Math Competition

• Competitors must currently be in the 6th, 7th, or 8th grades.
• Competitors are not permitted to participate in the Math Competition more than three times.
• Competitors must be age 15 or younger the weekend of the competition.
• Schools must submit every competitor’s current report card/transcript reflecting each competitor’s date of birth and current grade enrolled. Report cards/transcripts must be submitted alongside other registration paperwork.
   

Use the MATHCOUNTS® School Handbook. The handbook is used by schools all across the U.S. We encourage you to become familiar with the rules, competition structure, scoring and forms of answers. This publication mirrors the difficulty level you can expect to see in our competition. It is divided into four rounds: Sprint Round, Target Round, Team Round, and the Countdown Round. We suggest you and your students become familiar with each round.

The fifth round, the Team Countdown Round was created by RIT, not MATHCOUNTS®, so information will not be in the MATHCOUNTS® handbook. Please go to the round and rules section to learn more.

The official MATHCOUNTS® website provides problems from previous competitions (at each level of competition). Practice problems can also be found in the school handbook.

“Warm-up” practice problems in the handbook will help students prepare for the Sprint Round. “Workout” practice problems will help students prepare for the Target Round. Calculators are allowed in all but the Individual Countdown Round.

Visit the preparation materials section to get resources for your team. 
 

Each team must bring a minimum of three students, or a maximum of four, to the competition.

Friday night is Spirit Night! Teams should show their school colors, wear school t-shirts, face paint, and wacky headgear to show school spirit. The effort and spirit behind their attire, paired with energy, kindness, and sportsmanship displayed through the weekend, will determine the recipient of the annual Ben Hall Spirit Award. This applies to regional competition only.

Individuals will compete in a bracket-style tournament where our new-and-improved “buzzer system” will determine the person with the quickest response. In the first two or three rounds, depending on the number of individuals, three problems (45 seconds per problem) are shown, and whoever gets the most correct answers advances. Should the round end with a tie, the round goes to "sudden victory" and the individual who gets the correct answer first, advances. In the third place round and championship round, the first individual who answers three problems correctly, wins.

All individuals have a chance to compete for the Individual Countdown. Based on the combined scores from the Sprint and Target rounds, the top-scoring individuals will advance to compete in the countdown.

The top three individuals will receive first, second or third place cash awards.
 

In the Team Championship Countdown, top official teams compete against each other simultaneously in a 10-problem round. All teams will have 90 seconds to solve a given problem. After 90 seconds is up, team’s answer will be shown on the projection screen. Each correct answer is worth one point. After the 10-problem round, the team with the most correct answers wins the championship. Should there be a tie in first, second or third place, we will have another "sudden victory" round where the team that gets the greatest number of correct answers wins. The top three teams will be recognized with first, second or third place cash awards.

All teams will participate in this Team Problem Solving Challenge. Each team will be given a set of 10 problems to solve within 45 minutes. When all 10 problems are complete, the team captain will raise a hand for a runner to get the answer sheet. The runner will bring the answer sheet to one of the judges. The judges will check the answers. If incorrect, the answer sheet will be returned to the team. Each team has at most three checks from the judges within the 45-minute limit. At the end of the challenge, all answer sheets will be collected. Each correct answer is worth 2 points, and the team challenge score will go toward to the team overall score, which also includes individual scores.

Calculators will be provided for all members of the team.

Teams should get comfortable practicing with only basic four-function calculators.

Teams will not be using scientific or graphing calculators during the competition.

Teams are also encouraged to practice with the following features: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square, square root, and percent.

• Your school spirit—wear your school colors!
• A sharp mind for doing mathematics.
• An open hand to meet and socialize with new friends.
   

All participants will receive t-shirts and medals.        
The Math Competition recognizes the top scorers within each division for the countdown round. First place, second place, and third place will be awarded to top individual scorers.  One scorer, and only one scorer, receives each award — there are no ties. 
The top four teams in each region are invited to compete at the National Competition for the National Championship.
All winners receive a trophy in recognition of their achievements and the following prizes:
Regional Top 4 teams
-          All expenses paid trip to National competition

Regional Top 3 individuals
-          1st  $300
-          2nd $200
-          3rd $100
 
National Top 4 teams 
-          1st $1000
-          2nd $800
-          3r d $600
-          4th $400      
 
National top 4 individuals
-          1st  $500                        
-          2nd $250
-          3rd $125
-          4th $50
 
 
Winners of the Ben Hall Spirit Award will receive a plaque for each region. 

All coaches who are involved in guiding students with their math problem solving skills will each receive a medal.