GCTM State Math Tournament
The GCTM State Math Tournament (also known in Georgia as the Varsity State Tournament) is Georgia's annual state high-school math tournament. It is sponsored by the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (GCTM). The tournament is usually held at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. It is an integral part of the selection of the Georgia ARML team.
Attendance
The Georgia ARML coaches invite schools to the tournament based on performance at tournaments earlier in the year (this is usually the last Georgia tournament of the year). Last year, thirty-five schools accepted invitations. Each school may send exactly one team of four students. In addition to students who are travelling as part of a school's team, individuals may attend, particularly those interested in participation on Georgia's ARML team.
Format
The competition consists of a fifty-question, ninety-minute written test, individual ciphering, and pair ciphering. This test comprises forty-five multiple choice questions and five free-response questions; a student's score is five points per correct questions, plus one point per answer left blank; there is no penalty for incorrect answers (as of the 2009 tournament). Calculators without symbolic algebra systems are permitted for the written test; no calculators are permitted for ciphering. Individual ciphering consists of ten questions worth a maximum of 100 points total. A team's score is the sum of its scores on the different parts of the competition.
ARML Team Selection
At some point in the course of the competition, interest forms for the Georgia ARML team are distributed. In the course of grading the tournament, the Georgia ARML coaches determine the ARML team. Traditionally, the top fifteen places at the tournament are awarded positions on the team, as well as the students with the top fifteen state USAMO indices. There is usually considerable overlap, and these are merely general guidelines in any case. Few people are given spots on the team without attending the tournament. The team is announced at the awards ceremony.
