The period of time between 5th-8th grade is critical to the development of students’ mathematical fascinations, interests, and skills!
This class is especially suitable for those students who will take the AMC 10 contest for the first time.
See more at:
Purpose: To prepare for math competitions, such as
Winter 2020-2021 Schedule
Course Outline
10 Weekends (Eastern Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm), Total: 20 Hours
11/28, 12/5, 12/12, 12/19 (Monthly Mock Test/Review)
1/2, 1/9, 1/16 (Monthly Mock Test/Review)
1/23, 1/30, 2/6 (Final Mock Test/Review)
Online Registration is now open! Click HERE to register and pay.
| Tuition (including all materials) |
New Students: $660  |
| Returning Students: $645 |
| Click HERE to see payment and refund policy. |
You are very welcome to sign up for our online course which offers a quick, efficient way for students to interact with teachers over long distance. We use the Google Meet to video chat and easily connect with students to teach them our tricks and shortcuts to getting an amazing score on their contests, as well as offer them our guidance and support. Students can ask questions face-to-face, and can complete problems with the supervision of our teachers/coaches. Click HERE to see detailed instruction.
A commitment to the whole course can maximize the benefit of learning all the math ideas, methods, strategies, tactics, skills, and techniques.
- This is a live class, not a pre-recorded one. Instructors will ask students questions, and students can also ask questions during the class or email their questions to instructors after class.
- We record all of our lessons so that our students can watch them after class for review and self-study.
- We will help students gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental math concepts, build a solid foundation in math, and develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills different from those in the school classes, motivation, and perseverance for reaching their full potential.
- We will focus on efficient tricks, shortcuts, and strategies to solve competitive math problems as well as test-taking tactics.
- The emphasis of this class will be on comprehensive problem-solving, which is very common in competitive math, but is not included in school curriculum.
- We will utilize a highly effective teaching model as described in the article: Small-sized Class Instruction-focused Model.
Instructor:
Contact Information:
Ivy League Education Center
Tel: 301-922-9508 Email: chiefmathtutor@gmail.com
Specific Goal of the AMC 10:
To earn a score of 90 or more out of 150 on the 2020 AMC 10, and then receive National Achievement Honor Roll Certificates.
Specific Goal of the MathCounts:
To become one of the top winners in the individual competition at the chapter level and then advance to the state competition.
There are many math competitions in the United States. Of those, only
AMC → AIME → USAMO sequence
would take you to the IMO (International Math Olympiad), the highest level math competition for high school students in the world!
Description:
Our curriculum focuses on advancing the mathematical skills of 5th-8th graders to prepare them for AMC 10 and MathCounts. A variety of contest questions, including the first 15 problems on the AMC 10, and MathCounts Competition problems at the school, chapter, state, and national level, are used to teach students strategies to solve problems and help students prepare for the competitions. These problems stimulate their interest and enthusiasm for critical and creative thinking and problem solving, broaden their mathematical intuition, and develop their brainpower. The topics taught in this class are not covered in regular school math classes, allowing our students to stay one step ahead.
Benefits:
- 10 tutorial handouts (400 pages) developed by Dr. Henry Wan and 500 new problems at the AMC 10 level taken from the licensed AMC Database
- 44 past real MathCounts test booklets at the school, chapter, state, and national level from 2010–2020
- 3 FREE mock tests, each of which has 25 questions taken from the licensed AMC Database. Mock tests are calibrated to be at the same difficulty level as the real AMC 10.
- FREE registration for the AMC 10/12 A Contest — Thursday, February 4, 2021 and AMC 10/12 B Contest — Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Please see: The AMC 10/12 Online Contests on February 4, 2021, and February 10, 2021
Read more at:
Class Outline:
We will focus on efficient tricks, shortcuts, and strategies to solve competitive math problems as well as test-taking tactics. The emphasis of this class will be on comprehensively problem-solving which is the most important to competitive math.
