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Instructions for administering mathleague.org high school tests
This section is included as a reference for contest directors to use to ensure standardized administration of all mathleague.org-sanctioned contests. PLEASE NOTE THAT STARTING WITH THE 2016-2017 SEASON, CALCULATORS ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED ON THE SPRINT ROUND BUT ARE ALLOWED ON THE TARGET ROUND.
- Target Round:
While the first pair of questions is being distributed (face down or with the problems otherwise unreadable), explain to the students that "You will be given four pairs of questions in the target round, and the first pair is being handed out now. Once the signal is given to begin you will have exactly ten minutes to solve the two questions you have been given. Make sure your answers are written in the answer blank before time is called. After ten minutes all official answer slips for questions one and two will be collected, and the answers will be announced. You may use any calculator approved by mathleague.org [the approved calculator list is the same as the SAT approved list]. Do not turn your questions over until the signal is given to begin. Are there any questions?" Once everyone is ready to start the first round, tell the students they may begin. Give a verbal time warning when one minute remains. After exactly ten minutes, tell the students to "Stop! Put your pencils down and hold your answer slip in the air; a proctor will be by to collect your answer slip." After all the answers are collected, begin to pass out the next set of questions. While the second set is being passed out, tell the students "The answer to question number one is _____; how many people answered question one correctly? [pause] The answer to question two is _____; how many people answered question two correctly?" After making sure every student has a copy of the questions for round two, begin the second round. Continue this pattern until all four rounds have been completed. If you wish, you may ask after the answers to 6, 7, and 8 are announced how many people have perfect scores up to that point. After the end of each round, make sure the answer slips are sent to the grading room.
- Sprint Round:
Pass out a copy of the test (face down or with the problems otherwise unreadable) to each student, along with an answer sheet and scratch paper (these may be stapled to the front of the test if you prefer). Explain to the students that "You will have one hour to complete this test. There are thirty multiple choice questions. You will be awarded 4 points for each question answered correctly, -1 for each incorrect answer, and no points for unanswered problems. No calculators are allowed on the Sprint Round. Are there any questions?" Give verbal time warnings when 30 minutes remain and when 5 minutes remain. Give the students exactly one hour to work, at which point they should be instructed to "Stop! Put your pencils down and hold your answer sheet in the air; a proctor will be by to collect your answer sheet." Collect the answer sheets and send them to the grading room.
- Power Question:
Distribute one copy of the power question face down to each person, and give each team a cover sheet with a unique proctor-assigned team number written on it. Teams may include any number of students up to six for Division A schools or three for Division B schools. Instruct the teams to indicate their school and all of their names on the cover sheet. Tell the students "You will have one hour to complete the power question. Your team may work together but may not consult any books, other teams, or any other resources. You may use any mathleague.org-approved calculators. Your answers should be written on blank paper on the front side only, with your team number in the upper right corner of each page. At the end of the hour you will hand in your packet of answers in sequential order, with the cover sheet on top. Are there any questions?" Give a verbal time warning when 30 minutes remain and when 5 minutes remain. After one hour, instruct the teams to "Stop! Put your pencils down and hold your answer packet in the air; a proctor will be by to collect your answer packet." Each answer packet should be stapled together as it is collected. Send the answer packets to the grading room.
- Team Test:
Distribute one set of questions face down to each person, and give each team an answer sheet. Teams may include any number of students up to six for Division A schools or three for Division B schools. Instruct the teams to indicate their school and all of their names on the answer sheet. Tell the students "You will have twenty minutes to complete the team test. Your team may work together but may not consult any books, other teams, or any other resources. You may use any mathleague.org-approved calculators. Division A schools will be given 10 points for each problem answered completely correct, and Division B schools will be given 20 points per problem; there is no penalty for incorrect answers. Are there any questions?" Give a verbal time warning when 3 minutes remain. After twenty minutes, instruct the teams to " Stop! Put your pencils down and hold your answer sheet in the air; a proctor will be by to collect your answer sheet." Send the answer sheets to the grading room.
- Relays:
(Traditional rules) This is perhaps the most complicated event to administer, but it is the quickest to grade, which is why we recommend putting it last. It is best to arrange students so that each team of three is sitting in a column, one behind the other. Relay teams may include any number of students up to three, although the nature of this event makes it extremely inadvisable for schools to field teams of fewer than three. If a relay has one person, that person is designated a number 3 student and may receive only the questions given to number 3 students. If a relay has two people, one person is designated a number 3 student and may receive only the questions given to number 3 students, and one person is designated a number 2 student and may receive only the questions given to number 2 students. Teams with fewer than three students may not receive the questions allocated to the missing team members, and must work only with the information they are given. You may want to arrange the groups so that it becomes easier to collect the answer slips from the number 3 people; you will need to decide on the best arrangement, depending on the facilities available to you. Make sure each student has scratch paper, and each number 3 student (each full team will have a 1, 2, and 3) has ten answer slips. Have the number 3 people fill out the answer slips while the first round of problems is passed out face down. Proctors should check to make sure they give each person the appropriate problem based on whether they are a 1, 2, or 3. For the first round, the number 1 person's question will be numbered 1-1, person 2 will have 1-2, and person 3 will have 1-3 (for round 2 the numbers will be 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3, and so forth). The information on the official relay round rules sheet should be read to the students and any procedural questions answered. Numbers 1 and 2 on each team should be instructed to tear a square of paper off their scratch paper when they wish to pass an answer back, or you may wish to furnish them with pre-made slips of blank paper to write answers on. When you are ready, tell the students to begin. After 2:45 announce "15 second warning; number 3's need to have an answer ready and hold it up". At 3 minutes, announce "Three minutes. Proctors, collect only the answer slips that are in the air. Students, continue working for another three minutes." After 5:45 announce "15 second warning; number 3's, get an answer ready only if you want to change your answer". At 6 minutes, announce "Six minutes. Proctors, collect only the answer slips that are in the air." Once all the answer slips are collected, read the answers to all three parts, asking for a show of hands to indicate how many students got each part correct. Pass out the second round of questions and repeat this process through all five rounds. After each round is complete, send the answer slips to the grading room.
(Alternate rules) At the discretion of the contest coordinator, the relay round may be turned into a collaborative event, where teams of one to three students may collaborate with each other. In this case, the relay team is given all three questions and may sit together, consult with each other, and distribute the work however they choose. All other rules described above remain the same. State meet coordinators wishing to invoke the alternate rules must get prior approval from mathleague.org.
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