2022 MATHCOUNTS State Competition FAQ

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2022 MATHCOUNTS State Competition FAQ

Ensure your students are prepared to participate in the State Competition on March 31!

The State Competition is quickly approaching! Below are important details for you and your students. Please review this information with your students to ensure they are familiar with student and proctor responsibilities and guidelines and are comfortable with the day-of testing process.

Accessing the State Competition on March 31, 2022

When is the State Competition?

The State Competition is March 31, 7:00pm - 9:00pm ET (4:00pm - 6:00pm PT). Competitors must login to their Student Portal at https://artofproblemsolving.com/contests/mathcounts/portal at 7:00pm ET to take the competition. Students should allow approximately 90 minutes to complete the competition once they begin. Students have up to 40 minutes to complete the Sprint Round and 6 minutes to complete each pair of Target Round problems (4 pairs/6 minutes each). There will be a 10-minute break between the Sprint Round and Target Round and 1-minute breaks between each pair of Target Round problems. Students will take the Sprint and Target Rounds only; there will be no Team Round for the State Competition.

 

Who is eligible to participate in the State Competition?

Only competitors who qualified to advance from the Chapter Competition are eligible to participate in the State Competition. Coaches were notified of their students' advancement status but should contact their state coordinator if they have questions.

How will my students access the State Competition on March 31?

On March 31 at 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT, students must login to their AoPS account at https://artofproblemsolving.com/contests/mathcounts/portal. In their Student Portal, they will begin the competition by clicking on the "Start Contest" button at the top of the page. Note, once students login to their Student Portal, they will see a timer counting down to when they can click the "Start Contest" button and enter the Contest Platform. Students should remain on their Student Portal while the timer counts down. Once the countdown time expires, the "Start Contest" button will unlock, and students can click on it to access the competition. There will be no need for them to refresh the page. Students should be prepared to wait up to 5 minutes before the "Start Contest" button unlocks and they can access the competition because students are being granted permission into the contest in preassigned waves. A new wave starts every 2 minutes so as not to overload the system.

*Note, non-school competitors must login with THEIR OWN account; they cannot login with their parent's (coach's) account.

Coach and Proctor Expectations and Guidelines

Proctoring is required for the 2022 MATHCOUNTS State Competition. Where proctoring is concerned, students have two options:

1) If the student opts not to use the online proctoring service, MonitorEDU (more information below), they will be required to have two proctors. At least one proctor must be in-person and be a non-related adult. A second required non-related adult proctor can be in-person or virtual. At least one of the two proctors must be a school administrator/personnel or official coach.

2) If the student uses the MATHCOUNTS-approved online proctoring service, MonitorEDU, only one proctor will be necessary for the State Competition. Arrangements for a MonitorEDU proctor can be made at http://mathproctor.com. Note there is a fee of $15.00 to secure a MonitorEDU proctor.

What is my role as a MATHCOUNTS coach during the State Competition?

Coaches are asked to do the following things to help ensure a successful State Competition experience for their students:

1) Ensure your students login to their Student Portals at 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT to take the State Competition on March 31, 2022.

2) Talk with students about competition integrity ahead of time. Reinforce the idea that any cheating student who progresses to the next level is taking the spot from a deserving student. Discuss what competition integrity includes, such as

  • Taking the competition in a completely honest way and following all rules;
  • Not using a calculator during the Sprint Round;
  • Not seeking out, accepting or giving assistance in any way; and
  • Not discussing the content of the competition with other students until 24 hours after the competition

3) Identify proctors in advance.

4) Monitor your students' activity during the State Competition to ensure they complete all competition steps. You can monitor your students' activity during the State Competition from your Coach Portal at https://artofproblemsolving.com/contests/mathcounts/portal. Once the competition begins at 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT on March 31, you will be able to track if your student(s):

  • Has not logged in and clicked the "Start Contest" button on their Student Portal yet;
  • Has clicked the "Start Contest" button on their Student Portal and reached the pre-competition steps (honor code, proctoring responsibilities, instructions);
  • Has started the Sprint Round;
  • Has completed the Target Round and reached the required post-competition steps (honor code and proctor certifications);
  • Has completed all necessary steps and finished the State Competition.

What are the proctoring requirements for the State Competition?

Proctors are responsible for ensuring that competitors:

  • Have a testing space clear of any aids other than those allowed under the competition rules (pencils, pens, erasers, and blank scratch paper).
  • Are continuously monitored during the entirety of the competition.
  • Use a calculator only during the Target Round and that the calculator conforms to the following restrictions:

                - Students may use any calculator (including programmable and graphing calculators) that does not contain a QWERTY (typewriter-like) keypad.

