- 2025 AMC 8: 19 perfect scorers. 57 students got the DHR. 33 students got the HR.
- 2024 AMC/AIME: 104 AIME qualifiers. 1 AMC 10 perfect scorer. 1 AMC 12 perfect scorer.
- 2024 JMO/AMO: 8 USAMO Awardees and 7 USAJMO Awardees
- 1 USAMO Gold Award, 1 USAMO Silver Award, 4 USAMO Bronze Awards, and 2 USAMO Honorable Mention Awards.
- 1 USAJMO Top Winner, 1 USAJMO Winner, and 5 USAJMO Honorable Mention Awards.
- 2024 MOP: 4 MOP winners.
- How To Use A Solutions Manual Correctly?
- The Learning Trifecta: Preview, Note-taking, and Review
- The Golden Rule of Learning Mathematics: Transitioning from Memorization to Deep Understanding and Creative Thinking
- Over-Reliance on Calculators: A Heavy Burden on Fundamental Education
Grade Levels: Grades 4-11
4 Classes (Eastern Time: 1:00 – 4:00 pm), Total: 12 Hours
8/9, 8/10, 8/16, 8/17 (Mock Exam/Review)
Online Registration is now open! Click HERE to register and pay.
| Tuition (including all materials) | |
| Summer Session (12 Hours) | |
| New Student: | Via Zelle: $540 (Phone: 240-300-4380) Please include your child’s name “Mental Math Summer” in the “Memo” box. |
Via PayPal: $560  |
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| Returning Student: | Via Zelle: $530 (Phone: 240-300-4380) Please include your child’s name “Mental Math Summer” in the “Memo” box. |
| Via PayPal: $550 |
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| Click HERE to see payment and refund policy. | |
- This is a live, interactive class, rather than a pre-recorded one. Instructors actively engage with students by asking questions, and students are encouraged to participate by asking their own questions during class or via email after class.
- All lessons are recorded, allowing students to review and reinforce their learning through self-study. According to our policy, recorded class videos are strictly available to enrolled students and are not shared with parents.
Description:
We will reveal powerful mental math techniques that allow you to perform calculations in your head quickly and effortlessly. You will learn to compute faster than you ever imagined, and with practice, your ability to retain and manipulate numbers will improve significantly. These techniques will not only enhance your mathematical skills but also enable you to perform impressive mental feats that will amaze your friends, colleagues, and teachers. Most importantly, you will discover that math can be fun, engaging, and deeply rewarding.
Too often, math is taught as a set of rigid rules, leaving little room for creativity and exploration. However, as you will see in this course, many problems can be solved in multiple ways. By breaking down complex problems into smaller, more manageable parts, we can simplify calculations and uncover clever shortcuts. We also learn to spot patterns and special features that make problem-solving more efficient. These strategies are not just valuable for mathematics — they serve as critical thinking skills that can be applied to problem-solving in everyday life.
One often-overlooked benefit of mental math is that it sharpens your ability to think quickly and make rapid decisions. Based on our years of teaching experience, we have found that speed and accuracy in mental calculations are essential skills that anyone can develop with proper practice. Like any worthwhile ability, mastering mental math requires dedication and strategic practice — but with the right approach, you can achieve remarkable results.
For students competing in mathematics competitions, slow calculation speed and low accuracy are among the biggest obstacles to success. Our program is designed to equip students with effective problem-solving strategies, boost computational speed, and enhance accuracy, ensuring they are well-prepared to excel in competitive mathematics.
Two Typical Mental Math Problems
We warmly invite you to enroll in our online course — an efficient and effective way for students to engage with experienced instructors from anywhere. Classes are conducted via Google Meet, allowing students to interact face-to-face with teachers, learn proven strategies and shortcuts for excelling on math contests, and receive personalized guidance and support. Students can ask questions in real time and work through problems under the supervision of our expert coaches.
Click HERE for detailed instructions.
To gain the full benefit of the course, we recommend a commitment to the complete program. This ensures students master the key concepts, strategies, and techniques needed for long-term success.
Click HERE to review our attendance, absence, cancellation, and makeup lesson policy.
- The emphasis of this class will be on comprehensive problem-solving in mental math. Particularly, we will help students use mental math for accurately and quickly solving math questions in their heads.
- We will utilize a highly effective teaching model as described in the article: Small-sized Class Instruction-focused Model.
Instructors: Dr. Henry Wan
Contact Information:
Ivy League Education Center
Tel: 240-300-4380
Email: chiefmathtutor@gmail.com
This class teaches students to develop quick problem-solving tips, tricks, tactics, and strategies, and improve computational speed and accuracy when preparing for math competitions. In particular, we will help students use mental math for accurately and quickly solving contest questions in their heads.
