Middle School Contest Math

Academic Year Mathematics

Middle school math contests such as MATHCOUNTS are a launching pad for many of the best math students. In this course, we draw problems from premier middle school contests such as MATHCOUNTS and the American Mathematics Competitions 8 (AMC 8), as well as beginning high school contests like the American Mathematics Competitions 10 (AMC 10). Students explore important new topics in counting, probability, and number theory, and learn to apply topics in algebra and geometry to advanced problems.

Students should either have completed an Algebra 1 course or be currently enrolled in one to be successful in this course.

Note for students who have taken this course: We alternate between two different versions of this course from one year to the next. The two versions are roughly the same difficulty, but include different lessons, practice contests, and homework. Therefore, students taking this course for two consecutive years will see different material in the second year than in the first.

Homework and exams

Students should expect to spend 1-3 hours on homework every week. Homework will be assigned and completed through the class website, where students receive immediate feedback on their work. Students will take four in-class exams, structured as practice math contests, throughout the course.

Textbook

The textbook for the course is the Art of Problem Solving, Volume 1: the Basics.

Hardcopy and lifetime digital access to the online version of the textbook are included in the tuition and fees of this course.

Syllabus

Sample Problems

Below are examples of some of the types of problems that students will encounter in our Middle School Contest Math course.