                - Smart phones, laptops, tablets, iPods® and other digital music players, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and any other "smart" devices are not  considered to be calculators and may not be used as calculators during competitions.

                - Students may not use calculators to exchange information with another person or device during the competition.

  • Do not make use of the Internet, any personal (digital or other) communication devices, notes or other reference materials including dictionaries and translation dictionaries.
  • Do not (1) receive ANY help from the proctor or anyone else (including, but not limited to, hints or suggestions like, "Did you reduce all of your fractions?" or "Do you want to work through this problem again?" or "Do you want to check your work before submitting your answers?", (2) give ANY help to anyone else or (3) copy (in written or digital form) any questions or answers from the competition.
  • Follow all rules of the competition.
What to Expect Once the Competition Begins

What should my students expect once they start the Sprint and Target Rounds?

Once competitors click the "Start Contest" button at the top of their Student Portal, they must read and agree to the MATHCOUNTS Honor Code by entering their name in the field provided.

The Student Honor Code will read as follows:

I pledge to uphold the highest principles of honesty and integrity as a Mathlete© and to follow all rules of the competition. I will neither give nor accept unauthorized assistance of any kind. I further certify that prior to taking the MATHCOUNTS State Competition, I do not believe I have seen any of this year's State Competition problems and will not discuss problems for the next 24 hours. I understand that any competitor found to be in violation of this honor code is subject to disqualification.

Students also will be required to agree to the following student expectations and responsibilities:

  • Circumstances beyond my control and beyond MATHCOUNTS's and AoPS's control may keep me from participating in and/or completing the competition within the required framework. Such circumstances could be technical in nature (including, but not limited to, loss of Internet, issues with my computer software or device, or a problem with the online platform). My parent and I understand these unfortunate situations are a possibility and it is highly unlikely MATHCOUNTS or AoPS will be able to make accommodations for these circumstances.
  • If I encounter a technical issue during the competition, my proctor must contact AoPS ([email protected]) immediately while I continue working on the competition. My proctor must provide the exact issue, my name and username for my AoPS Student Portal, and the exact time the issue occurred. Attempts will be made to assist me in time for me to complete the test.
  • I am being proctored by at least two non-related, adult proctors or one MonitorEDU proctor. If I am not using a MonitorEDU proctor, at least one of my proctors is proctoring me in-person and at least one proctor is a non-related school official (for example: coach, teacher, guidance counselor, principal).
  • If I earn a score in my state that would qualify me to advance to the National Competition, my proctor(s) will be contacted by the MATHCOUNTS national office. My advancement to the National Competition is dependent on my proctor(s) certifying proctoring requirements were met. Proctoring includes ensuring I am continuously monitored throughout testing, my work space is free of impermissible aides or communication devices, a permissible calculator is only used during the Target Round, and I do not receive or give assistance of any kind (whether through communication or use of unapproved resources or tools).
  • For the safety of both myself and my proctor(s), I will not be left alone with a non-related proctor. Parents must ensure students are in safe proctoring environments.

After completing the honor code and student responsibility sections, competitors will be presented with a short explanation of the Sprint and Target Rounds, rules regarding calculators and allowable aids and guidelines on entering answers. After reviewing this information, competitors will click "Start Contest" to begin the Sprint Round.

Upon completing the Target Round, competitors will be asked to certify that they followed the Honor Code. Certification is required for the State Competition.

For both the Sprint and Target Rounds, students should not click "Submit" unless they are completely done with the round. Once a student clicks "Submit," they are locked out of the round and may not return to complete it.

What should proctors expect once the competitor starts the Sprint and Target Rounds?

After competitors have read the Honor Code and entered their name in the required field, proctors should read the Proctor Responsibilities, enter their name and contact information in the appropriate fields, and ensure the competitor reviews the competition instructions. If proctoring is being done virtually, the student should either allow the virtual proctor to view their screen to read the instructions or read the instructions aloud for the proctor. If being proctored virtually, the virtual proctor must give the student permission to enter the proctor's name and contact information where required.

The Proctor Responsibilities will read as follows:

If the competitor is not using a MonitorEDU proctor, they should be continuously monitored by at least two proctors to ensure all rules are followed. At least one proctor must proctor the competitor in-person and at least one proctor must be a non-related school official. If the competitor is using a MonitorEDU proctor, only one proctor is required. If it is clear to the proctor(s) from personal observation that a participant has cheated, then the proctor(s) must select the appropriate option on the Proctor Certification at the end of the test and provide a detailed explanation in the Comments section. If the proctor(s) receives an accusation or obtains indirect evidence of cheating, the proctor(s) must immediately report all evidence of the situation to MATHCOUNTS at [email protected]. The proctor(s) will read the rules listed below with the student before the student begins.

