If you are a middle school student interested in competing in a math competition, you should apply to the MATHCOUNTS competition. The competition is an annual event to test the knowledge, skill, speed, and teamwork of America's most gifted and dedicated young mathematicians. Participating in a competition while in middle school can be an enriching experience for you, as it will help you work on crucial skills like - time management, team building, problem-solving, and more!
Contesting in this national-level competition will also help build your profile early on and will make your application stand out among your peers while applying for a mathematics program. As this competition is exclusively for middle school students (grades 6-8), you will also assess your standing among your peers by participating in this competition and get to improve upon any weaknesses that you find.
We have covered the program in detail below and helped you with all the information you need to prepare well for the competition.
What is MATHCOUNTS?
MATHCOUNTS is one of the biggest national-level mathematics competitions for middle school students in the USA. Participants in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Territories, and State Department and Defense Department schools can apply for this competition. Middle schools compete individually or as part of a team (4-8) members.
The competition has been organized every year since 1984. In 2023, over 150,000 students from around 6,000 middle school students from across the country participated. There are multiple scholarships for the top-achieving students as prizes, and in 2023, the college scholarships totalled $44,000 across all recipients.
The Competition Series has 4 levels of competition—school, chapter, state, and national. Each level of competition consists of 4 rounds—Sprint, Target, Team, and Countdown Round. Altogether, the rounds are designed to take about 3 hours to complete.
You can read about the competition rules and FAQs here.
What is the structure of MATHCOUNTS?
There are 4 levels of competition—school, chapter, state and national. Each level of competition comprises 4 rounds—Sprint, Target, Team, and Countdown Round. Here’s how the competition is structured -
Sprint Round: 30 problems are given all at once. Students have 40 minutes to complete the Sprint Round. This round is fast-paced and requires speed and accuracy. The first 20 problems are usually the easiest in the competition, and the last 10 problems will test your advanced knowledge. No calculators are allowed during this round.
Target Round: 8 problems are given two at a time. Students have 6 minutes to complete each set of two problems. Students may not go back to previous rounds even if they finish before time is called. Calculators are allowed for the Target Round.
Team Round: This round consists of 10 problems to be solved in 20 minutes for a team of 4 students. These problems typically include some of the most difficult problems in the competition. The use of a calculator is allowed (and is required for some questions).
Countdown Round: High-scoring individuals from the Written Round (Sprint, Target, Team rounds) compete head-to-head until a champion is crowned. You get 45 seconds to solve the problem, which is displayed on a screen. The Countdown round is run differently in each chapter and state. In the national competitions, it is the round that determines the champion. Calculators are not allowed, but scratch paper will be provided.
You start by competing at your local level by applying as a team participant from your school, and these are the various levels you need to clear before qualifying for the national competition -
School Competition: Students battle it out for the chance to make their school teams. Problems at this level are generally the easiest and most basic in the curriculum.
Chapter Competition: Chapter competitions serve as a selection filter for state competitions. A few states don't need to host chapter competitions due to a small population size.
State Competition: The top 4 students in each state are included to represent their state team in the national competition. The coach of the top school team at the state level is invited to coach the state team at the national competition.
National Competition: Every year, roughly 240-250 students are invited to the main event, which is generally held in Washington D.C. The top four students from each state receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Competition.
What is the syllabus for MATHCOUNTS?
While there is no defined syllabus or curriculum for the competition, problems are asked from these topics - arithmetic, algebra, counting, geometry, number theory, probability, and statistics. As this competition focuses on helping middle schools develop interest and skills in mathematical problem solving, the problems are not too complex and require foundational knowledge and a good grasp on fundamentals.
It is interesting to note that before 1990, MATHCOUNTS chose particular areas of mathematics to highlight each year before changing the focus of the competition more broadly to problem-solving. You can visit the Arts of Problem Solving website and practice with live questions here.
What are the dates for MATHCOUNTS?
As the competition takes place in four different stages, the culmination of the national event takes as many as 10 months from the initial registration dates. The initial registration for schools opens in August, and by registering at this point, schools and mentors gain access to the School Competition Kit, which includes a hard copy of the MATHCOUNTS School Handbook. Find the detailed timeline for the competition below (based on the 2023-24 competition) -
August
Registration and kit fulfillment begin for MATHCOUNTS. You or your school receives a School Competition Kit, which includes a hard copy of the MATHCOUNTS School Handbook. Kits are shipped on an ongoing basis from mid-August to late January.
