“Promoting excellence in education and showcasing the talents of all our youth.”

The qualifying round is a written test and is not designed for audience viewing.
The Final round is a team competition and is open to the public. Click links for specific round information.

Preliminary Qualifying Written Test

A qualifying tournament will determine those teams which will advance to the final round to be held at the East Texas State Fair. The qualifying tournament will consist of a written test to be taken individually by the 4 competing team members. The ten-(10) teams with the highest team scores will advance to the final round of competition. Moreover, the three (3) students achieving the highest individual score in the qualifying round will be recognized and will receive an award regardless of his or her team’s advancement. The tests will be scored by a task force of mathematics educators and the results will be made available the day following the qualifying tournament. (The qualifying tournament is closed to spectators because of the nature of the assessment). Each school must have a teacher/sponsor present at the event. The teacher/sponsor will certify contestants and alternates present at the event. Any and all necessary grievances with the judges must be filed by the teacher/sponsor. The judges will retain the right to disqualify any team where parent(s) or representatives other than the teacher/sponsor interfere with the flow of the competition. All teams will remain seated where assigned until dismissed by the lead contest judge.

Alternates will be allowed to take the written exam.

 

Format for the Written Exam

1. Students have 1 hour to work on the preliminary written test. When time is called, all work must cease. There are 50 problems on the test. You will not know how to work all the problems, and you may run out of time and not finish the test. It is important that you finish as many problems as possible. If there is time left, go back and work on the problems you did not immediately know how to solve. No incomplete papers will be accepted before time is called.
2. There is to be no talking during the test. Students should avoid distracting behaviors such as repeatedly tapping a pencil on the table.
3. Students may not bring any items or materials into the testing area. Pencils and paper will be provided. If students wear watches, they must not have a calculator feature.
4. Students may not bring any items or materials out of the testing area.
5. Sponsors, alternates, and parents may stay in the testing room for introductions and directions, but must stay outside the testing room during the written test.
6. Pencils and scratch paper are provided at each table. If more is needed, please raise your hand.
7. Students should not get out of their seat for any reason. If you have an emergency, please raise your hand.
8. Students may not ask questions of the proctors about how to solve a problem. The purpose of the test is to see how well individual students can “figure it out.” No one may interpret a problem for a student or give a definition of a vocabulary term at any time during the preliminary test. However, if a printing problem has cut off a question or made a question unreadable, students should not hesitate to ask for clarification.
9. If a question has 2 answer choices that are correct, select the best answer. The answers must be expressed in lowest terms for fractions and measurements. In the completion section, make sure that you label the units in the answer if the problem involves measurement.
10. The test has 30 multiple choice items. Show the work on the test booklet and fill in the answer on the answer sheet. Make sure that the answer sheet is completed before time is called. The answer sheet is the official document that will be scored. Students will not be allowed to make any changes or additions to the answer sheet after time is called.
11. The test also has 20 items for completion. Solve the problems in the test booklet and write the answer on the answer sheet. All scratch paper used for solution should be turned in with the test.
12. Students who finish the test early will not leave the testing area. They should raise their hand. Their test will be reviewed by one of the proctors to see if they have finished all questions. If so, the student will move to a seat on the side of the room away from the students taking the test. They will not be allowed to talk while waiting for the time to run out. Students are encouraged to take the entire hour to complete the test and check their answers.
13. Students who do not follow the rules of the competition will be disqualified.
14. The decisions of the judges are final.
15. Ten (10) teams will qualify for the Final Round of competition.