Competition Math

Lots of fun while looking good on a college application. Many top tier schools will directly ask for your AMC 10/12 scores on their college application. But if college apps aren’t what’s on your mind right now, the Seattle area offers great access to day-long events that make math a fun sport. These events can focus on a variety of skills such as team building and trivia. They’ll make math as fun and rewarding as any other sport one could participate in. And yes, you’ll gain practical math skills that will be useful later in life as well. Below is a list of competitions that I recommend trying.

- Ray

AMC 8

 

A classic middle school math competition. 40 minutes and multiple choice. Once a year and held nationwide. This exam tests you on knowledge that is similar to what you’d otherwise learn in school. A great option for math competition novices and returning champions alike. I will show you how to ace this exam like I did in middle school.

AMC 10/12

 

The high school equivalent to AMC 8. Considerably more challenging and testing knowledge and skills lying farther outside the scope of traditional school math, these exams will give you the scores that top tier colleges ask for on their applications while allowing you to qualify for closed exams such as the AIME and USAMO. With a high score of 136.5, I’m prepared to help you reach above the top 1% worldwide.

Fall Classic

 

A day-long event modeled after the more prestigious Mu Alpha Theta series, this state level competition is hosted by the amazing team at Thomas Jefferson High School and is one of the few events of the year willing to hand you more trophies than you can carry home. After a few years, I learned to bring a padded backpack.

Knights of Pi

 

A local math competition hosted annually by Newport High School for elementary and middle schoolers. This one offers both individual and team events and is lots of fun for even the casual mathlete. Come learn how to do well on the individual exam from someone who has both proctored and won at KPMT. Or bring your team with you and I’d love to coach everyone through the team events.

Mathcounts

 

A high-profile middle school competition offering school, chapter, state, and national level rounds every year. Winners get to meet the U.S. president. Washington state is a difficult state to compete in, but I’ll show you what it takes to make it to the infamous countdown round and shake hands with U.S. senator Patty Murray. I even got her to sign high school volunteer hours for me XD

Math Hour Olympiad @ UW

 

Hosted by the University of Washington, this competition for 5th through 10th graders offers a dramatically different format. Instead of answering calculation questions in short answer or multiple-choice form, mathletes here will prove their solutions to adult mathematicians in 1 on 2 settings. This is a great event for students tired of the arithmetic part of school math. You don’t need to be able to do more than basic multiplication to succeed here. Plus you get to walk around UW’s beautiful campus in early summer. Winning first prize in 2015 gave me early access to prestigious summer programs with the university and lunch events with math department faculty, allowing me to build college faculty connections that have served me well even half a decade later.

Math is Cool

 

A well-known Washington math competition available at almost all grade levels. Doing well at the regional level qualifies you for MIC Masters in Moses Lake. I’ve both won individual rounds at the state level and also led the first-place team on numerous occasions. MIC is some of the most fun I’ve had at math competitions.

Math Kangaroo

 

A lesser-known, individual competition available across the world. The organization gifted me an all-expenses paid 2-week trip to Europe after I took the U.S. first prize in 2018. There, I got a chance to compete against several European teams and make some lasting friends along the way. Unlike other math competitions, which hand out shiny trophies, this one will give you very expensive awards for winning, whether you want fancy tablets or overseas vacations.

Mu Alpha Theta

 

A well-known math competition hosted regionally around the country. Over the course of a day mathletes will compete in 6 different categories of their choosing. Awards are offered for high scorers in each category offered. This is a great opportunity for mathletes who may not otherwise be a top performer to win awards in their best category. The organizers love handing out as many trophies as they can and you’ll love taking them home.

Rocket City Math League

 

RCML is a math competition you can take right from your school. The questions tend to be easier and unlike most other competitions on this list, RCML is taken virtually using a computer. If your school isn’t represented yet, this is a great opportunity for you to lead the team!

Washington State Math Championship

 

Similar in style to Math is Cool but allowing calculators on some parts of the exam, this event also offers opportunities to win in both individual and team events. Unlike at Math is Cool, where team trophies are typically kept by the school, if your team wins here, you take the trophy home. My biggest and shiniest trophy came from winning 1st at this event.

Washington State Math Olympiad

 

A popular middle school math competition for teams of 4 to represent their school. An excellent way to get into math competitions. Bring your friends along for the fun!

Whatcom County Math Championship

 

Modeled after the better-known Washington State Math Championship and hosted in the same location, this competition offers a smaller competition pool for potential mathletes looking to dodge some of the big-league players.