Online Math Is Cool Contest – Grades 6-8 – Feb. 14, 2024 - Championships

Academics Are Cool is offering the Math Is Cool contest as both an online and in-person event.  The online format is being run in a format as close to the in-person contests as possible, with the standard six events.

Adaptations for the online format include the following:

• The contest events will be administered via an online session.  The Contest Administrator will present instructions, mental math oral questions, and college bowl rounds via the live video stream.
• Students will submit their answers via Google form answer sheets.  Participants may wish to write down their answers on a piece of paper or take a screen shot of their answer sheet for comparison to solutions that are provided at the end of the contest.
• Except for Mental Math and College Bowl, test questions will be included on the answer sheets and the answer sheets will be made available on this website when the test begins.  As an alternative to the questions on the answer sheets, a PDF file containing the questions will be made available when the test begins.
• Answer sheets must be submitted by the end of the test when time is called.  Pay attention to the submission confirmation message, because that message will provide a link to edit your answers (Individual, Multiple Choice, and Team Test only) or a link to the next answer sheet (Triple Jump).  The intent with the Individual, Multiple Choice, and Team Tests is that you will be allowed to submit answers during the contest to periodically save your work.  Submissions after time is up will receive a zero score, regardless of whether you have previously saved your work.  Only the last submission timestamp is retained, so we are not able to identify earlier submissions, though saving your work minimizes the chance of losing all of your submitted answers.
• Each student has been assigned a 5-digit Participant ID, which must be entered on all answer sheet forms.  Answer sheets without proper ID numbers will not be counted.  Obtain your Participant ID from your coach.
• Your coach has entered registration information for students' current math class.  7th/8th grade students in geometry or beyond are designated as GE, 7th/8th grade students in algebra 1 as A1, and 7th/8th grade students in pre-algebra or below as PA.  The current math class is used for grouping 7th/8th grade students for the individual competition, regardless of grade level. 6th grade students compete by Math Is Cool division for your school, not by math class.
• Except for students participating as an individual or alternate, all students are assigned to a grade level team of four students.  The grade level of a team of four students corresponds to the highest grade level of any student on that team.  So, make sure that you know the grade level for your team of four.  Individuals and alternates are welcome to participate in the team events, but the results will not be attributed to a school team.
• Except for the Multiple Choice test, all answers are integers.  Entry of units or symbols (including dollar signs, spaces, commas, fractions, colons, AM/PM, etc.) is not allowed.  Negative integers are accepted, though the form will show a warning when just the negative sign is entered until a digit is added to the answer.  On the Multiple Choice test, students will select a letter corresponding to the intended answer or leave the answer as "Choose" to reflect that no answer (a blank) is being submitted.

Sample Test

As a warm-up and example to practice the process for written tests, a Sample Test is provided here.

1. For practice, try opening and working with a Sample Test answer sheet.  Fill in your Participant ID and first/last name, then proceed to answer the questions.
2. When the answer sheet is completed, press 'Submit' to record your answers.

Contest Overview and Schedule

We will conduct the six contest events in the standard order, per the schedule outlined below.  Mental Math and Individual tests must be completed by the student themselves, with no outside help.  The Multiple Choice, Team Test, Triple Jump, and College Bowl are team events, for which you can communicate only with the other students on your team of four.  The answer forms are configured for the Team Captain to submit team answers; if other team members also submit answers, only the first submission by any team member will count.  Thus, you need to coordinate with your team-of-four teammates.  Be sure you have everything ready before the 3:30 pm starting time, including internet access (for this website and the Zoom webinar), pencil, scratch paper, etc.—but calculators or other aides are not allowed.

Participants should have received the contest website link, participant ID, and team-of-four assignment from your coach.  If a coach has forgotten the online meeting link or participant IDs, contact us for help prior to 3:20 pm.  Include your name and school in the request.  If a participant is uncertain about their participant ID, math class, or team/grade level, they can confirm that information with their coach or by checking the participant list when it becomes available.  If there are any issues with participant information, coaches can e-mail the Webinar Manager after the contest, but by 8:00 pm, including the issue description, participant ID, student name, and school.

3:10 pm  All participant changes must be entered by coaches.

• This deadline will be strictly adhered to, so get your changes in early.

3:15 pm  Final participant list is available for reference.

3:30 pm  Welcome Remarks

3:50 - 4:10 pm  Mental Math

• Remember, there is to be no work done on paper for the Mental Math event.  Work the problem out in your head and then type the answer on the answer sheet.  Each question will be read three times, then the Contest Administrator will wait for 30 seconds before going to the next question.
• When instructed to, reload this web page in your browser.  Links will appear so that you can open the appropriate Mental Math Answer Sheet below.  Once opened, fill in your Participant ID and name.
  • Mental Math Answer Sheet
• After the test, when time is called, submit your answer sheet.  Do not submit the answer sheet until the time is up on the last question (you cannot go back and edit the Mental Math answer sheet).

