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Mission College Mathematics Department

AMATYC CONTEST

Introduction · Dates · Winners · Rules · Tips · Contact

INTRODUCTION

The annual national contest sponsored by the American Mathematics Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) consists of 2 rounds: one round in the fall semester and one round in the spring semester.

Each round consists of 20 multiple-choice questions on a variety of topics in precalculus mathematics: algebra, geometry, trigonometry, functions, graphing, probability, combinatorics and elementary statistics.

To take the exam, one needs to be a community college student at a participating community college. To take the exam at Mission College, one needs to be a Mission College student without any kind of college degree.

The top 5 scores in each round form the Mission College "team." The college, then competes informally with other community colleges around the state and the country. Members of the team receive certificates to honor their accomplishments.

At the end of the 2 rounds, the top five high scores (sum of Round 1 and Round 2 scores) receive scholarships from the Mission College Mathematics Department.

First Place $150
Second Place $100
Third Place $50

On the national level, the person who has the highest combined score on both rounds receives a $3,000 scholarship from AMATYC. For more details, see the rules and tips sections below.

DATES

Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2012/13 AMATYC Student Contest have been completed. Stay tuned for information about the 2013/14 contest during the Fall 2013 semester.

WINNERS

The Mission College Math Contest teams for the 2012/2013 year are as follows:

ROUND 1 ROUND 2 OVERALL WINNERS
1. Phi Le 1. Vinh Hoang 1. Vinh Hoang
2. Vinh Hoang 2. Phuc Le 2. Phi Le
3. Jonathan Yin 3. Phi Le 3. Zhiyang Lu
4. Tho Truong 4. Zhiyang Lu 4. Jonathan Yin
5. Zhiyang Lu 5. Haoyang Song 5. Diep Nguyen

Congratulations to the contest winners and to all participants. The contest questions were both challenging and mind-expanding. Having the contest experience makes everyone a winner. Keep up the good work and look forward to next semester!

RULES

  • Contestants must be Mission College students who do not hold any college degree.

  • Contestants may not enter the testing room once the contest has started. (Be on time!)

  • Contestants may not leave the testing room until the test is completed and all the materials are collected.

  • During the test, contestants may use a scientific or graphing calculator which does not have a keyboard.

  • Contestants may not use dictionaries, cell phones, PDAs, iPods, computers, or other electronic devices.

  • Questions are multiple choice, although occasionally there may be a short-answer question.

  • Scoring is as follows: 2 points for each correct answer; 0 points for an answer left blank; and minus 0.5 point for a wrong answer.

TIPS

  • Come to one of the review sessions conducted by the Mission College Math Department. The dates for the sessions can be found above.

  • Bring a scientific or graphing calculator to the contest. If you do not have a calculator, the college can lend you one.

  • Do not try to answer all the questions on the test (unless you know how to do them all in the time allowed!). Since wrong answers count as negative points, it is best to leave the answer blank if you have no idea how to do the problem.

  • Do not spend too much time on one problem. Try the easier problems first, but beware if the problem seems too easy.

  • Read each problem very carefully before and after solving it.

  • Have fun solving these intriguing puzzles!

    CONTACTS

    If you have further questions regarding this contest, you can contact one of the moderators of the Mission College AMATYC Contest:

    Rick Hobbs 408-855-5325 rick.hobbs@wvm.edu
    Carmen Musat 408-855-5331 carmen.musat@wvm.edu

    Introduction · Dates · Winners · Rules · Tips · Contact · Back to top of page

    Math Dept Main Page • Mission College Main Page

    last update: 3/19/13
    Problems with this page? Contact Rick Hobbs at rick.hobbs@wvm.edu