Five pieces of advice regarding MATHCOUNTS help to ensure a higher test score!
The 2021 MATHCOUNTS state level competition was recently held on March 25th. It is no secret that MATHCOUNTS is a difficult event to compete in. There are a limited number of participants that qualify for the National Competition and an even smaller percentage of competitors end up finishing in the top percentile. However, this does not mean that students cannot improve the second time around! If your child was unhappy with their score from a previous MATHCOUNTS exam. This article is here to provide some MATHCOUNTS help and advice on how to boost their results!
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Bay Area Schools & Parents Discussion
What is MATHCOUNTS?
MATHCOUNTS is a nationwide math competition for middle school students. The competition consists of four different levels which include school, chapter, state, and national. The exact number of participants who advance to the later rounds varies by region. In addition, the level of difficulty increases as competitors move on to the later rounds.
Practice Makes Perfect
Before the exam day, it is very important to make sure that you have no weak spots. Practicing problems from every MATHCOUNTS topic will help ensure that no question is too difficult to solve. For example, if you missed a question from your practice session because you did not understand the concept. Make a note of it and take it upon yourself to learn how to solve that specific problem.
Around two weeks before the exam, revisit the questions you missed on your practice test. Doing this will further solidify your skills and help you retain the knowledge that you learned regarding these tougher subjects. In addition, write important formulas, problem-solving strategies, and techniques into your notebook. As always, challenge yourself and never give up!
Topics covered:
- Number Theory
- Angles, Polygons, and Circles
- Perimeter, Area, and Volume
- Ratios and Proportions,
- Sequences and Series
- Linear Equations and Functions
- Quadratic Expressions and Equations
- Coordinate Geometry
- Counting and Probability
- Statistics
Find the Perfect Level of Difficulty
When practicing problems in preparation for the MATHCOUNTS competition, it is important to know which ones are the right degree of difficulty for your mathematical abilities. Although it is not ideal to practice extremely hard problems that cause you to struggle to the point where you are unable to solve any of them. It is also not productive to only practice problems that are easy to figure out. Therefore, adding a healthy amount of challenging problems into your practice routine is highly encouraged!
During your study session, if you are able to solve around 70% of the problems. This is a solid indicator that you are practicing problems that are well-suited for your skill level.
Take Mock Tests
One of the best ways to prepare for MATHCOUNTS is to take as many mock tests as possible! Mock tests are as close to the real deal as you are going to get and will better prepare you for what to expect on exam day.
In addition, make sure to replicate a testing environment by setting a timer. In regards to MATHCOUNTS, one idea is to replicate the sprint round which consists of completing 30 problems in 40 minutes. Parents can especially help with this activity by playing the role of the test proctor!
Join a Math Study/Discussion Group
It is always more fun and productive to learn in a group rather than alone! Integrating your child into math learning discussion groups can help them digest math material easier. With multiple members in a group, students learn from each other and are introduced to math techniques that they did not already know beforehand.
In addition, a lot of the students who are in the study group will also be preparing for the MATHCOUNTS exam. This healthy dose of competition will only elevate all of the group members to perform even better on test day.
Get a Math Tutor or Register for a MATHCOUNTS Prep Class
Tutors and prep classes are especially helpful with math competition preparation. Instead of having your child spend hours trying to understand a problem. Which will eventually lead to frustration and a decline in motivation. Math tutors and prep classes are able to guide students through the problem solving process step by step and provide them with tools on how to effectively find the solutions to calculations or equations.
Furthermore, many math tutors and prep class teachers are well versed on the subject of math competitions. Not only do they have years of experience teaching students the keys to success. A lot of them have also taken math competition exams such as MATHCOUNTS in the past when they themselves were students!
On top of that, tutors and prep classes have access to the best mock tests and practice problems. Overall, either option will help your child study for math competitions such as MATHCOUNTS in a more efficient and less stressful manner.
Think Academy’s Classes
For those who are interested, we provide numerous different math courses for children in grades K-8. We have short-term basic math classes that can help improve your child’s fundamental math skills. These courses last only about four weeks.
In addition, we also have K-8 long-term classes to ensure that students master the math material in their respective grades. These semester-long courses are available in three different levels (Advancement, Mastery, ACE) to account for all learning speeds!
Lastly, for students who want to take their math skills to the next level. Think Academy provides math competition prep classes for events such as the AMC 8 and Math Kangaroo!
You can register for any of our courses by clicking the link here or by downloading our app here.
1-on-1 Evaluation
As a final note, before you register for our long-term courses. Make sure to sign up for Think Academy’s free 1-on-1 evaluation if you have not already! Our 1-on-1 evaluation contains an overview of our mission and academic structure, a 15-question evaluation exam, a one-hour in-depth analysis, and a 15-minute teacher-to-parent discussion. We will provide you with a customized study plan after the evaluation. This study plan will account for all of your child’s learning needs!