| Class |
Date |
Topic |
| 1 |
11/28, Sat |
Problem Solving in Quadratic Equations and Vieta’s formulas |
| 2 |
12/5, Sat |
Algebraic Methods |
| 3 |
12/12, Sat |
Newly Defined Operations and Functions |
| 4 |
12/19, Sat |
Prime Factorization |
| 5 |
1/2, Sat |
Efficient Strategies in Number Theory |
| 6 |
1/9, Sat |
Basic Counting Techniques |
| 7 |
1/16, Sat |
Combinatorics |
| 8 |
1/23, Sat |
Probability and Statistics |
| 9 |
Sat |
Triangle Geometry |
| 10 |
Sat |
Circle Geometry |
| We reserve the right to adjust the teaching content according to students’ understanding and comprehension of new knowledge. |
Mock Test:
Three simulated tests will help students assess their level of preparation for the Math Competitions. The test consists of 25 questions at the AMC 10 level from the licensed AMC Database, and is intended to mimic an actual math competition exam. After attempting the test, students get answers, explanations, and a detailed score report and wise performance summary.
Homework
On average, at least 2 hours per week, as described in the article: Homework assignments are a fundamental part of our courses. Click HERE to see a typical homework sample we developed. Each week, we will carefully review and check 3 students’ homework, and correct any mistakes. The next week, we will check another 3 students’ homework, and this will continue on a rotational basis until all students have had their homework checked at least once and the cycle will start again. Based on the work of the 3 students that week, we will provide the those 3 students with individualized proposal and support. More details can be found in the article: Homework Correction is very Important — We Give an Extensive Correction of the Incorrect Answers of All Homework.
We have to face the simple truth that to do well on these grueling contests, we will need to practice. Just like it is for sports and music, the key to success is repetition and practice. We strongly believe in effort and the malleability of intelligence. Intelligence can be enhanced through effort. People can develop impressive levels of expertise through hard work and practice. Effort and persistence are the keys to success. Hard work always pays off: practice makes perfect!
All problems from past AMC 10 exams (2000-2020) and MathCounts (1990–2020) form our “big data” system. Based on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and deep learning, we devised a data mining and predictive analytics tool for math problem similarity searching. Using this powerful tool, we examined the types, styles, frequencies, characteristics, and traits of questions in all these materials, and then completely “decoded” the AMC and MathCounts. We will show all the “secret code” cracked from the above big data to students, and teach them to totally grasp and “control” the AMC and MathCounts. For all questions on the recent AMC/MathCounts contests, we can find their “ancestors” and “roots” from the old AMC/MathCounts problems. Therefore, the best way to prepare for the contest is to practice by solving old AMC/MathCounts problems.
Main Purpose:
Our main purpose is to help our students gain deeper understanding of the fundamental math concepts, build a solid foundation in math, and develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are so valuable to success in any career. We are big believers in the FUNDAMENTALS! Our students will receive the LIFELONG BENEFITS from learning math.
Regardless of his/her math level, each student will have the opportunity to learn math in a fun, friendly, cooperative, supportive learning environment. The most important thing is to have fun.
Our Students
In 2020, we had 82 students who are qualified to take the AIME either through the AMC 10A/12A or AMC 10B/12B. One of our students was among the 11 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 12A: Yiyang X, and one of our students was among the 13 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 10A: Jason W.. 43 middle schoolers and 9 elementary schoolers qualified for the AIME!
Read more at: 2020 AIME Qualifiers Announced — 82 Students Qualified for the AIME
In 2019, we had 71 students who obtained top scores on the AMC 8 contest!
- 8 of our students were among the top 151 National Winners (Perfect Scorers), including 2 sixth graders.
- 36 students received National Distinguished Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 1% test takers, as shown in Table 2.
- 27 students received National Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 5% test takers, as shown in Table 3.
- 71 out of our 73 students (97.3%) received National Awards for the AMC 8 from the Mathematical Association of America
Read more at: 2019 AMC 8 Results Just Announced — Eight Students Received Perfect Scores
In 2019, we had 4 students qualified for the USAMO and 4 Students for the USAJMO.
- Of the 280 USA Math Olympiad national qualifiers, 4 are our students: Luke C., Zipeng L., Sameer P., and Peter P.
- Of the 235 USA Junior Math Olympiad national qualifiers, 4 are our students: Michael H., Noah W., Holden W., and Isabella Z.