We reserve the right to adjust the teaching content and pace according to the actual performance of students .
| Class | Date | Topic |
| 1 | 8/3, Sat | Two Important Tricks for Special Multiplication and Quick Tricks for Fractions, Decimals, and Percents |
| 2 | 8/4, Sun |
Using Difference of Squares to Mentally Square Numbers and Multiply Numbers |
| 3 | 8/10, Sat |
Quick Tricks for Pythagorean Triples, Perfect Squares, Exponents, and Powers |
| 4 | 8/11, Sun |
Quick Tricks for Rationalizing the Denominator and Simplifying Radicals |
Two Typical Mental Math Problems:
- Find the prime factorization of 2024 within few seconds.
- Find the square of 135 within few seconds.
Homework Expectations:
Students are expected to dedicate a minimum of 2 hours per week to homework assignments. These assignments are an essential part of our curriculum and are carefully designed to reinforce classroom instruction, strengthen problem-solving skills, and build long-term mastery.
We believe that thoughtful practice and targeted correction are key to success in competitive math. Homework problems are selected to challenge students at an appropriate level and cover a wide range of topics aligned with AMC 8, MathCounts, and AMC 10 standards.
To learn more, please refer to the following articles:
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Homework Assignments Are a Fundamental Part of Our Courses: This article explains our approach to designing meaningful and effective assignments.
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Homework Correction Is Very Important: We strive to provide detailed feedback and individualized corrections to help each student understand their mistakes, reinforce key concepts, and improve their problem-solving skills.
You can also click HERE to view a typical homework sample developed by our instructors.
We must acknowledge a simple truth: succeeding in these challenging competitions requires consistent practice. Just like in sports or music, the path to excellence is paved with repetition and effort. We firmly believe that intelligence is not fixed — it can be developed. With dedication and hard work, students can build remarkable levels of skill and expertise. Effort and perseverance are the true drivers of success. In the end, hard work pays off — practice truly makes perfect.
Main Purpose:
Our primary goal is to help students develop a deep understanding of essential mental math concepts, build a solid foundation in mental computation, and strengthen the creative thinking, critical reasoning, and problem-solving skills that are vital for long-term academic and professional success. We firmly believe in the power of mastering the fundamentals — and mental math is one of the most valuable, lifelong skills a student can acquire.
No matter a student’s current math level, everyone will have the opportunity to grow and thrive in a fun, engaging, and supportive learning environment. Most importantly, we want students to enjoy the journey — because when learning is enjoyable, it becomes enduring.
Our Students
In 2024, we had 90 students who obtained top scores on the AMC 8 contest!
- 10 of our students were among the top 116 worldwide winners (Perfect Scorers).
- 54 students received National Distinguished Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 1% test takers. They were among the 697 worldwide winners.
- 29 students received National Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 5% test takers. They were among the 2,683 worldwide winners.
- 93 out of our 96 students (96.9%) received National Awards for the AMC 8 from the Mathematical Association of America
Read more at: 2024 AMC 8 Results Just Announced — Ten Students Received Perfect Scores
In 2023, we had 99 students who qualified for the AIME either through the AMC 10A/12A or the AMC 10B/12B. One of our students was among the 11 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 10B: Ali R. and one of our students was among the 13 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 12B: Yaoyun X. Read more at: 99 Students Qualified for the 2024 AIME and 2 Students Received Perfect Scores on the 2023 AMC 10/12
In 2023, we had 8 students who won USAMO awards and 7 students who won USAJMO awards.
- 1 USAMO Gold Award, 1 USAMO Silver Award, 4 USAMO Bronze Awards, and 2 USAMO Honorable Mention Awards.
- 1 USAJMO Top Winner, 1 USAJMO Winner, and 5 USAJMO Honorable Mention Awards.
Read more at: 2023 USAMO and USAJMO Awardees Announced — Congratulations to Eight USAMO Awardees and Seven USAJMO Awardees
In 2023, we had 90 students who obtained top scores on the AMC 8 contest!
- 8 of our students were among the top 81 worldwide winners (Perfect Scorers).
- 51 students received National Distinguished Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 1% test takers. They were among the 697 worldwide winners.
- 31 students received National Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 5% test takers. They were among the 2,571 worldwide winners.
- 90 out of our 93 students (96.8%) received National Awards for the AMC 8 from the Mathematical Association of America.
Read more at: 2023 AMC 8 Results Just Announced — Eight Students Received Perfect Scores
In 2022, we had 96 students who qualified for the AIME either through the AMC 10A/12A or the AMC 10B/12B. One of our students was among the 6 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 10A: Justin W. and one of our students was among the 3 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 12B: Ming Y. Read more at: 96 Students Qualified for the 2023 AIME and 2 Students Received Perfect Scores on the 2023 Fall AMC 10/12
In 2022, we had 3 students qualified for the Math Olympiad Summer Program. Read more at: Brendon J., Kyle S., and Isabella Z. Qualified for the 2022 Math Olympiad Summer Program
In 2022, we had 1 student Competes in International Girls’ Math Olympiad. Read more at: sabella Z. Competes in International Girls’ Math Olympiad
In 2022, we had 7 students qualified for the USAMO and 7 students for the USAJMO. Read more at: 2022 USAMO and USAJMO Qualifiers Announced — Seven Students Qualified for the USAMO and Seven Students for the USAJMO.
