Putnam exam

The Putnam exam is an annual math competition for undergraduate students in the US and Canada. It is widely considered to be the most prestigious university level mathematics competition in the world.

For any questions regarding the Putnam exam, please email the supervisor of the Putnam competition for CU Boulder, Professor Siddhant Agrawal (Siddhant.Agrawal@colorado.edu).

What is the format of the exam?

The exam consists of two 3 hour sessions separated by a 2 hour break. There are a total of 12 questions to be solved, 6 for each session. Each question is worth 10 points, for a total of 120 points.

When and where is the exam?

The 2026 Putnam exam will be held on Saturday, December 5, from 8:30am-11:30am and from 1:30pm-4:30pm in the room Math 170 in the Mathematics department. Free lunch will be provided during the 2 hour break to all students taking the exam.

Who can register for this exam?

Any regularly enrolled undergraduate student who has not yet received a college degree and has not participated in the competition four times is eligible. If you previously obtained an associate degree (i.e. a 2 year degree) then you are eligible to participate in the Putnam competition. The Putnam competition only disqualifies you if you have a (typically 4 year) Bachelor's degree (or equivalent). Note that you do not need to be a US citizen or permanent resident to register. You also do not need to be a math major/minor to participate. All undergraduate students at CU Boulder who are interested in mathematics are strongly encouraged to participate. For more details, see the official MAA website.

How do I register?

To register for the competition, please join the Putnam competition canvas course at the link below, for details on the registration process

https://canvas.colorado.edu/enroll/JHLEL7

This is a community canvas course and not an official CU Boulder course. This canvas course will also serve as the main source for announcements regarding the competition, such as information regarding the practice sessions and information regarding lunch/logistics on the competition day. It will also have some resources for you to prepare for the exam.

How difficult is the exam and how do I prepare for it?

See this website for past problems and solutions of the Putnam exam. The competition is considered very difficult and the median score is usually 0 or 1 out of a total of 120 points. So even if you fully solve only one problem out of the 12, you get a score of 10 which will be significantly higher than most other students. The first two problems in each session (namely problems A1, A2 and B1, B2 respectively) are usually easier than the rest of the problems and generally do not require knowledge of advanced undergraduate mathematics. So to prepare for the exam, one should first practice solving these problems.

We will be holding several practice sessions to prepare for the Putnam exam. Practice sessions will begin in the last week of September 2026. Please join the canvas course (link above) for announcements regarding the practice sessions.

Is there a prize for doing well and how did CU Boulder do in this exam previously?

The top 3 students from CU Boulder will receive a prize money of $250, $150 and $100 respectively. In 2025, 12 students took part in the Putnam competition from CU Boulder and the CU Boulder team ranking was 129. The top 3 students from CU Boulder were:

1) Tony Adams
2) Sami-ul Ahmed and Felix Kramarsky (tied)

Congratulations to everyone who participated and especially to the top 3 students!