Mathematical Competition for Girls

The Mathematical Competition for Girls is a newer UKMT opportunity created alongside the long-running Mathematical Olympiad for Girls. UKMT introduced it in 2025 because participation in MOG had grown strongly and the organisation wanted more girls and young women to experience Olympiad-style problem solving. The two competitions share a mathematical style, but they serve different entry patterns: MCG uses five answer-only questions and allows schools to enter more students, while MOG has a smaller discretionary entry and requires fuller written solutions. This distinction gives the MCG a useful role in the wider UKMT pathway. It is not a replacement for MOG, nor is it a direct qualifying round for the British Mathematical Olympiad or international teams. Instead, it offers a lower-barrier first encounter with senior Olympiad-style questions. Students must still make strategic choices, work without a calculator and handle unfamiliar problems, but they are not being asked to write a complete proof for every answer. The competition is open through UK schools to students in the relevant senior year groups, with younger students sometimes entered at the school’s discretion. The answer-only format should not be mistaken for a multiple-choice test: students still need to develop a method, check their reasoning and decide which problems deserve time. Past MCG and MOG materials can be useful together, with MCG helping students build confidence and MOG showing how mathematical ideas are expressed in full solutions. We rate the Mathematical Competition for Girls at Intermediate Level. The UKMT school-entry route and answer-only format make it more accessible than MOG, but the Olympiad-style questions and time pressure remain a genuine step above routine classroom mathematics. It is well suited to girls and young women who enjoy challenging problems and want a supportive route into deeper mathematical competition without needing to begin with the most selective paper.