Annual Math League Contests

Math
Contests

Grades 4 & 5 • Grades 6, 7, & 8 • High School • Algebra 1 • FAQ
Contest Dates / Registration Fees • Check School Registration
Homeschools / Contest Subscriptions • Registration Forms

The Math League has Math Contests for Grades 4 through 8, High School Students, and Algebra 1 students. Over 1 million students from the United States and Canada participate in Math League Contests each year. Every contest has questions from different areas of mathematics. The goal is to encourage student interest and confidence in mathematics through solving worthwhile problems. Many students first develop an interest in mathematics through problem-solving activities such as these contests. Schools compete in statewide or multistate league competitions.

4th and 5th Grade Contests

Math League's 4th and 5th grade contests can add interest and excitement to any mathematics program. These are some of the first math contests many students will compete in--and the most fun with math they've ever had! All of the questions cover basic 4th and 5th grade topics, including: properties of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, time and calendar questions, shapes, perimeter, money, basic ratio and percent, rounding numbers, remainders, integers, and more. These contests challenge students to show their understanding of basic principles through numerical and word problems that encourage an open, flexible approach to problem solving. These contests are provided for intraschool competition, and come with certificates of merit for your school's high scoring students.

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 4th and 5th grade contests are for use in your own school or district. Since results are not used for interschool comparisons, we do not enclose a score report form.

Sample 4th Grade Contest (PDF - 205k) • Solutions (PDF - 223k)
Sample 5th Grade Contest (PDF - 205k) • Solutions (PDF - 221k)
Dates / Fees • Register Online • Print Order Form
Rules • FAQ • Check School Registration

6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Contests

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 40 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.

Sample 6th Grade Contest (PDF - 240k) • Solutions (PDF - 256k)
Sample 7th Grade Contest (PDF - 232k) • Solutions (PDF - 253k)
Sample 8th Grade Contest (PDF - 195k) • Solutions (PDF - 247k)
Dates / Fees • Register Online • Print Order Form
Score Reports • Rules • FAQ • Check School Registration

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.

Sample 05-06 High School Contest & Solutions (PDF)
Dates / Fees • Register Online • Print Order Form
Score Reports • Rules • FAQ • Check School Registration

2009-2010 High School Contest Dates
Contest #	Official Date* (Tuesdays)
HS Contest 1 HS Contest 2 HS Contest 3 HS Contest 4 HS Contest 5 HS Contest 6	October 20, 2009 November 17, 2009 December 15, 2009 January 12, 2010 February 23, 2010 March 23, 2010
Alternate contest dates may be scheduled one week before* the contest dates, in the event of scheduling conflicts.

2010-2011 High School Contest Dates
Contest #	Official Date* (Tuesdays)
HS Contest 1 HS Contest 2 HS Contest 3 HS Contest 4 HS Contest 5 HS Contest 6	October 19, 2010 November 16, 2010 December 14, 2010 Janaury 11, 2011 February 22, 2011 March 22, 20101
Alternate contest dates may be scheduled one week before* the contest dates, in the event of scheduling conflicts.

Algebra Course 1 Contest

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.

Sample Algebra 1 Contest (PDF - 195k) • Solutions (PDF - 208k)
Dates / Fees • Register Online • Print Order Form
Rules • FAQ • Check School Registration

Contest Dates and Registration Fees

Your school will receive Certificates of Merit (enclosed with the contests) for high scoring students on every grade level. For grades 6, 7, 8, and HS contests, we award a plaque to the highest scoring school on each level in each region. For Algebra Course 1 and grades 4 and 5, we give you a book of Math Contests, published by Math League Press, for award to your highest scoring student on each level.

A separate sheet of DETAILED solutions accompanies every contest we sponsor. In addition, after each of the contests for grades 6, 7, 8, and HS, you'll receive a newsletter containing comments and alternate solutions submitted by schools. This newsletter contains statistics about each contest.

Official Contest Dates 2009-2010 School Year
Contest Level	Registration Deadline *	Shipping Date	Contest Date	Registration Fee (Prices include shipping)
4th Grade	February 28, 2010	March	April 15th or later	$30 per set of 30
5th Grade	February 28, 2010	March	April 15th or later	$30 per set of 30
6th Grade	January 31, 2010	January	3rd Tues. in Feb. - February 16, 2010 or 4th Tues. in Feb. - February 23, 2010	$30 per set of 30
7th Grade	January 31, 2010	January	3rd Tues. in Feb. - February 16, 2010 or 4th Tues. in Feb. - February 23, 2010	$30 per set of 30
8th Grade	January 31, 2010	January	3rd Tues. in Feb. - February 16, 2010 or 4th Tues. in Feb. - February 23, 2010	$30 per set of 30
Algebra Course 1	February 28, 2010	March	April 15th or later	$30 per set of 30
High School	October 15, 2009	October	6 Contests, Oct.-Mar.	$75 / 6 contests, 30 of each
* Late registrations will be accepted.

Official Contest Dates 2010-2011 School Year
Contest Level	Registration Deadline *	Shipping Date	Contest Date	Registration Fee (Prices include shipping)
4th Grade	February 28, 2011	March	April 15th or later	$30 per set of 30
5th Grade	February 28, 2011	March	April 15th or later	$30 per set of 30
6th Grade	January 31, 2011	January	3rd Tues. in Feb. - February 15, 2011 or 4th Tues. in Feb. - February 22, 2011	$30 per set of 30
7th Grade	January 31, 2011	January	3rd Tues. in Feb. - February 15, 2011 or 4th Tues. in Feb. - February 22, 2011	$30 per set of 30
8th Grade	January 31, 2011	January	3rd Tues. in Feb. - February 15, 2011 or 4th Tues. in Feb. - February 22, 2011	$30 per set of 30
Algebra Course 1	February 28, 2011	March	April 15th or later	$30 per set of 30
High School	October 15, 2010	October	6 Contests, Oct.-Mar.	$75 / 6 contests, 30 of each
* Late registrations will be accepted.

Home • Register Online • Print Order Form • FAQ • Check School Registration