Upon completion of the competition, proctors must read the Proctor Certification, choose the appropriate certification option, and enter their name in the field provided. If proctoring is conducted virtually, the student should either allow the proctor to view their screen to read the Proctor Certification section or read the certification statement aloud for the proctor. If being proctored virtually, the student must receive permission from the proctor to select the appropriate certification option and enter the proctor's name where required.

Post Competition Details

Where can I find competitors' results?

Results for the State Competition will be available on Student and Coach Portals beginning April 7 at 7:00pm ET. On or after April 7, students can click on "View Results" on their Student Portal to view their overall score and which problems were marked correct and incorrect. Students who qualify to advance to the 2022 Raytheon Technologies MATHCOUNTS National Competition will be notified by April 7, 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT.

How do students advance to the 2022 Raytheon Technologies MATHCOUNTS National Competition?

The top four highest-scoring students from each state advance to the National Competition.

Common Competition Day Questions/Issues

What if a student forgets her username or password to login to her AoPS account?

Coaches can find their students' usernames on their Coach Portals and can update passwords for students with "limited accounts." If you do not see an "Update Password" button for a student on your Coach Portal, that student can reset their own password by clicking "Forgot username/password" when signing into their account at https://artofproblemsolving.com/contests/mathcounts/portal. An email will be sent to the student with instructions to change their password.

If you change your student's password from your Coach Portal, please make sure to copy and paste the new password when sending it to your student.

It is recommended that students login to their Student account at AoPS a couple of days prior to the State Competition and stay logged in on the site to help avoid issues with logging in on the day of the competition. During the testing window, AoPS will prioritize assisting students with technical issues rather than forgotten login information.

What if a student loses Internet connection during the competition?

The student, proctor or coach should immediately contact AoPS at [email protected] to explain the situation. MATHCOUNTS and AoPS will assess the situation and contact the student, coach and proctor with next steps. Note, although this unfortunate situation is a possibility, it is highly unlikely that MATHCOUNTS or AoPS will be able to make accommodations for loss of internet during the State Competition.

What if a student logs into the Contest Platform under my Coach account and not their Student account?

You should email AoPS at [email protected] to request the account be reset to allow the student access to the competition. AoPS will need to resend the Coach Invitation email to you. Once you receive that email, you will need to click on the Coach Invitation link and create your Coach account at AoPS. Click here for a step-by-step guide to creating a Coach account and using the Coach Portal.

After your Coach account is created, login to AoPS at https://artofproblemsolving.com/contests/mathcounts/portal and send your student(s) the Student Invitation link in your Coach Portal. Your student(s) will need to click on that link and create their Student account with AoPS to join the Contest Platform. Click here to view a step-by-step guide for students to create a Student account and access MATHCOUNTS competitions.

My student is listed on my Coach Portal and is logging in to the Contest Platform using a valid username and password but cannot get access to their Student Portal. How can they access their Student Portal?

Check your Coach Portal to make sure the student does not have a duplicate listing. If your student does have a duplicate listing in your Coach Portal, please make sure they login using the username and password for the account marked "official." Remove the account that is not marked official. If your student still cannot access their Student Portal after taking these steps, you or the student should contact AoPS at [email protected].

What should my student do if they clicked "Submit" on their competition before they intended to?

Unfortunately, the State Competition cannot be reset for students who click "Submit" before they intended to. Students should be careful to read all warnings when clicking "Submit" as they will not be permitted to return to earlier rounds of the test.

What if my student's device does not allow them to view or load Sprint or Target problem images?

If they haven't already, the student should test their device in advance of the State Competition by taking the Software Compatibility Check or Practice Competitions 1 and 2. If they still experience issues loading images during the competition, the student, proctor or coach should send an email to [email protected] immediately to report the issue. MATHCOUNTS and AoPS will assess the situation and contact the student, proctor and coach with next steps. Note, although this unfortunate situation is a possibility, it is highly unlikely that MATHCOUNTS or AoPS will be able to make accommodations for this issue during the State Competition.

Who do I contact if I have additional questions?

If you have questions about the AoPS Contest Platform, contact AoPS at [email protected]. If you have questions about your registration or the program, contact MATHCOUNTS at [email protected].

MATHCOUNTS and AoPS staff will be on duty during the testing window to assist with issues that arise. However, it is expected that students will take at least one of the practice competitions and the Software Compatibility Check in advance so avoidable issues are identified and dealt with ahead of time.

Good luck and thank you for making the MATHCOUNTS opportunity possible for your students during this unprecedented year!

- the MATHCOUNTS team