Questions about Rules and How the Challenge Works
How does the 14-hour time limit work?
The total timeframe for an M3 Challenge weekend is 6:00 a.m. Friday through 11:00 p.m. on Monday, EST. Teams will work in or convert their local time to Eastern Standard Time and download the problem anytime over Challenge weekend to begin their consecutive 14 hours of work time. Once the clock starts, it cannot be paused; students should download the problem with at least 14 hours before the firm end of Challenge weekend to have use of the full 14 hours allowed.
What is required of a coach?
Coaches will need to do the following:
- Register the team.
- Share login credentials with the team members and parents/guardians.
- Advise parents/guardians that they need to log in to provide consent for participation for students younger than 18 years old.
That’s all that is required; coaches need not be present while the students are competing. Beyond that, coaches can be involved as they like in helping the team prepare for the Challenge. Some coaches go over past problems and discuss strategies. Some help students secure a space where they can work and help coordinate food and snacks. Other coaches let the students take the lead on preparation. It’s your call!
What level of math (or statistics) should students possess/what classes must they have taken?
We do not specify what classes should have been taken or what levels attained to compete. Challenge problems are posed so that students of varying levels can use the math tools in their own personal arsenal – use what they know – and all teams can accomplish something. Judges value well-explained solutions that use simple math over solutions that contain complexity but no justification for why that complexity was needed. We encourage all eligible students who are motivated to compete to form teams!
Can we use ChatGPT or similar AI technology?
We recognize there is much curiosity, concern and uncertainty about the use of AI tools. ChatGPT is not sophisticated enough to provide a strong answer to any of the questions we ask. When we asked ChatGPT to answer prior years’ questions, it did not produce results that would earn any level of distinction. Hence, teams are advised not to rely exclusively on ChatGPT or similar AI technology to answer the questions. That said, we do not exclude it as a tool teams can use if they want to. Teams that use AI tools must cite and acknowledge their use per the rules and guidelines.
Must both teams at my school work together and use the same window of time to work during Challenge weekend?
Each team can work whatever time interval they choose during the Challenge weekend time frame. Two teams at the same school do not need to work at the same time, and should work independently of each other if they do work at the same time.
Do all team members need to be in the same location while working?
M3 Challenge does not require team members to physically work in the same location. They may work remotely using online collaboration tools.
My school is on break/the dates do not work for us to participate.
As you might imagine with an international contest, it is impossible to find dates that work for every single school. We attempt to find dates that work best for the most, and can be aligned for judging and awards to be done prior to AP exams, end of terms, etc. Not an easy task! We encourage you and your students to consider participation anyway. When you read the official rules and guidelines you will see that, among other things:
- There are roughly four days to choose from for the 14-hour work time.
- Teams can work from any location they choose, and team members don’t all have to be in the same place while they work.
- Coaches are not required (by M3 Challenge) to be physically with or near the team during Challenge weekend.
Issues related to logging in
Where do I go to log in with my team credentials?
Click on “Login” in the upper right area of the home page.
I don’t have/know my password (but have my team ID number).
Go to https://m3challenge.siam.org/ and click “Login” in the upper right area of the home page, then “forgot password” below the login button to go to a screen where you can enter your team ID # and any email address that exists in the team record to receive the password in an emailed message.
I don’t have/know my team ID number.
Students and coaches received registration confirmation emails with the team ID # and password. Search your inbox for this subject line: “You Have Been Successfully Added to Team # [team_id] for M3 Challenge”.
Login isn’t working.
Please be sure to enter the password exactly as provided (passwords are case sensitive and cannot be changed). We suggest that you copy and paste it and be sure not to grab an extraneous space at the end of the password when copying it.
After five failed login attempts, you will be locked out for one hour. You can:
- Try another device – the lockout is IP-specific.
- Wait an hour to get started.
Registration Questions
When will registration open/website be updated?
Each year we aim to open registration and have the site completely updated for that academic/Challenge year by early November. Please sign up to get email alerts so that you receive important M3 Challenge notices.
We have an amazing 9th grader, 10th grader, year 10 student (insert anything here other than what the Rules and Guidelines allow). Can they participate?
No. Sorry, no exceptions are made to the rules.
Can I coach two teams from my school?
