Australian Mathematics Competition
Bright and early on Wednesday 1st August 2025, the Mathematics teaching team feels very proud that over 100 St Aloysius College students, from Years 7 to 12, lined up to compete in the very prestigious Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC). Each year across Australia and New Zealand, thousands of students participate in this problem-solving quest, which some parents may fondly remember as the Westpac Maths Competition.
The AMC increases in difficulty over a 30-question examination. Students are invited to engage with problem-solving questions, across the broad mathematics curriculum, that are initially very achievable but eventually very challenging. Harrison (9B) reflected: “Competing in the Australian Maths Competition was a good experience because we got to tackle questions from all aspects of math instead of just our normal classes.” Another student correctly recognized the academic rigor of the competition in their comment that “the questions took very long for some of them”. It is undoubtedly true that the last five questions are particularly difficult and do take a long time to complete!
It is very brave and commendable to take on an academic challenge that won’t be easy. It must be said that our representatives on the day certainly demonstrated the Mercy value of Courage through their participation, regardless of their result.
Matilka (7E) noted: “I really loved this experience! It gave me an amazing chance to see my weaknesses and strengthen them. I’d love to do it again next year.” A different student said, “I enjoyed the maths competition. It was very challenging, but overall it was a good opportunity to try a new thing. I would recommend it to others looking for a new experience and anyone just looking to try a new thing.”
We congratulate all students who participated and encourage all students to take up the challenge in 2026.
Kelly Gallivan
Mathematics & Numeracy Leader