The goal of our program is to use mathematics to expand the students' minds and encourage their creative thinking. We will not repeat the middle-school math curriculum. We will solve a lot of problems that are tricky, logical, fun, and might potentially be asked at a Wall Street interview.

In addition to solving problems like these, we will cover some ideas and methods for solving olympiad-style problems. We will also try to simulate the research process by inventing new problems and being the first to solve them. We will even learn an occasional magic trick. The main goal is to have fun!

The instructor is Dr. Tanya Khovanova, Lecturer in the MIT Department of Mathematics, MIT PRIMES head mentor, and an active researcher in the field of recreational mathematics.

STEP sessions will be held on campus in person.

Entrance Quiz

Selection will be based on all components of your application and the results of the entrance quiz.

All applicants will be invited to the PRIMES STEP entrance quiz. The quiz will be conducted in person on MIT campus on Monday, June 10, 6-7 pm (ET). For preparation, please review quizzes from previous years posted at https://math.mit.edu/research/highschool/primes/step.php

At the same time, we will hold a Q&A session for applicants' parents with the MIT PRIMES Director Dr. Slava Gerovitch and PRIMES Head Mentor Dr. Tanya Khovanova. Unfortunately we cannot provide an alternative test time. Please make every effort to attend.

Admission decisions will be made by Monday, June 17.

Due to the large volume of applications, we unfortunately won’t be able to comment on individual applications or release the quiz results. Solutions to the quiz will not be posted.

Tuition for the 2024-25 academic year is $2,700 per year, including $100 registration fee and two installments of $1,300 (due in September and in January).

Special Instructions for Applicants

Do not upload folders with your application. The system will not process them. Use individual files only.

Ignore the questions: “Current Institution”; “Department”; “Location”; "Current Position Title"; "Highest Degree Held"; “Date” on the cover sheet. These are generic questions that are not relevant to the STEP program.

Please ask your teacher or another person familiar with your math background to write a letter of recommendation for you. Enter the name and email of that person on the standard cover sheet under "Reference Writer". The system will automatically email them a request for a letter. All applications must be received by Thursday, May 30. All letters of recommendation must be received by Thursday, June 6; no exceptions.

If you have additional supporting materials you can upload them under "Optional Supporting Materials".

If you have any questions about your application, please contact PRIMES Program Assistant Andre Dixon at aldixon@mit.edu