Problem solving is at the heart of learning mathematics; a student's ability to perceive, master and work with mathematical fundamentals is greatly enhanced by encouraging him to solve carefully designed problems. A good problem, like an acorn, contains the potential for grand development. The Committee on High School Contests, in this spirit, seeks to extend and supplement regular school work through the Annual High School Mathematics Examination. First organized in 1950 and restricted to Metropolitan New York, these examinations were sponsored nationally in 1957 by the Mathematical Association of America and the Society of Actuaries, and later cosponsored by Mu Alpha Theta (1965), the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1967), and the Casualty Actuarial Society (1971).

An important difference between these and some similarly motivated European competitions is that our Annual Examination aims to discriminate on several levels, and is not exclusively directed to high-ability students.

All students are welcome to participate as individuals or in teams of three from the same school. The top scorer receives the Association's Mathematics Pin award; there are also lesser awards including a Certificate of Merit for teams scoring in the upper decile regionally.

The number of contestants has grown from approximately 150,000 in 1960 to more than 350,000 in 1972 within the ten Canadian and U.S. regions; in addition there were thousands of participants abroad. One hundred of the top students took part, on May 9,1972, in a very successful first USA Mathematical Olympiad, a 5 question, 3 hour subjective test.