You can register here to receive an online copy of the 2023-24 School Handbook.
November
The 2023 School Competition will be available to coaches on the Online Competition Coach Resources page (accessible via the Coach Dashboard).
Early Bird Registration deadline, which provides some discounts, is also in November. The registration fee is $30/student for schools at this stage.
November 2nd week
Non-school competitor (NSC) registration opens for students whose schools are not registered with the competition and for students whose schools cannot sponsor their participation.
December
Registration Deadline for regular admissions is $35/student for schools and $70/non-school competitor. After this date, registration will cost $40/student for schools and $80/NSC.
December 2nd week
Students who have successfully registered for the competition can access the practice available on the AoPS Online Contest Platform.
January
Deadline for Competition Series registration. You will need to get in touch with your local organizing committee to check for your registration status.
If you have not received your School Competition Kit by the last week of January, you should contact the MATHCOUNTS national office at info@mathcounts.org.
February
Chapter Competitions are hosted around the country by volunteer coordinators.
March
State Competitions.
May
National Competition, usually held in Washington, DC, but the location for the 2024-25 competition is yet to be determined.
What is the fee and prize for MATHCOUNTS?
Students who register through their school in November get the Early Bird Registration discount and need to pay $30 each. Students who miss this deadline need to pay $35, while after December, the fee is $40 per student. Registration for NSC opens in November, and they need to pay $70, and the fee increases to $80 in December.
The National Competition, or the Countdown Round, which is the fast-paced, one-on-one oral competition for the 12 top-scoring individuals in the Written Competition, has a $20,000 Donald G. Weinert College Scholarship as the prize for the national champions, which is subject to change every year. The runner-up wins a $7,500 scholarship, while semifinalists will get $3,000 each.
The Written Competition, which includes The Sprint, Target, and Team Rounds, has different prizes as it is a team competition. The participants of the winning team are awarded $2,000 each.
You can read about the 2024 winners and prize details here.
7 Reasons Why You Should Apply to MATHCOUNTS
1. This is a prestigious competition:
MATHCOUNTS is one of the longest-running math-focused competitions that is designed exclusively for middle school students. To make it to the national competition, you need to clear three rigorous competition rounds, so it is highly competitive, and a lot of prestige comes with competing in it. If you can make it to the national competition, it will be even better.
2. Participating in it will boost your college application:
College applications are becoming increasingly competitive, and admissions officers look for more than just academic performance in a candidate’s application. Showcasing the skills and experience you have gained here will help your college application stand out, likely increasing your chances of getting into a top university.
3. By participating, you get access to valuable free resources:
MATHCOUNTS has a dedicated resources section on the website, which gives you access to free and downloadable resources like the competition handbook, a collection of practice problem sets, previous year's questions, and more! These resources are useful not only for the competition but also for developing a genuine interest in maths.
4. There are multiple prizes and scholarships up for grabs:
There are multiple scholarships for the top-achieving students as prizes, totalling $44,000 across all recipients. You are eligible for individual prizes through the Countdown Round and can also win prizes as a team via the Written Competition, which includes The Sprint, Target, and Team Rounds.
5. This competition is open to all middle school students with no entry qualifications:
Some programs and competitions for middle school students have eligibility requirements like a minimum GPA cutoff or are only open to students from certain schools. MATHCOUNTS is open to all students, and even if your school is not enlisted in the program, you can participate as a Non-school competitor (NSC).
6. Participating in this competition helps you build experience for competitions like the International Math Olympiad (IMO):
Participating in this competition and preparing for it will help develop your problem-solving skills and familiarize you with complex math problems. This will build a good foundation for you to participate in different competitions and olympiads in high school. Even if you do not perform well in the MATHCOUNT, you can use this experience and prepare well for the International Math Olympiad.
7. The competition allows you to represent your school and state at the national level:
You get to participate in this competition individually or as part of a team. While you are competing to prove yourself and your abilities, you are also representing your school and state in the National Championship, which is something not usually part of such competitions, which are usually individual-centric.
If you’re looking to build a project/research paper in the field of AI & ML, consider applying to Veritas AI!
Veritas AI is founded by Harvard graduate students. Through the programs, you get a chance to work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn AI & ML with us. You can apply here!
Image Source - MATHCOUNTS Logo
