Math League: The #1 Math Competition You Need to Try Out
Simply put, Math League is a math competition for students ranging from elementary to high school. But Math League is also so much more, and this blog will detail all the benefits you can reap from this prestigious competition.
What is Math League?
Math League is a math competition that is run in the United States at the local, state, and international level. These contests run in three separate categories for elementary, middle, and high school students. Math League also offers international content opportunities. This blog will focus on the rules and procedures for the US, so feel free to email customercare@mathleague.org or check https://www.mathleague.org/ for more details on international contests!
The Three Big Math League Contests
For the elementary school contests, the students must be in the third grade or beyond. In a majority of the states, top-scorers at the local contests are given the opportunity to compete in their District Championship, and then move on to the State Championship. If the state is smaller, usually students can qualify for the State Championships directly if they receive top scores in their local contest. Students also have the ability to advance to national and international championships if they score well.
For middle school contests, students from grades 6-8 can participate in Math League. At the middle school level, top scorers are invited to compete in the State Championships for each respective state. Winners of the State Championships then qualify for the US National Middle School Championships. Students preparing for the Math League competitions are also encouraged to compete in MATHCOUNTS, another competition that is available exclusively to middle school students. In fact, the problem sets that students use to prepare for the Math League can be equally helpful in preparing for MATHCOUNTS!
For high school contests, students from grades 9-12 can participate in Math League. Similar to the middle school level, top scorers at the local rounds can compete in the State Championships, and winners of the State Championships can compete in the US National High School Championship.
Breaking Down the Math at Math League
So now you know that Math League is a math competition for school aged students, but what exactly is that “math”? Depending on what grade the student is in, they may need to solve geometry, algebra, trigonometry, series, probability or even logarithmic problems! To get a better sense of the problem sets that you will encounter at Math League, you can buy problem sets for competitions in past years at https://www.mathleague.org/.
Participating in Math League
General Logistics of Math League
In order to register for any contest at Math League, the student’s school must be registered in the Math League database. Schools must obtain memberships in the age level (elementary, middle and high school) that they would like to offer the contests to their students. Schools now have no membership fee, but students must pay a fee separately for each contest they participate in.
If you are currently being homeschooled and would like to participate in Math League, signing up will not be an issue! Home schooled students in the same district can identify under the name of an organization that Math League considers to be a school. Make sure to reach out to Math League to confirm the process of getting registered, as it may differ for state to state and country to country!
If you are in a grade level below 9th grade, you may be able to compete at the high school contests! You can compete in the state, national and international championships as well if you qualify for those competitions. Given your special circumstance, you may not be eligible for all the same prizes that are available to high schoolers.
The Team Round in Math League
For Math League rounds at all age levels, students will partake in the Team Round. For this round, elementary and middle school students from the same school will be arranged in their respective rounds in teams of one to four students. For high school students, the students will be arranged in teams of one to six students.
Calculator and Materials Policy in Math League
There are three rounds which use calculators during the Math League contests, which are the Team Round, Target Round, and Power Round. The Power Round is only available to high schoolers. In each of these rounds, any calculator that is approved on the SAT is also approved at Math League.
Students can also bring pens and pencils to each contest, but paper will be given by Math League. Any other device or tool is prohibited when participating in the contests.
How Math League Can Help You Stand Out
Math League is one of the most prestigious math competitions in the world. Participating in Math League will train your soft and hard skills in math. You will learn to think more quickly on your feet, recognise patterns, find efficient ways to solve problems, all while reinforcing important math concepts into your brain! As you participate more in these competitions throughout your educational career, you will be exposed to math students around the country and perhaps even around the world! After a hard season of Math League, you will also have a math competition under your belt, which will show your knowledge and dedication in math to any program, university, or job you apply to.
There are a number of prizes you can win in elementary, middle and high school Math League competitions. At the elementary school level, you can win more than just a bronze, silver, or gold medal. There are other prize options depending on your performance such as math books, problem sets, Math League discount codes and more. To top scoring schools and students, Math League also sends trophies.
If math is something you want to pursue in the future, or is something you are simply curious about, Math League is one of the best ways to gain exposure to math in a stimulating environment. It will also build a great base for futures in STEM careers, or even provide for a unique asset if you are hoping to pursue a liberal arts, or even a theater degree! If you are interested in any one of the many reasons to join Math League, that is enough of a reason to try it out for yourself!
You may also like this blog post about Math League.
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