Yes, if your school enters two teams, the same individual may coach both teams. The teams may train and prepare together but must work independently on the M3 Challenge weekend.
If you’re trying to register two teams, you will need to log out of the first team’s account before you can register the second team.
What costs are involved in participating in M3 Challenge?
There is no cost to register or participate; teams need only have internet access.
Finalist teams’ expenses to travel to NYC and present their papers (flight, hotel, ground transportation, per diem) are paid by the Challenge. A team consists of the students, their teacher-coach, and one (optional) additional chaperone. See travel and expense guidelines.
I entered incorrect data when I registered. What do I do now?
You can update or edit your team’s registration information by logging in at mym3challenge.siam.org. The Team Profile page allows you to edit data, as does the Team Members page, where you can view, edit, and even swap out student participants as needed.
I need instructions for parent/guardian consent.
Here are some quick instructions you can provide to parents/guardians:
- Log in mym3challenge.siam.org with shared team credentials.
- Click on “Team Members.”
- Find the student’s name and click the blue “edit/consent” button.
- Read through the consent statement statement and acknowledge that you have read the consent by checking the box below the consent statement and entering your name.
- Please indicate (optional) ethnicity of the student.
Why do you need student email addresses?
It is important for all M3 participants to receive email messages leading up to, during, and after Challenge so they don’t miss important and helpful information.
We are not eligible to participate (due to age/location/other). What can I do with my students to give them real-world math experience?
Check out these fun resources on the M3 Challenge website:
- Practice problems (with discussions appended) and the archive of past problems (with outstanding solutions)
- Handbooks that give great insight on the modeling process – freely available to download or view online in their entirety
- Tons of videos
I am an international student or an undocumented student with work authorization under DACA. Can I participate?
Yes, but only if you meet all eligibility requirements. See complete rules and guidelines.
Do you ever sell student or coach contact info?
No, student and coach information is never sold to anyone. SIAM is a non-profit, mission-based organization and our involvement in M3 Challenge is to encourage students to study and pursue careers in applied math and other STEM areas. If opportunities arise that are consistent with that goal, we will consider passing them on to students. WE DO NOT RELEASE OR SHARE EMAIL ADDRESS LISTS – if we determine that an opportunity is of value to our audience, we will vet and transmit the information ourselves.
I only work part-time at the school (or I am retired). Can I still coach?
You are eligible to coach a team of students as long as you have permission from the school to coach the team.
Can we have 3 (or more) teams from our school?
No, each eligible school may currently only enter up to two teams of juniors and/or seniors or sixth form students. The same person can coach both teams, or each team can have its own coach.
Questions during Challenge Weekend
We are having issues downloading the problem.
Make sure you’re logged in to MyM3. When you click “The Problem” on the right-hand side of the MyM3 page, you must click the button that says, “Click to Indicate You Have Read the Above” before you are able to download the problem.
I have questions about the problem/how to solve the problem.
Please read the problem and the rules and guidelines on the M3 Challenge website and make decisions and interpretations based on your best understanding of what it asks. Many teams restate their interpretation of the question to make sure it’s clear how they understood the problem.
You can use any resources available to you, with one exception: during Challenge weekend, team members may not discuss any aspect of the problem with, nor seek help from via any means or method, the coach or anyone other than their teammates. This includes asking questions or posing the problem for humans to comment on or provide advice.
If you find a solution to the problem you are trying to solve, you may use it so long as you include a citation, demonstrate a depth of understanding of the solution, and expand upon it with your own work.
When one person downloads the problem on the team’s login page on Challenge day, can the problem be viewed or downloaded on other devices as well? In other words, can team members each be logged in and viewing the problem on separate devices on Challenge day simultaneously?
Yes, that absolutely is possible to do. Keep in mind that the first download of the problem will start your 14-hour clock, so don’t peek at the problem until all team members are ready.
Do the table of contents and appendices count toward the page count?
Any code, appendix, or reference page(s) will not count toward the suggested 20-page limit. Complete information about formatting your paper is available within the rules and guidelines. A solution paper template (in Microsoft Word) is provided for teams who want that head start. Don’t forget to convert to PDF before uploading.
Will you keep all of our uploaded/partial papers from throughout the day?
