A cartoon depiction of a kangaroo writing in a notebook while sitting on the grass in front of Wean Hall.

CMU Welcomes Young Problem Solvers for 2026 Math Kangaroo Competition

By Amy Pavlak Laird Email Amy Pavlak Laird

Heidi Opdyke

On Thursday, March 19, more than 100 local elementary, middle and high school students will visit 好色先生TV鈥檚 campus for one reason 鈥� to voluntarily take a math test. For these students, problem solving isn鈥檛 a chore. It鈥檚 a joy.聽

For the third year, Carnegie Mellon is serving as a host site for the 2026 Math Kangaroo competition, an international event that invites students to put their mathematical thinking skills to the test.聽

Math Kangaroo, which began in Australia in the 1980s, aims to spark a love of mathematics while strengthening creative problem solving and critical thinking skills. CMU operates as a public center where any student in the region can register and complete the competition questions in person.聽

鈥淭his competition is about more than math 鈥� it鈥檚 about creating a space where students can build friendships, have fun and feel connected to a community of kids who share their interests,鈥� said Boris Bukh, professor of mathematical sciences and director of center since 2023.聽

Piotr Hajlasz, who ran the Math Kangaroo program at the University of Pittsburgh from 2007-2020, said the problems don鈥檛 require special math skills beyond what鈥檚 learned in school, but they are nothing like the run-of-the-mill problems the students normally tackle in class. Depending on the grade level, problems might focus on everything from visual problems to logic puzzles.聽

On competition day, students have 75 minutes to solve 30 problems (or 24 problems for grades K-4). The tests are then evaluated nationally. Students with the 10 best scores in each grade level are recognized, earning awards, scholarships and invitations to advanced mathematics competitions. Last year, 17 students from CMU鈥檚 center received awards.聽

Organizing a large competition like Math Kangaroo requires a dedicated team. Bukh noted that several graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from CMU鈥檚 Department of Mathematical Sciences volunteer their time to help ensure the event runs smoothly.聽

Tolson Bell, a fifth year Ph.D. student in the Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization program, is volunteering for the third time. He remembers with fondness the math contests he did in elementary school and in high school, and he鈥檚 quick to point out how much those competitions shaped him.聽

鈥淭hat was very important to me loving and eventually choosing to become a math Ph.D. student,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he No. 1 purpose is just for kids to see and do math that they enjoy and see math as a positive, fun thing.鈥澛�

For more information about Math Kangaroo, including sample questions and practice materials, visit the .