Student Places in top 10% at National Math Competition
Think math isn’t exciting? Well, think again, because we’re thrilled to share that Charley Li ’27, one of Millbrook’s most promising mathematicians, has placed in the top 10% in the American Math Competition (AMC). Dr. Timothy Kernan, who helped a small group of students prepare for the competition, announced the good news in Assembly on Friday, noting that Charley is the first Millbrook student to place in the AMC in more than a decade.
A qualifier for a series of tests that lead to the USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO), the AMC is a 25-question test that requires elite problem-solving skills in geometry, algebra, calculus, and statistics. Impressively, Charley correctly answered all 18 of the questions that he completed, scoring 118.5 out of 150 and distinguishing himself as one of the best math students in the US.
According to Dr. Kernan, around 500,000 students take the AMC test, but only about 1,000 will reach the USAMO. One hundred or fewer Olympiad participants will make it to the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). To be successful, students must expand their skills beyond even the most rigorous high school curriculum.
“There's always a high-level math that is underlying every question, and it's all college-level stuff,” said Dr. Kernan. “You can take the tests using just high school skills, but you will have a bear of a time.”
This year, three Millbrook VIth formers braved the AMC: Charley, Rachel Nayman ’26, and Alex Siano ’26. The trio met with Dr. Kernan each Sunday to practice for six weeks leading up to the test, drawn by the promise of Dr. Kernan’s delectable baked goods and the opportunity to test the limits of their problem-solving skills—along with the chance to make their college applications really pop with prestigious AMC placement.
The group spent hours working through practice problems. Per Dr. Kernan, the trick is efficiency, which comes via knowledge gained through self-study. All three mathematicians gave their all. But in the end, it was Charley’s extracurricular efforts—poring over the past decade of exams, working with peers and his previous math teacher, and asking questions online—that enabled him to complete the test and move on to the next round of the competition.
Charley doesn’t plan to major in math at college, beyond what would be required for a potential chemistry or biology degree. His motivation for taking on the AMC was purely a love of math and problem solving.
“I'm really interested in math, and I feel like this is a really fun thing to do, especially solving problems I’ve never done before,” he explained. “I enjoy the process of solving a question by myself. I really feel a sense of achievement.”
As Charley proves, highly motivated students looking to push themselves academically thrive at Millbrook. In addition to extracurricular opportunities like the AMC, our programming offers a slew of challenging advanced courses across academic disciplines, giving students early access to college-level studies and a clear advantage when they matriculate to university.
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