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When you first sign in, you will first be placed in the lobby where you can start new games, join games that are about to start, and chat with other users in the lobby.
To view a user profile, click on the user's name in the "Users in Lobby" area.
Alerts such as who has won a game and system messages will apear in the Alerts area on the game screen.
All registered users can create a new game using either the
or the
button.
Choosing a Countdown game will immediately create a First-to-4
head to head competition similar to the MATHCOUNTS® National
Countdown Round. Choosing the New Game button will provide you
with several options for multi-player games, as shown below.
Select a scoring method, number of problems, time allowed per problem, whether you wish to allow spectators, and whether you wish the game to be rated.
Games can be made private by specifying a password for the game. Only users who know your game's password may play. This is particularly useful if you want to play a game with your friends.
Scoring methods:
Ranking: Gives you points based on the number of players and how fast you answered. The first person to answer correctly gets points equal to the number of players. The second person to answer correctly gets points equal to the number of players minus one, and so on.
Time: This is a racing type of scoring method. Points will be given to players who answer correctly based on the amount of time it took to answer the problem. A player who answers quickly will obtain many more points than a player who takes longer to answer the problem.
Responses: Points are awarded based on the number of players who answered correctly and the total number of players that answered the question. If all who answered the problem were correct, 100 points would be given to each person. However, the more people who answer incorrectly, the higher the number of points that is given to those who answered correctly.
The creator of the game will start the game once he or she has determined an appropriate number of people have joined the game. The creator of the game starts the game by pressing the Start Game button at the top of the screen. Only the creator of the game can start the game.
The timer for a problem will begin once the problem has loaded, this prevents users from having an advantage over slower connections.
Answer all questions in the response box. Reduce all fractions to lowest terms. For a problem that expects an answer of 1/2, the response of 2/4 would be considered incorrect. Please see the Answering Problems section, below, to learn how to properly submit your answers.
After you have answered a problem, or clicked on give up, you will see a scoreboard indicating if your response was correct, and the time it took to answer the problem. The scoreboard will be visible until all players have answered or time has expired.
At the end of a game you will be rated against other registered players. Your rating will not be compared against guests and other players on the same IP address (to discourage cheating). You will be rated even if you leave a game early, so we suggest playing the entire game, even if losing, so that you can gain as many points in the game as possible.
Chat is not enabled during a problem to prevent players from accidently (or purposefully) stating the answer in public chat. Chat is enabled for each user after they have answered the problem.
To input a square root type:\sqrt{x}where x is the radicand.
To input 
type:\pi
A coordinate pair should be entered as: (x,y)(4.2,5.2).
Fractions should always be reduced. A fraction should be entered as x/y1/2
A mixed fraction should only be used when the problem specifically asks for a mixed fraction. These should be entered as X y/z5 1/3
Coefficients of variables should be written without the multiplication sign3x
Multipliers with square roots should be written without the multiplication sign. Example 
3\sqrt{5}
Powers should be entered with the caret (^) sign. x^2
After a game has ended, you can review the problems presented by clicking the Review button in the lobby. The problem is displayed. The correct answer and the answer you provided can be found in blue bar just above the problem.
Use the green arrows to navigate the problems. To close the review window, click the green X in the upper right corner. Registered users may ask questions about the problem by clicking the Ask on Forum button.
