Importance of Advanced Math in College Admissions
Math Olympiads and Competitions are great opportunities for students who are looking to challenge themselves and advance in mathematics.
Students with a passion for math learn and master advanced, brain-stretching and awe-inspiring material in Number Theory, Algebra, Combinatorics, and Geometry. Over the course of Math Olympiad preparation, students develop problem-solving abilities, critical thinking skills, and logical reasoning through problem solving sessions, practices and competitions.
The most famous and the hardest math competition is the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) at which every country is represented by its top 6 high school students (well some might be in middle or even in elementary school like Iurie).Well.. when each country is represented by its best and the brightest students, you can expect it to be a bit hard.
BUT, You don’t have to go that high and hard to prove yourself and benefit from these competitions. There are competitions for every grade level.
Math Kangaroo
Math Kangaroo is an international math competition. More than 5 million students from over 50 countries participate every year. There are twelve levels in Math Kangaroo, one for every grade level between the grades 1 and 12. Math Kangaroo’s main concentration is Mathematical Kangaroo is logical combination rather than memorization of mathematical formulas.
MOEMS
Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS) is a worldwide mathematics competition for students in grades 4 through 8. There is an Elementary School Division (grades 4-6) and a Middle School Division (grades 7-8). Competitions run through November through March every year with one test administered each month at every participating school. Student answer sheets are sent to MOEMS for scoring. Hundreds of thousands of students participate in MOEMS every year. MOEMS is a great way to start competing in math olympiads for elementary and middle school students.
MATHCOUNTS
Mathcounts is the most famous math competition in the United States. Top scorers are recognized at regional, state and national levels. MathCounts has four rounds with increasing difficulty with each step: school, chapter, state, and national. Top scorers of each level advance in to the next one.
American Mathematics Competitions
American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) are a series of competitions through which the team of students who will represent the US at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) are selected.
There are three introductory level competitions:
AMC 8: for students in grades 8 and below
AMC 10: for students in grades 10 and below
AMC 12: for students in grades 12 and below
Top scorers on AMC 10 and AMC 12 are invited to take American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). Top scorers on the AIME are invited to take the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) or United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO). The top 50 students on the USAMO are invited to go to the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program (MOP). 6 students are selected from the top twelve scorers on the USAMO and the Team Selection Test (TST)) to form the United States team for the IMO.
Benefits of Participating in Math Olympiads
Scholarships for Top Scorers of MathCounts
Scholarships are awarded to high-ranking students at the national competition, and many universities give scholarships to the top finishers at the state level. Some of Mathcounts’ sponsors, such as Texas Instruments, General Motors, and Lockheed Martin, also provide scholarships.
Admission to Top Colleges
Do Math Olympiad Courses and Camps Really Help With My College Admissions?
Yes!
Proof? Look at the application form to MIT. It asks for your scores in two competitions: AMC 10/12 and AIME.
Do we need to say more?