4:10 - 4:45 pm  Individual Test

• For the Individual test and all subsequent events, you can use your paper and pencil to do work.
• You can submit your answers at any time to save your work, and then follow the 'Edit your response' link to resume adding/editing your answers.
• When instructed to, reload this web page in your browser.  Links will appear so that you can open the appropriate Individual Test below.  Once opened, fill in your Participant ID and name and begin testing.
• 6th Grade Test
• 7th/8th Grade Test
• All of the questions are on the Test links above.  However, if needed due to network issues, the questions are also available in separate 6th Grade Individual Test PDF and 7th/8th Grade Individual Test PDF files.
• When time is called at the end of the event, submit your answer sheet.

4:55 - 5:10 pm  Multiple Choice

• You can communicate with the rest of your team for the rest of the contest.  Choose a team captain to submit the answers for the team.
• You can submit your answers at any time to save your work, and then follow the 'Edit your response' link to resume with adding/editing your answers.
• When instructed to, reload this web page in your browser.  Links will appear below so that each participant can open the Multiple Choice Test.  The team captain needs to fill in their own Participant ID and name (answers will be assigned to the team).  Everyone can begin testing.
• 6th Grade Test for the Team Captain
• 6th Grade Test for Other Team Members
• 7th/8th Grade Test for the Team Captain
• 7th/8th Grade Test for Other Team Members
• All of the questions are on the Test links above.  However, if needed due to network issues, the questions are also available in a separate PDF file:.
• 6th Grade Multiple Choice Test
• 7th/8th Grade Multiple Choice Test
• After the test, when time is called, the team captain needs to submit their answer sheet promptly.

5:20 - 5:35 pm  Team Test

• Again, you will be working as a team with a team captain.
• You can submit your answers at any time to save your work, and then follow the 'Edit your response' link to resume with adding/editing your answers.
• When instructed to, reload this web page in your browser.  Links will appear below so that each participant can open the Team Test.  The team captain needs to fill in their own Participant ID and name (answers will be assigned to the team).  Everyone can begin testing.
• 6th Grade Test for the Team Captain
• 6th Grade Test for Other Team Members
• 7th/8th Grade Test for the Team Captain
• 7th/8th Grade Test for Other Team Members
• All of the questions are on the Test links above.  However, if needed due to network issues, the questions are also available in a separate PDF file:
• 6th Grade Team Test
• 7th/8th Grade Team Test
• After the test, when time is called, the team captain needs to submit their answer sheet promptly.

5:50 - 6:05 pm  Triple Jump

• Again, you will be working as a team with a team captain.
• One submission is expected every 5 minutes, so do not submit your form until told to (you cannot go back and edit).
• After you submit the first form, the confirmation message will include a link to the next form for submitting answers.  Follow that link to a form with the same set of questions, but titled Submission #2 (or Submission #3).  You should not be submitting the form below (titled Submission #1) more than one time.
• When instructed to, reload this web page in your browser.  Links will appear below so that each participant can open the Triple Jump Test.  The team captain needs to fill in their own Participant ID and name (answers will be assigned to the team).  Everyone can begin testing.
• 6th Grade Test for the Team Captain
• 6th Grade Test for Other Team Members
• 7th/8th Grade Test for the Team Captain
• 7th/8th Grade Test for Other Team Members
• All of the questions are on the Test links above.  However, if needed due to network issues, the questions are also available in a separate PDF file:
• 6th Grade Triple Jump Test
• 7th/8th Grade Triple Jump Test
• The team captain must submit an answer sheet every 5 minutes, with answers and/or blanks.  Keep track of your answers to use on subsequent submittals, though you can change your answer on subsequent submittals.  It is critcally important to follow the link in the submittal confirmation to the next form for the subsequent submittal (prior submittals cannot be edited).  That is, there are separate test/answer sheet forms for each submittal and you don't want to submit the first answer sheet multiple times.  The team captain must submit answer forms promptly when the Contest Administrator instructs you to do so, thus avoiding loss of points due to a late submission.

6:10 - 6:50 pm  College Bowl

• College Bowl questions will be displayed in the webinar, one at a time over three rounds of 10 questions each.
• Everyone on the team can answer each question.  Only the first answer for the team will be counted for each question.  Submitted answers cannot be edited.
• When instructed to, reload this web page in your browser.  Links will appear so that you can open the appropriate College Bowl Answer Sheet below.  Once opened, fill in your Participant ID, name, round number, and question number.
• College Bowl Answer Sheet
• You will use the same form for every question that you wish to answer (follow the link in the submittal confirmation to submit another response).
• Fill in your Participant ID and name and select the current round and question number from the drop-down menu.
• When you know the answer, enter it and press the Submit button.  You will have a maximum of 45 seconds to submit an answer.
• Up to the first 60% of the participating teams that correctly answer each question within the time limit will get the point.

All done!  You may provide feedback on your online contest experience to the Webinar Manager.