Joshua Bie ’28 qualified for the United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO), one of the nation’s most selective high school mathematics competitions, March 4.
Bie advanced through a series of qualifying exams, including the American Mathematics Competition (AMC) and the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). Students who earn top scores on these exams are invited to participate in the USAJMO or its senior counterpart, the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO).
Bie earned a score of 144 on the AMC 10A and a score of 10 on the AIME, resulting in a combined index score of 344, which is calculated by adding the AMC 10 score to 20 times the AIME score. His performance placed him among approximately 250 students nationwide selected for the USAJMO out of more than 56,000 AMC participants.
The USAJMO consisted of two 4.5-hour proof-based sessions over two days and was held March 21-22. Bie said completing the competition brought a range of reactions as he reflected on both his performance and the experience itself.
“After taking the JMO, I felt a mix of relief and uncertainty,” Bie said. “I knew I had solved parts of the problem correct, but I wasn’t sure if the judges would like my solution since it was my first proof-based competition. However, after being in the test room for 4 and a half hours I felt like a massive burden was lifted off my shoulder after finishing the test. When I found out I qualified, I felt so happy and relieved, as all of my hard work paid off.”
Mathematics teacher Laffite Lamberto-Egan said Bie’s performance stood out across multiple qualifying exams and reflects a high level of problem-solving ability.
“I was very excited when I learned Joshua qualified,” Laffite said. “He performed extremely well on both AMC exams and followed that with a strong performance on the AIME. He continues to show how quickly and effectively he can approach complex problems. It is also notable that he remains humble despite his success.”
Laffite said Bie’s qualification represents an opportunity to build interest in competitive mathematics within the school community.
“It is great for the school to have a student competing at this level,” Laffite said. “I hope his success encourages other students to explore math competitions and continue developing their skills.”
Bie said his preparation for higher-level competitions focused on developing depth in proof-based problem solving.
“My preparation was pretty consistent and problem-focused rather than purely content-focused,” Bie said. “For AMC, I worked through a lot of past contests and made sure I understood not just how to get answers, but how to do so efficiently. For AIME and beyond, my approach shifted more toward depth. I spent a lot of time on proof-based problems and harder olympiad-style questions, even if they were above the level I could reliably solve at first.”
