HiMCM team matching & planning support
FOUR SEATS.
ONE SYSTEM.
A strong team is not four identical résumés. It is a small working system with complementary skills, compatible availability, clear responsibilities, and a shared standard for academic integrity.
How many students are on a HiMCM team?
A HiMCM team consists of up to four students in high school or below, all enrolled in the same school, institution, or approved program, plus one faculty advisor from that same school or program. Four is a maximum, not a requirement, but most teams fill all four seats so they can cover six working roles: modeling, computation, research, writing, coordination, and quality control. Cross-school teams are allowed only under approved programs – not tutoring or test-prep centers – and for MidMCM every student must be aged 14½ or younger. Team membership locks the moment the team reads the problems at the start of the contest window, so recruit teammates, run a trial task together, and agree on roles well before early November. The full eligibility rules are in the 2026 contest guide.
Official team rules that shape any match
RULES FIRST,
ROLES SECOND.
- A team is up to four (4) students from the same school/institution or program, with a faculty advisor from that same school/institution or program.
- Cross-school teams are permitted only if all members are affiliated with the same approved program – a non-school educational program not founded exclusively for math competitions (for example dual-enrollment, magnet, online school, or community/nonprofit programs). Tutoring, test-prep, contest-prep, and math/STEM learning centers are not eligible affiliations.
- A student with dual affiliations may compete under their school or under the same approved program as their teammates – not both.
- Team membership must be set no later than the opening of the contest window; students cannot change teams for the duration of the contest.
- MidMCM requires every member to be 14½ or younger at the contest start (born on or after May 1, 2012 for 2026); one older member moves the team to HiMCM.
- There is no limit to the number of teams a school or program may register, and no limit to the number of teams one advisor may advise.
- COMAP may request documentation verifying eligibility, age, affiliation, and program approval; misrepresentation risks disqualification.
Consequence for matching: students from different schools can only compete together under the same approved program, and every team needs an advisor from that school or program. Verify this structure before investing in team formation.
MATCH FOR
WORKING FIT.
Structure
Can translate a messy question into variables, assumptions, constraints, and candidate models.
Implementation
Can turn a model into reproducible calculations, code, data processing, and diagnostic outputs.
Evidence
Can find credible data and context, judge limitations, and maintain clean source notes and citations.
Communication
Can organize the argument, design figures, edit English, and make the paper consistent.
Coordination
Can manage checkpoints, dependencies, version naming, decisions, and timely handoffs.
Quality control
Can challenge assumptions, test edge cases, inspect citations, and check the final PDF.
Matching workflow
Submit a truthful profile
Share grade level, time zone, availability, preferred tools, English comfort, prior experience, and the role you want to strengthen.
Review compatibility
We look for schedule overlap, role balance, communication expectations, and a compatible preparation level.
Hold a trial task
Before committing, complete a short modeling exercise and observe responsiveness, reasoning, file discipline, and feedback style.
Agree on rules
Document meeting times, ownership, version control, source logging, conflict handling, and what happens if availability changes.
Matching is run by Hanlin International Education, which has helped students form HiMCM teams for several consecutive seasons and maintains a candidate pool drawn from international schools in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou-Shenzhen, and US and UK high schools. Every candidate is screened before an introduction, and both sides confirm the match before a team is formed. Where all members belong to the same approved program, Hanlin also assists with rule-compliant cross-school team formation.
Matching support does not guarantee that a compatible team will be available, that a team will remain together, or that it will receive any award.
REQUEST A
TEAM CHECK.
Include your time zone, grade, likely contest window, strongest role, learning goal, and weekly availability. Do not publish sensitive personal information on public pages.