The Interesting Test
What is The Interesting Test?
The Interesting Test is a collection of mathematical problems, puzzles and brainteasers. Students are permitted to bring/use graphic calculators during the test. Cell phones and laptops are not permitted.

The material is designed to be unfamiliar to almost all high school students; this is simply our way of making sure everyone is on an equal footing. Despite initial appearances, many problems have a simple, short, correct answer. See some questions and answers from past exams below.

What if I don't think I did so well?
If you had fun trying, please try again. Many of our students were not admitted on the first try.
Interesting Test Dates
There are multiple opportunities for you to put your hand (and mind) to the Interesting Test. Dates are usually on Saturdays, and we hope to accommodate all your very busy schedules. Dates
Example Interesting Test Questions
Example 1
Name a body part that almost everyone on earth has an above average number of! Justify your answer.

Answer (no peeking until after you try!)


Example 2
A woman and her husband attended a party with four other couples. As is normal at parties, handshaking took place. Of course, no one shook their own hand or the hand of the person they came with. And not everyone shook everyone else's hand. But when the woman asked the other (9) people present how many different people's hands they had shaken they all gave a different answer. Question (this is NOT a trick!): How many different people's hands did the woman's husband shake?

Answer (hey! we said no peeking until after you try!)


Example 3
A person starts walking up a narrow mountain path at 6:00 a.m. The person walks at different speeds, stopping to eat, sometimes going back a few steps to look at a flower, but never leaving the path. The person eventually arrives at the top at 10:00 p.m. the same day, camps out over night and starts down the same path at 6:00 a.m. the next day. After stopping to eat and so forth the person arrives at the bottom at 10:00 p.m.

True or False? There is some point on the path that the person occupied at exactly the same time on the two different days. Explain your answer.

Answer (did you peek?)


We bet your brain is getting warmed up now....