Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program

The Mathematical Olympiad Program (also called the MOP) is an intensive summer program held at Carnegie Mellon University. The main purpose of MOP, held since 1974, is to select and train the six members of the U.S. team for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). Students qualify for the program by taking the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO). The top twelve American scorers from all grades form the "black" group. The approximately eighteen next highest American scorers among students from 11th grade and under form the "blue" group. In 2004, the program was expanded to include approximately thirty of the highest-scoring American freshmen and sophomores each year, the "red" group; this was later split into two, forming the "green" group, which consists of approximately fifteen of the highest-scoring freshmen and sophomores who have qualified through the USAMO, and the "red" group, which consists of those who have qualified through the USAJMO. The colorful designations of these groups were adapted from Karate. In 2013, the red and green groups were unified. Also, with the new system the Black Group includes more or less only the IMO team, which is not necessarily all USAMO winners.

Until 2011, only Black MOPpers were eligible for the selection to the USA IMO team, determined by combining USAMO results with results of a similar exam called the Team Selection Test (TST). From 2011, a new test called the Team Selection Test Selection Test (TSTST) was established; this test is open for any of the participants of MOP, and along with results from the USAMO, determines the students who take the TSTs. This ultimately, along with the USAMO and MOP tests, determines the IMO team.

Canadians are allowed to write the USAMO but not to participate in MOP unless they are US residents. Occasionally, when Canadians are amongst the USAMO winners, top scoring honorable mentions are added to the black group. These additional students are also eligible for the IMO team. In 2005, such a student did qualify for the team and went on to win a gold medal at the IMO. Under the TSTST system, effective 2011, honorable mentions can qualify for the IMO team and will be placed in the black group if they do so.

Note that Red cutoffs 2010 onward refer to USAJMO while 2009 before refer to USAMO.

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