Math League's Algebra Course 1 Contests are a great way to motivate students learning algebra for the first time. The questions range from basic algebra skills, to more difficult problems, requiring creative solutions by applying algebra course 1 techniques. A wide variety of word problems are included on each contest, in addition to computational problems, to stress the value of applied algebra techniques. These contests are provided for intraschool competition, and come with certificates of merit for your school's high scoring students, and one of our High School Contest problem books for your school's top scorer. Here's a quote from one of last year's Algebra Course 1 students who participated in our contest: "I hope you keep making those tests. It really gets your brain to work" -Amber L.

Contest Format: Each contest consists of 30 multiple-choice questions that you can do in 30 minutes. On each 3-page contest, the questions on the 1st page are generally straightforward, those on the 2nd page are moderate in difficulty, and those on the 3rd page are more difficult. The questions require no more knowledge than that of a first year high school algebra course.

Math League's 6th, 7th, and 8th grade contests challenge students and schools in interschool league competitions. Students in each league compete for the highest scores, while schools compete for the highest team score: the total of the top 5 scores in each school. Each contest's questions cover material appropriate to each grade level. Questions may cover: basic topics, plus exponents, fractions, reciprocals, decimals, rates, ratios, percents, angle measurement, perimeter, area, circumference, basic roots, patterns, sequences, integers, triangles and right triangles, and other topics, depending on the grade level. Detailed solution sheets demonstrate the methods used to solve each problem. These contests encourage a variety of problem-solving skills and methods, to improve students' abilities and understanding of mathematical connections, while having fun!

Contest Format: Each contest consists of 35 multiple-choice questions that you can do in 30 minutes. On each 3-page contest, the questions on the 1st page are generally straightforward, those on the 2nd page are moderate in difficulty, and those on the 3rd page are more difficult. There is a 6th Grade Score Report, and a 7th and 8th Grade Score Report sent to schools in each league after the contest.

High School Contests

Math League's High School Contests are the best in high school mathematics competition. Students in each league compete for the highest scores, while schools compete for the highest team score: the total of the top 5 scores in each school. These contests consist of 6 High School Contests each year, with 6 questions per contest. There are 6 score reports per year for each league, showing each participating school's team scores, high scoring schools and students, and students with a perfect score. Each score report is accompanied by a newsletter, which includes comments and alternate solutions from teachers and students. All high school students in accredited schools are welcome to compete. Problems draw from a wide range of high school topics: geometry, algebra, trigonometry, logarithms, series, sequences, exponents, roots, integers, real numbers, combinations, probability, coordinate geometry, and more. No knowledge of calculus is required to solve any of these problems. Detailed solution sheets demonstrate the methods used to solve each problem, including various approaches where appropriate. Working through these problems and our contest problem books is excellent practice for the SAT and college-bound students.

Contest Format: There are 6 High School Contests each year, with 6 questions per contest. There is a 30 minute time limit for each contest. On each contest, the last two questions are generally more difficult than the first four. The final question on each contest is intended to challenge the very best mathematics students. The problems require no knowledge beyond secondary school mathematics. No knowledge of calculus is required to solve any of these problems. Two to four of the questions on each contest only require a knowledge of elementary algebra. Starting with the 1992-93 school year, students have been permitted to use any calculator on any of our contests.