Open to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders, MathCounts involves solving various types of complicated math problems. Its members vie against other teams in chapter, state and national competitions, and the problems they face are so challenging that the competitors are called “mathletes.”
The contests consist of particular tests:
Sprint round – 30 word problems to solve in 40 minutes without calculators;
Target round – Four sets of two problems each. Students have 6 minutes per set and may use calculators. Each problem is usually a paragraph long and is much harder than the ones in the sprint round.
Team round – After competing individually in the other two rounds, all four team members have 20 minutes to work together and solve 10 word problems.