It is recommended that you upload throughout the day to practice the process and have the latest version submitted. Every upload during your Challenge work time completely overwrites any previous upload. The last upload during your Challenge work time will be your final and complete submission of record.
We just submitted our paper – did you get it?
Team members should check the “Upload Solution” page. A table will display a “View Latest Upload” link and your file name. If it does not match, or if it is not displayed in a table/box like the one below upload it again. Make sure that after browsing and selecting your solution paper file that you click on the “Submit Solution” button.
You can click “View latest upload” on this same “Upload Solution” page. Check confirmation emails with the subject line “Solution uploaded” – this confirms your submission and whether or not you checked the “Technical Computing” box. If you find that your paper did not get uploaded, email your paper to [email protected] IMMEDIATELY, with the subject line “M3 Challenge Solution: Team #XXXXX”. We will be able to accept a paper that is emailed immediately upon expiration of time.
The upload is taking too long.
Please reload the page. You can re-upload if you need to, just remember to click the “Submit Solution” button.
We realized we submitted a document that isn’t a PDF.
We will do our best to accept your Word (or other format) solution. While we attempt to convert any papers to PDF, corrupt files or files that we are unable to convert to PDF will not be judged.
We forgot to check the box for our paper to be considered for the Technical Computing Award.
Check the latest confirmation email with the subject line “Solution uploaded” to confirm whether or not your team checked the “Technical Computing” box.
If you did not check the “Technical Computing” box, send an email with subject line “FORGOT TO CHECK TECHNICAL COMPUTING: Team #XXXXX” to [email protected] and let us know that you want to be considered for the Technical Computing Award but did not check the box. This must be done by the end of the day on Tuesday following Challenge weekend.
We have a power outage.
Can you go somewhere else? Are any hot spots available? Get the paper to us at the earliest possible time with note re: power outage. If the deadline has passed, email it to us at [email protected] with the paper as an attachment and include team ID # as the only identifier on it. Please include the subject line “M3 Challenge Solution: Team #XXXXX”. Unfortunately, accommodations cannot be made for these circumstances (see the next question). If submitted within 24 hours of Challenge end time, your paper will still be judged and receive feedback but will not be eligible for prizes.
Questions about extending working time due to snow/extreme weather.
MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge, SIAM, and MathWorks are not responsible for local weather conditions, power or Internet outages, pandemic or disease spread and related common sense actions, or any other situation or circumstance that would prevent a potential team from registering, or from fully participating in the Challenge, (including, for example, by preventing the submission of a paper during or IMMEDIATELY following their selected Challenge work time) or that prevents normal M3 Challenge processes or procedures from occurring (including for example, cancellation or replacement of the final event). No accommodations can be made for teams if such unfortunate circumstances were to occur during registration or at any time during the Challenge, up through and including final event. If submitted late but within 24 hours of Challenge end time, your paper will still be judged and receive feedback, but to be fair to all teams, it will not be eligible for prizes.
We missed the deadline/we can no longer use the upload function on the site/we are locked out.
Email your paper to [email protected] IMMEDIATELY, with the subject line “M3 Challenge Solution: Team #XXXXX”. We will be able to accept a paper that is emailed immediately upon expiration of time.
Can I get help from, speak to, or email M3 Challenge staff during Challenge weekend?
Only during EST weekday business hours that fall within Challenge weekend. Currently these are:
Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. EST
Monday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. EST
Other Questions
Can I submit a problem that might be used in the Challenge or as a practice problem?
Yes – we welcome problem ideas for consideration. There is a form or you can email your problem idea, in a format in line with previous Challenge or practice problems, to [email protected].
When submitting a request for software access, it is stated that a “team leader or faculty advisor” must submit the request. Is the team leader a participating student chosen by the team or the equivalent of a faculty advisor?
It should be the faculty advisor unless the student team leader is 18+ years old.
How do I apply for your scholarships?
There is no application for scholarships. M3 Challenge is an entirely Internet-based math modeling competition – you will need to work on providing a solution paper in response to a problem prompt that you will see for the first time during Challenge weekend. There are no registration or participation fees. If you meet all eligibility requirements, you can register a team and submit a solution paper during Challenge weekend. Papers are judged and those rising to the top win a share of the 37 available scholarship prizes. See complete rules and guidelines.