Read more at: 2019 USAMO and USAJMO Qualifiers Announced — Four Students Qualified for the USAMO and Four Students for the USAJMO
In 2019, we had 76 students who are qualified to take the AIME either through the AMC 10A/12A or AMC 10B/12B. One of our students was among the 22 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 10A: Noah W.and one of our students were among the 10 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 12B: Kenneth W. Very impressively, 32 middle schoolers and 7 elementary schoolers qualified for the AIME!
In 2018, we had 64 students who obtained top scores on the AMC 8 contest!
- 3 of our students were among the top 44 National Winners (Perfect Scorers): Eric B., Kevin Y., and Isabella Z.
- 40 students received National Distinguished Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 1% test takers.
- 21 students received National Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 5% test takers.
- 64 out of our 66 students (96.5%) received National Awards for the AMC 8 from the Mathematical Association of America
Read more at: 2018 AMC 8 Results Just Announced — Three Students Received Perfect Scores
In 2018, we had 73 students who are qualified to take the AIME either through the AMC 10A/12A or AMC 10B/12B. Two of our students were among the 35 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 10A: Austen M. and Jason W. and two of our students were among the 21 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 12B: Kaan D. and Edward W. Remarkably, 11 middle schoolers and 2 elementary schoolers qualified for the AIME!
In 2017, we had 63 students who earned top scores on the AMC 8 contest!
- 7 of our students were among the top 75 National Winners (Perfect Scorers).
- 34 students received National Distinguished Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 1% test takers.
- 22 students received National Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 5% test takers.
- 63 out of our 65 students (97%) received National Awards for the AMC 8 from the Mathematical Association of America
Read more at: 2017 AMC 8 Results Just Announced — Seven Students Received Perfect Scores
In 2017, we had 61 students who are qualified to take the AIME either through the AMC 10A/12A or AMC 10B/12B. One of our students was among the 28 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 10A: Austen M., and two of our students were among the 65 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 10B: Ashwin A. and Brad Z. Remarkably, eight middle schoolers and one elementary schooler qualified for the AIME, which is geared toward high school students. Very impressively, Bryan Z., a 6th grader, gained a score of 132 out of 150 on the AMC 10B.Read more at: 2017 AIME Qualifiers Announced — 61 Students Qualified for the AIME
In 2016, we had 36 students who are qualified to take AIME either through AMC 10A/12A or AMC 10B/12B. One of our students was among the 23 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 10A: Joel (Junyao) T. Particularly, seven middle schoolers and one elementary schooler qualified for the AIME, which is geared toward high school students. Pravalika P., a 6th grader, got a 115.5 out of 150 on the AMC10B, which is very impressive. Read more at: 2016 AIME Qualifiers Announced — 36 Students Qualified for AIME
2011 – 2015: In total, 37 students scored above 120 on the American Mathematics Contest 10 (AMC 10) and qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME); 26 students scored above 100 on the American Mathematics Contest 12 (AMC 12) and qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME); 3 students qualified for the USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO), the highest level of math competition for high school students in the USA
2011 – 2015: In total, 23 students achieved perfect scores of 28 on the AMC 8
Read more at: Notable Achievements of Our Students
Our Uniqueness
We have a long history of close collaboration with the MAA‘s American Mathematics Competitions (AMC), which are dedicated to strengthening the mathematical capabilities of our nation’s youth, and are the first of a series of competitions in high school mathematics that determine the United States team for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
We are only one in the Washington DC metropolitan area to offer elementary, middle, and high-school level competition math courses. Our students have received top scores and awards at prestigious national math competitions.
Great Benefits of Math Competitions
In an increasingly competitive college application pool, the process of mastering math skills through our courses and participating in the American Math Competitions will help students strengthen and diversify their extracurricular activities. These contests can motivate students’ interest and passion in math, and they can discover their talent through solving challenging problems different from those in the school classes. Many top colleges also request AMC scores as part of the college application process. Both MIT and Caltech have entry blanks on their official admission application forms for the applicant to enter their best AMC and AIME scores. Ivy League Colleges and Stanford ask for to the AMC and AIME scores in their Supplement to the Common Application Forms. Your children deserve the chance to list these scores on their applications! Good AMC scores will greatly enhance admission opportunities for students to elite colleges.
Read more:
Click HERE find out more about Math Competitions!
Click HERE to find out more about SAT Prep!
