Today we will take stock of North American primary and secondary school mathematics competitions. Parents can choose according to their children’s learning situation!
Entry Level Math Contests
01 Caribou Contests
Caribou Contests is a global online mathematics competition officially supported by the Canadian Mathematical Society.
The competition does not focus on “difficult” questions, but stimulates students’ interest in mathematics through the novel and interesting “interactive” questions, and improves students’ ability to solve problems.
Suitable for grades: G2-G12
General competition time: 6 rounds per year
Total score calculation: the sum of the best 5 scores in the 6 games
👉Suggestions for test preparation: use the official website platform skillfully
Entering the official website of the Caribou Math Competition, parents will find that this is not only a competition platform, but also a platform with rich mathematics learning resources.
The official website will update the math games every day, parents can encourage their children to try; the competition questions and answers over the years can be found on the official website, and it is essential to read the questions before the competition!
02 Math League
The thinking exploration activities of the “Math League” in the United States have outstanding influence in the United States, North America and even the world.
Regardless of its gold content, winning rate and academic level, Math League is undoubtedly the first choice for children to enter the international mathematics competition in elementary school.
After all, even if you only participate in the first stage of the competition, the top 50% of the students will win prizes, and all students who submit valid test papers will receive participation certificates.
Suitable for grades: G3-G12
General competition time: the end of November (general registration closes on October 31)
The Math League is divided into three stages:
In the first stage, the test questions are flexible, vivid, interesting and close to life.
In the second stage, mathematics and English are examined at the same time to cultivate students’ creative thinking, critical thinking, and practical problem-solving abilities.
The third stage, the Research Carnival, is a feast of research jointly held by many famous schools.
👉Test preparation suggestions: math + reading + collaboration
Emphasis on numeracy and reading skills. Compared with Math Kangaroo, Math League has a wider range of questions and covers a wider area, and requires children to have solid calculation skills and reading comprehension skills.
Exercise teamwork ability. In addition to the individual part, this competition also involves team competition, so teamwork skills are indispensable.
Advanced Math Contests
The entry-level competition focuses on interest guidance, while the advanced mathematics competition is “Masters Talk”. If you can get a good ranking, the Ivy League application will be greatly added.
01 American Mathematics Contest (MAA AMC)
Among them, AMC is the most well-known and gold-rich test, which is currently the most practical and effective mathematics test in the world. Countless parents want their children to get good grades and knock on the door of the Ivy League school.
AMC is divided into AMC8, AMC10, AMC12, respectively for students of different levels.
The test questions of AMC8 are from easy to difficult, guiding students to use the knowledge of junior high school to solve problems, focusing on guidance and inspiration.
Children who have experienced the kangaroo competition and the reindeer math competition can try the water, and there is still a big difference in difficulty.
However, AMC10 and AMC12 tend to be selective exams, and the test questions are very challenging. If you want to get a high ranking, it is really “one in a million”.
If a child can rank in the top 2.5% of the AMC10 or the top 5% of the AMC12, they are eligible to participate in the American Mathematics Invitational Competition (AIME).
The top 500 US citizens or permanent residents in AIME are eligible to participate in the United States Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO), and then selected to represent the United States in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
02 MathCounts
MathCounts is an American national middle school mathematics competition for middle school students in grades 6-8 that began in 1983.
If the brilliant results at AMC means getting the number plate for the Ivy League application, then after MathCounts stands out, it is the reputation of the child in the United States.
The process of the competition: intramural competition – regional competition – state competition – national competition.
Comparable to the imperial examinations in ancient China, the status of the champion is directly compared with the “number one scholar” among his peers.
As a national event, the sense of ceremony of the final is directly full! The whole process will be broadcast live on TV. In addition to generous bonuses, the final winning team will also have the opportunity to be received by the President at the White House.
Due to the higher standards and more attention, the participation rate of Chinese children in this competition is getting higher and higher.
Although the topic does not seem very difficult, it is still very difficult to enter the national finals. Therefore, if parents are going to let their children participate, more rigorous and professional mathematics training must be arranged!
Other Math Competitions
Your child has already participated in the first two stages of math competitions, but would you like to have a little more advantage in further studies? Mathematical competitions organized by famous schools are worth considering. Of course, the grades of the participants must meet the grades 9-12.
👉Berkeley Math Tour-nament demonstrates children’s mathematical ability, innovative thinking ability and teamwork ability.
👉The topics of the Duke Math Meet are challenging and suitable for students who have the basics of AMC competition.
👉Princeton Mathematics Contest (PUMaC), founded by the old Ivy League school, is one of the most famous mathematics competitions for middle school students in the United States and even the world. It is rich in gold!
👉Harvard-Massachusetts Mathematical League (HMMT) was founded by two giants. Needless to say, the gold content is between AIME and USAMO, which is completely “professional” level.
👉The American Regional Mathematical League (ARML) is one of the most influential group mathematics competitions in the United States. Famous schools are highly recognized, and many famous technology companies in the United States also value the ARML scores of job seekers.
The above competitions have many things in common: high popularity, challenging difficulty, and high gold content. Whether it is for further study or job hunting, it is a good decision to choose one of the competitions.
Graduated from Columbia University in the United States and has rich practical experience in mathematics competitions’ teaching, including Math Kangaroo, AMC… He teaches students the ways to flexible thinking and quick thinking in sloving math questions, and he is good at inspiring and guiding students to think about mathematical problems and find solutions.