saturday April 20th

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 not be admitted to the program in the Twin Cities; they will be admitted to the in-person Rochester program (if there are enough students to support an in-person class) or the online section (if they do not live near Rochester, but want to take the entrance exam there).

Testing dates:

Round 1 - Saturday February 17th
Round 2 - Saturday April 20th 

These exams will be proctored in person on the Rochester campus of the University of Minnesota.

Duluth Campus and Greater Minnesota

Although we believe UMTYMP works best in-person, we recognize that there are students throughout Minnesota who are not able to come to a University of Minnesota campus for an UMTYMP class.  (Conversely, not every UMN campus has enough students living nearby to support a in-person UMTYMP class).  In an effort to provide more opportunities to students in those areas, we are planning to launch an online version of UMTYMP in Fall 2024.  Priority in admission for this program will be given to students outside of the Twin Cities Metro area.  Although the classes will take place online, the qualifying exam must still be taken in person at one of the University's campuses.  Here are the scheduled testing date:

Testing Dates

Round 1

Crookston - Saturday, March 16th (10:00am)
Duluth - Saturday, March 2nd (10:00am)
Morris - Wednesday, March 6th (6:00pm)
Twin Cities- Saturday, February 17th (1:30pm)

Students from Greater Minnesota who live closer to the Twin Cities than Duluth, Crookston, or Morris can take the Round 1 exam in the Twin Cities, but should use the "Greater Minnesota" registration link below, and not the "regular" Twin Cities registration link.  Conversely, students in Greater Minnesota who want to take the exam in Rochester can use the normal Rochester registration links.

Similarly: students who do not qualify after Round 1, or who are not able to take a Round 1 exam, are eligible to take the Round 2 test in April on the Twin Cities campus.  They should use the "Greater Minnesota" registration link, and not the "regular" Twin Cities link.

Round 2

Twin Cities- Saturday, April 20th

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.

Two Example Equations for the Qualifying Exam

 

 

 

 

 

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.