SigmaCamp Next 2025: Entrance Exam

The Entrance Exam (EE) consists of problems prepared by the semilab instructors at SigmaCamp Next. At SigmaCamp Next, each student will attend one Semilab course for the whole week, for two 1.5-hour sessions per day. In semilabs at SigmaCamp Next, students will have the opportunity to explore topics in mathematics and science in greater depth. To help match you to the best semilab for you, the Entrance Exam is related to the semilabs at SigmaCamp Next this year. 

Each semilab instructor(s) composed two problems related to their semilab: the first problem is more technical, and the second problem is more exploratory. The problems are designed for you to see whether you are interested in thinking deeply about material related to the semilab. For the first problem you should not necessarily require many resources (although you may use them, as long as you cite them). The second problem is more likely to require you to do some independent research to answer it. You can submit solutions to problems for at most four semilabs. We recommend submitting solutions to at least two semilabs’ problems. 

The problems vary in difficulty, and you are not expected to solve problems fully - even if you make some progress on a problem but do not complete it, please send us your solution anyway. The most important for us is to see your thought process.

How to prepare and submit your solution

All solutions must be submitted online. We encourage you to type up your answers, but some of the problems require math or chemical formulas, so you may want to handwrite your solutions. Handwritten solutions can be scanned (please save the scans in PDF format) and then submitted online. Allowed file formats are Word and PDF (except for CS problems, which need to be submitted as java or python files - see instructions in the Entrance Exam).

If handwriting solutions, please make sure that your work is easy to read, as a courtesy to the graders. Please and leave wide margins. Use a dark pencil or black pen, and cross out instead of making smudgy erasures.:) If you submit a solution that does not follow those general guidelines, we may ask you to resubmit.

Solutions for every problem must be saved as a separate file!; you can submit them independently of each other (so you can submit solutions for one subject earlier than the other).