Who sponsors the program?
MATHCOUNTS' founding sponsors are the CNA Foundation, the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. MATHCOUNTS' national sponsors are ADC Foundation, General Motors Foundation, Lockheed Martin, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Northrop Grumman Foundation, Raytheon Company, Shell Oil Company, Texas Instruments Incorporated, 3M Foundation and Xerox Corporation. At the local and state levels, the program is sponsored by NSPE's chapter and state societies and hundreds of other companies and foundations.
How many students participate?
Each year, over 500,000 students are exposed to MATHCOUNTS materials and activities in their schools. Approximately 35,000 students from all 50 states, U.S. territories and the State and Defense Department school systems worldwide participate annually in local MATHCOUNTS competitions.
How do I get involved?
Anyone interested can get involved with the MATHCOUNTS program. Whether you'd like to start a school coaching program, help with recruiting schools or volunteer to assist at a local competition, MATHCOUNTS welcomes your involvement. To start a school coaching program, you may receive a free MATHCOUNTS School Kit by contacting the MATHCOUNTS Foundation or your State and Local Coordinators. The School Kit includes everything you need to start a successful school program. To assist with the administration of a local program, which may include visiting your neighborhood school to encourage participation, coaching a school team, serving as a proctor or scorer at a local competition, or serving on a committee to organize a MATHCOUNTS program, please contact your State Coordinator for more information or complete our Volunteer Interest Form.
Frequently Asked Questions
More Information
What are the levels of competition?
MATHCOUNTS competitions are provided at four levels: school, local, state and national. Throughout the school year, coaches work with students on the School Handbook problems. In November and December, coaches receive the school competition by mail to give to students in January. The school competition can be used to assist a coach in determining which students should represent their school at the Chapter Competition in February. From there, the top teams and top individuals progress to the State Competitions in March. The four top-scoring individuals and the top team coach progress to the National Competition in May.
What exactly is in a competition?
MATHCOUNTS competitions are designed to be completed in approximately three hours. Each competition consists of four parts: the Sprint, Target, Team and Countdown rounds. The Sprint Round has 30 questions, and students have 40 minutes to complete them. The Target Round consists of 8 questions, which are distributed to the students two at a time. Students have 6 minutes to complete each pair of problems. The Team Round has 10 problems for the team to work together. The top 25% of individuals, up to a maximum of 10, proceed to the Countdown Round, an oral round in which students compete head-to-head.
Who can compete?
Students enrolled in the 6th, 7th or 8th grade are eligible for MATHCOUNTS competitions, but materials are targeted to a 7th- and 8th-grade audience. Each school is given guidance on how to conduct the program, but it is up to the discretion of individual coaches to determine how the school MATHCOUNTS team is formed. Up to ten students per school are allowed to compete. However, each school is limited to one team (up to four students). Additional students register and compete as individuals. Homeschool students are eligible to participate.
When are the competitions?
School competitions generally take place in January; Chapter Competitions are in February, State Competitions are in March and the National Competition is in May. Please contact your local or state coordinator for specific information regarding the exact date and location of your local and state competitions.
What happens if there is a conflict of dates?
A conflict with a religious observance is the only type of conflict that is accommodated. A student that is unable to attend a competition due to religious observances may take the written portion of the competition up to one week in advance of the scheduled competition. In addition, all competitors from the same school must take the exam at the same time. Advance testing will be done at the discretion of the local and state coordinator and under MATHCOUNTS proctored conditions.
What is the cost?
The School Kit is free. It includes the MATHCOUNTS School Handbook, poster, competition registration form, and coaching/novelties catalog. The competition registration fees are $90 per team (up to four students) and $25 per individual. Reduced fees of $40 per team and $10 per individual are available to Title I schools.
How do I register?
To register for the 2011-2012 MATHCOUNTS program, complete the registration form included in the free School Kit or print the competition registration form and send along with a check, money order or purchase order to MATHCOUNTS Registration, P.O. Box 441, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. Registrations must be postmarked by the December 16, 2011 deadline. You can confirm your school's registration by checking the school registration database.
