Open MATHCOUNTS State Competition - Contest Details
On this page
- What to Expect from a MATHCOUNTS State Competition
- Contest Timing
- The Individual Contest
- The Team Contest
- Team Contest FAQs
- Taking the Contests
- Entering Your Answers
- Viewing Contest Results
What to Expect from a MATHCOUNTS State Competition
Contest Timing
The contest will open at 8am ET on Wednesday, May 13th and close at 12pm ET on Thursday, May 14th. You can take the individual and team contests at any time during that window, but must begin during that window for your results to be eligible for recognition on the leaderboards. The individual contest will take approximately 90 minutes. The team contest will take approximately 20 minutes. Team members should coordinate to choose a time during the contest window when they'll be able to take the team contest together. Team members do not need to take their individual contests at the same time as one another.
The Individual Contest
The Open MATHCOUNTS State Individual Contest consists of two rounds: the Sprint and Target rounds. When you take the individual contest, you should be prepared to participate in both of these rounds consecutively; you'll need to have approximately 90 minutes available before starting this contest. There will be a short (10 minute) break between the two rounds.
The Sprint Round consists of 30 math problems, all presented to you at the same time. You will have 40 minutes to complete as many of the problems as you can. Calculators are not permitted on this portion of the contest.
The Target Round consists of 4 pairs of problems. You will have 6 minutes to complete each pair of problems. After completing a pair of problems, you will be given a brief break, then receive the next pair of problems. Calculators are required on this portion of the contest.
This will be an individual contest designed to test your problem solving abilities. That means that you should not talk to anyone else, make use of the internet, or consult any books (yes, even your AoPS textbooks are off limits!). The only materials that students are allowed use during the Sprint round are pens, pencils, and blank scratch paper. During the Target round, students should also use calculators.
The Team Contest
The Team Round consists of 10 math problems, all presented to your team as soon as your team leader starts the contest. Your team will have 20 minutes to complete as many of the problems as you can. Calculators are required on this portion of the contest.
Your team will need to find a time during the contest window (8am ET on Wednesday, May 13th to 12pm ET on Thursday, May 14th) to take the team contest together. The AoPS contest webpage will display problems to all team members, but does not include a way for team members to speak to one another. Make a plan with your team before the contest about when you’ll take it and how you’ll communicate. Your team will need approximately 20 minutes to take this contest.
This will be a team contest designed to test your problem solving abilities. That means that you should not talk to anyone other than your teammates, make use of the internet for anything other than communicating with your teammates, or consult any books (yes, even your AoPS textbooks are off limits!). You are only permitted to use pencil/pen, plain scratch paper, and a calculator.
Team Contest FAQs
Do you have to compete in the team contest to compete in the individual contest?
No, contestants do not have to compete in the team competition to compete in the individual contest, but we encourage you to form a team and try it out!
How can I join a team for the team contest?
If you don't have an existing team you'd like to work with, you can check out the
team finding thread on our community to find other students looking for a team.
Will I have to take the contests at the same time as my teammates?
Team members will need to find a time during the contest window (8am ET on Wednesday, May 13th to 12pm ET on Thursday May 14th) to take the 20-minute team contest together.
Team members do not need to take their individual contests at the same time.
How can team members collaborate during the contest?
Before the contest, teams should make a plan for how they’re going to communicate
and collaborate during the competition. The online contest will only display the
problems to all team members - it doesn’t include a way for team members to work together.
How many members can a team have?
Teams can have anywhere from 1-4 members. However, the MATHCOUNTS team score is the sum
of individual scores divided by four plus the Team round score,
so it’s a disadvantage to have fewer than 4 team members.
How can I accept an invite to join a team or create a team?
To accept an invite to join a team or create your own team,
you'll first need to register as an individual.
Once you're registered as an individual, you can accept and decline team invites or form your own team.
Register as an individual and view team invites here.
Taking the Contests
Once the contest time window starts on 8am ET on Wednesday, May 13th, "Start Contest" buttons will appear on the main MATHCOUNTS Week page and the contest registration page. They will take you to a page where you can review the details of the contest before beginning. Once you begin, you'll be presented with the problems from your current round on the page and can type answers into entry boxes for each problem. View more details on entering answers below.
Entering Your Answers
You should enter a single number in each blank. Numbers entered in a blank can be whole numbers, negative numbers, decimals, or multiples of . To type , you should write “pi”. Units are already provided for you next to each blank when necessary.
For example, if you want to submit , you will be given a blank like this:
and should fill it in like this:
All answers must be expressed in simplest form. If you're not familiar with MATHCOUNTS contests, view more details on correct forms of answers here.
Viewing Contest Results
Leaderboards recognizing top contestants will open on Wednesday, May 13th at 3:14pm ET. Separate leaderboards will recognize MATHCOUNTS Mathletes and MATHCOUNTS Friends. View leaderboards here.
A State Competition Review Math Jam with Richard Rusczyk on Thursday, May 14th at 3:14pm ET will go through how to solve some of the most difficult problems from the contest. Learn more about Math Jams here.
On Friday, May 15th, students will be able to review their individual and team contest results.