As one of the leading educational partnerships, MATHCOUNTS Program for middle school students aimed at mathematical enrichment. Its goal is to invigorate students' interest in mathematics by offering a challenging and prestigious competition that promotes higher learning. It is a program to test students' math skills, develop self-confidence and reward for outstanding achievement.

The first round of MATHCOUNTS takes place at a local level in February.  The Champions from that competition then progress to the State Competitions in March.  Based on the State Level, the top four individuals combine with the top coach to represent their state overseas in the National Finals.

MATHCOUNTS competitions are approximately three hours long and consist of four separate rounds: Sprint, Target, Team and Countdown. The Sprint Round is 40 minutes long and consists of 30 questions.  The Target Round has 8 problems, distributed two-at-a-time with 6 minutes to complete each pair.  The Team Round has 10 questions to be solved by the team as a whole.  The top 25% individuals proceed to the Countdown Round an oral round where students face off.

About 500,000 students participate in MATHCOUNTS annually. Students who take part in this competition receive benefits such as:

• A challenging but fun activity that puts them ahead in their math classes
• A chance to meet new people who share common interests, perhaps making life-long friends
• The opportunity to expand their social horizon, meeting students from other regions
• The development of teamwork skills
• A chance to win various scholarships and prizes
• The sense of accomplishment that comes from seeing one's goals actualized
• Expanded knowledge of mathematics and mathematics-related careers that may not be taught in a classroom

MATHCOUNTS's personal statement demonstrates the reason it has such a high level of success:

1. MATHCOUNTS motivates and rewards students by fostering teamwork and a competitive sprit
2. MATHCOUNTS is more than a competition. It involves students and teachers in year-long coaching sessions and helps students at all levels improve their problem-solving skills.
3. MATHCOUNTS builds math skills, promotes logical thinking and sharpens students' analytical abilities
4. MATHCOUNTS provides America's middle school teachers with creative, state-of-the-art curriculum materials, free of charge
5. MATHCOUNTS introduces students to math-related careers through contacts with engineers and other professionals who serve as volunteers
6. MATHCOUNTS is educator-driven. Materials and activities are structured to meet student needs, as identified by educators. Memebers of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) develop these materials in accordance with NCTM curriculum standards.

For more information visit the Official MATHCOUNTS Website.