In 2022, we had 88 students who obtained top scores on the AMC 8 contest!
- 10 of our students were among the top 131 worldwide winners (Perfect Scorers), as shown in Table 1. Click Here see a full list of the 131 worldwide winners.
- 52 students received National Distinguished Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 1% test takers. They were among the 1,010 worldwide winners. Click HERE see a full list.
- 26 students received National Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 5% test takers. They were among the 2,449 worldwide winners. Click HERE see a full list.
- 88 out of our 91 students (96.7%)received National Awards for the AMC 8 from the Mathematical Association of America
Read more at: 2022 AMC 8 Results Just Announced — Ten Students Received Perfect Scores
In Fall 2021, we had 93 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 5 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 10A: Nina L. and one of our students was among the 2 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 10B: Ming Y. Read more at: 93 Students Qualified for the 2021 Fall AIME and 2 Students Received Perfect Scores on the 2021 Fall AMC 10/12
In 2021, we had 6 students qualified for the USAMO and 6 students for the USAJMO. Read more at: 2021 USAMO and USAJMO Qualifiers Announced — Six Students Qualified for the USAMO and Six Students for the USAJMO
In Spring 2021, we had 91 students who are qualified to take the AIME either through the AMC 10A/12A or AMC 10B/12B. Two of our students was among the 17 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 12A: Evan L. and Suraj O. and one of our students was among the 27 Perfect Scorers worldwide on the AMC 10A: Xinchen L. Read more at: 91 Students Qualified for the 2021 AIME and 3 Students Received Perfect Scores on the 2021 AMC 10/12
In 2021, we had 6 students qualified for the USAMO and 6 students for the USAJMO. Read more at: 2021 USAMO and USAJMO Qualifiers Announced — Six Students Qualified for the USAMO and Six Students for the USAJMO
In 2021, we had 8 students who got into the MathCounts state-level top 10. Yunyi L. won 9th Place in the 2021 MathCounts National Competition!
In 2020, we had 79 students who obtained top scores on the AMC 8 contest!
- 5 of our students were among the top 57 worldwide winners (Perfect Scorers).
- 49 students received National Distinguished Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 1% test takers.
- 25 students received National Honor Roll Certificates awarded to top 5% test takers.
- 79 out of our 81 students (97.5%) received National Awards for the AMC 8 from the Mathematical Association of America.
Read more at: 2020 AMC 8 Results Just Announced — Five Students Received Perfect Scores
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!
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 USJMO.
- 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 and 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.
- 2020 AMC 8 Results Just Announced — Five Students Received Perfect Scores
- Yunyi L. Won the 9th Place in the 2021 Mathcounts National Competition!
- 2020 AMC 8 Honor Roll and Honor Roll of Distinction Cut-off Scores
- 2020 AMC 8 Problem Topics
- Two Problems on the 2020 AMC 8 are Exactly the Same as Two Problems on Our Sample 2017 AMC 8 Mock Test
- 2020 AMC 8 Honor Roll and Distinguished Honor Roll Predicted Cut-off Scores
- 2020 AMC 8 Problems and Answers
- 2019 AMC 8 Results Just Announced — Eight Students Received Perfect Scores
- 2019 AMC 8 Problems and Answers
- The Hardest Problems on the 2018 AMC 8 are Nearly Identical to Former Problems on the AMC 8, 10, 12, and MathCounts
- 20 Sets of AMC 8 Mock Test with Detailed Solutions
- AMC 8/10/12/AIME Problems and Answers
- Why are Math Competitions Important to Girls?
- The Big Value of Middle School Math Competitions
- Great Benefits of Math Competitions
- A Little Competition Can Inspire Math Students to Greater Achievement
- Small-sized Class Instruction-focused Model
- Homework Correction is very Important — We Give an Extensive Correction of the Incorrect Answers of All Homework
- Homework assignments are a fundamental part of our courses
- Optimal Strategies to Solve Hard AMC Geometry Problems
- How to Solve Mathematics Problems
- Mathematics competitions are NOT mysterious, and every student can attend them! — 数学竞赛绝非神秘，每个学生都可参加！
- Girls should attend math competitions — 女生更应参加数学竞赛
- 2016 AMC 8 Results Announced — Eleven Students Received Perfect Scores
- 2015 AMC 8 Results Announced
- 2014 AMC 8 Winners for the U.S. Ivy League Education Center
- The Importance of Discrete Mathematics
Click HERE find out more about Math Competitions!
Click HERE to find out more about SAT Prep!
Ivy League Education Center 