MAHOMET – Students with an interest in math can test their skills in an international competition later this spring.

Mahomet-Seymour Junior High is one of the sites – and the only downstate site in Illinois – for the Math Kangaroo competition.

The competition involves taking a 75-minute multiple-choice test, with different levels of questions according to grade level. It is open to students in the first through 12th grades, and to students from any school, including home-schooled students.

It takes place on March 17, when students in 46 countries will work on the same math problems.

Students do not need to be part of a math club or team to participate, and it's a great activity for students who don't have math enrichment at their schools, said Gosia Strzebonska, who organizes the Mahomet competition.

This will be the fourth year Mahomet has hosted Math Kangaroo. Strzebonska has three children in the Mahomet school system. She learned about Math Kangaroo years ago and she wanted her oldest child to participate. But the nearest location for a competition center was in the Chicago area, so Strzebonska organized an event locally.

It has grown from 26 participants the first year to 66 last year, she said.

"For me, the fact that it's open for everyone is a big plus," Strzebonska said. "Also the fact that it's on the same day in different countries, and they're working on the same math problems.

"The competition problems are really interesting," she said, adding they are also diverse, with some problems that everyone should be able to answer and others that are tough.

She believes the event provides motivation for students and helps them with math at school.

"I really love this competition," she said.

The environment of the competition is nonstressful and fun, Strzebonska said. All the students receive a T-shirt, a certificate of participation and a small gift.

The goal of the competition is to encourage children in learning math, give them confidence in their abilities, and help them understand how math applies to the world around them, through work on interesting problems and positive reinforcement.

Math Kangaroo originated in Australia in the 1980s and became very popular in Europe in the 1990s. Competition began in the U.S. at a Chicago school in 1998.

The deadline for applying is Monday, and the registration fee is $20. However, if a center is not full, students can register through the end of the month, but the fee goes up to $30 after Monday.

Strzebonska said there were 42 students registered as of Wednesday, and the Mahomet site will take 65 to 70 participants.

For more information about the competition or to register, go to http://www.mathkangaroo.org.