UWCSEA East emerged victorious in a Singapore-wide Inter-School Mathematics Competition held on Saturday, May 18th, 2024. Nearly 100 students from various international schools participated in this event, which was hosted by Pulkit Agarwal, a Stanford University alumnus and CEO of Strive Education.

This achievement is noteworthy due to the unique nature of the competition’s mathematics questions. These questions integrated coding and mathematics, with answers submitted via a coding terminal. Participants were allowed to Google search and were permitted multiple attempts, thus negating any advantages of rote memorization. Instead, the questions were designed to reward critical thinking and real-world problem-solving skills. The questions were also calibrated to ensure that prior coding knowledge was neither necessary nor advantageous.

Students, In their post-event reflections, expressed enthusiasm for representing their schools in such a competition and looked forward to future events. They particularly appreciated the opportunity to use coding to engage with mathematics in a more interactive and visual manner. Some students who were unable to complete all the questions requested the opportunity to continue working on them at home “for fun”, and the examiners were more than willing to accommodate these requests.

The next competition is scheduled for late September. Schools interested in participating can express their interest here: https://try.strivemath.com/event-signupexpress. Strive Education, the organiser of this competition, conducts this Singapore-wide competition twice a year at no cost. The organisation aspires to eventually open participation to all schools across Asia. Strive Education’s mission is to enhance mathematics achievement and make the subject universally engaging for all students. These events highlight the effectiveness of their coding-enabled, visual, and interactive approach, which has led to Strive’s inclusion in the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2024.

Congratulations once again to all the participants and to UWCSEA East. We look forward to seeing you next academic year.

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