How to Prepare for MATHCOUNTS

Middle

Grades 6–8Middle school

30 Q / 40 minSprint Round

School → NationalFour levels

Info Videos Omega Learn Official Trainers Practice Books

About the competition

What is MATHCOUNTS?

MATHCOUNTS is the premier national math competition for middle schoolers in grades 6–8. It has four levels (School, Chapter, State, and National) and four rounds. Chapter competitions are held February–March, with Nationals in April. There is no negative marking.

Sprint Round

30 questions in 40 minutes, no calculator. Tests speed and accuracy.

Target Round

8 problems in 4 pairs, 6 minutes per pair. Calculator allowed.

Team Round

10 questions in 20 minutes, solved as a team of 4. Calculator allowed.

Countdown Round

Head-to-head oral round for top scorers, 45 seconds per problem.

Watch & learn

Video Guides

Omega Learn · Video

MATHCOUNTS Preparation: The Ultimate Study Guide

A complete walkthrough of how to study for MATHCOUNTS, start to finish.

Watch on YouTube →

Omega Learn · Video

MATHCOUNTS Trainer School Level Speed Math Run

A live run through School-level Trainer problems to build speed.

Watch on YouTube →

Omega Learn · Video

Amazing Experience at MATHCOUNTS National Competition

An inside look at what the National Competition is really like.

Watch on YouTube →

Free Omega Learn

Omega Learn Courses & Books

Omega Learn · Free Course

AMC 8 Advanced / MATHCOUNTS

Harder concepts such as Similar Triangles, Stars & Bars, and Recursion, built for MATHCOUNTS-level problem solving.

Watch on YouTube →

Omega Learn · Free Textbook

Mastering AMC 8

140+ pages with video lectures for every topic and hundreds of practice problems with solutions.

Read & download free →

Official info & registration

MATHCOUNTS Official Resources

MATHCOUNTS Foundation

The official home of MATHCOUNTS: programs, news, and registration.

Visit →

Competition rules & FAQ

More information about the competition and answers to common questions.

MATHCOUNTS rules

The official rules and procedures for every level of the competition.

View rules →

Critical dates

Key registration and competition dates for the MATHCOUNTS season.

View dates →

Practice plans

Structured study plans published by the MATHCOUNTS Foundation.

View plans →

MATHCOUNTS handbooks

The official school handbooks packed with problems to work through.

Get handbooks →

Math Video Challenge

A fun math video challenge run by the MATHCOUNTS Foundation.

Learn more →

Build speed and accuracy

Problem Trainers

Alcumus

Free AoPS tool to practice by topic, adapting difficulty as you improve.

Practice →

MATHCOUNTS Trainer

Four difficulty levels with a rating system that scales as you improve.

Practice →

For the Win!

Head-to-head speed rounds against other players that make practice fun.

Play →

AMC Trivial

Generates problems from past contests by topic or difficulty.

Practice →

MAATester

Search for problems from any contest by topic for targeted drilling.

Search →

Simulate real competition conditions

Practice Contests & Mocks

MATHCOUNTS Online Testing

Take MATHCOUNTS problems online and get scored instantly.

Take a test →

Contest from the last school year

The most recent official MATHCOUNTS contest from the past season.

View →

2024 AoPS Practice Competition

A high-quality mock competition written by the Art of Problem Solving team.

Take the mock →

User-created Mock MATHCOUNTS

User-created mocks from the AoPS community, good for supplemental practice.

Browse mocks →

MATHCOUNTS contests (CSPEEF)

A collection of past MATHCOUNTS competition materials.

View →

Contests from 2000–2017

An archive of MATHCOUNTS contests spanning 2000 through 2017.

View archive →

MATHCOUNTS (Math Team NYC)

More MATHCOUNTS practice materials hosted by Math Team NYC.

View →

Electronic Countdown Rounds

Interactive electronic Countdown Rounds to practice the oral format.

View →

Books & Study Guides

MATHCOUNTS Practice Tests for STATE Competition: Volume 1

State-level practice tests to prepare for the hardest competition rounds.

View on Amazon →

MATHCOUNTS Practice Tests for CHAPTER Competition: Volume 1

Chapter-level practice tests to build a solid competition foundation.

View on Amazon →

Practice Competitions for MATHCOUNTS: Volume 1

Full-length practice competitions in the authentic MATHCOUNTS format.

View on Amazon →

Practice Competitions for MATHCOUNTS: Volume 2

A second volume of full-length MATHCOUNTS practice competitions.

View on Amazon →

Competition Math for Middle School

AoPS's classic beginner book, a strong foundation across all main topics.

View on Amazon →

Challenging Problems in Middle School Math

A well-regarded book for middle school competition prep.

View on Amazon →

The Three Year MATHCOUNTS Marathon

A long-haul training program of problems spanning three years.

View on Amazon →

Greatest MATHCOUNTS Problems

A collection of the greatest problems from MATHCOUNTS history.

View on Amazon →

The Most Challenging MATHCOUNTS Problems Solved

The toughest MATHCOUNTS problems with full worked solutions.

View on Amazon →

The Most Challenging MATHCOUNTS Problems Solved: Volume 2

A second volume of the hardest MATHCOUNTS problems, fully solved.

View on Amazon →

Volume 1 (AoPS)

A compact overview of all four Introduction books in one volume.

View on Amazon →

Introduction to Algebra

A thorough treatment of algebra for competition problem solving.

View on Amazon →

Introduction to Geometry

Geometry appears throughout the test and is essential for a complete toolkit.

View on Amazon →

Introduction to Number Theory

Divisibility, primes, and modular arithmetic are frequent contest topics.

View on Amazon →

Introduction to Counting & Probability

Combinatorics is one of the trickiest topics; this covers it well.

View on Amazon →

Math Olympiad Contest Problems

A book of olympiad-style contest problems for ambitious students.

View on Amazon →📘

MyMathcounts Books

A full catalog of MATHCOUNTS-focused study books.

Browse books →