Students Take Part in American Mathematics Competition
posted November 22, 2021
Last week, nine of Cardinal's high school students took part in the American Mathematics Competition's national test. Araceli Zaragoza-Tapetillo, Grant Pedersen, Alana Frase. Madison Dively, Gavin Clawson, Michael Mullikin, Ahnika Svendsen, Alita Bosler, and Everett Elliason are all now in the running to compete at the next level: the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME).
Their scores on the national test will determine if they move to the next round. The students should know their results in the next month or so.
"It is a viciously difficult test," says Barbara Hays, high school math teacher. "There are 25 questions and students have 75 minutes to complete it."
Unlike many other tests where it's better to guess than to leave an answer blank, the American Mathematics Competition test gives fewer points for a wrong answer than for a blank one.
"Scoring discourages guessing," explains Ms.Hays. "A correct answer earns 6 points, a wrong answer is 0 points, and a blank is 1.5 points. So the minimum score with no answers is 37.5, and the maximum score is 150. The average is around 60."
To move on to the next level, students will need to score between 90 and 100. To prepare for the test, students studied and reviewed several topics, including combinatorics and other discrete math topics.
“I worked on a bunch of worksheets and prepared myself for most of the questions that it might be asking me,” student and exam participant Alana says.
We are so proud of our students for their hard work and determination. If you see them around campus be sure to wish them luck on their results!
