MATHCOUNTS

MATHCOUNTS Competition Series

The national middle school math league, from your classroom to a televised countdown round.

Run by MATHCOUNTS Foundation

Official website How to prepare Reviews and tips

Eligible grades: Grades 6 to 8
Students enrolled in grades 6, 7 or 8 are eligible. MATHCOUNTS states explicitly that students taking middle school mathematics classes who are not full-time grade 6 to 8 students are NOT eligible, which catches out accelerated younger students every year.
Source, checked 2026-08-31
Eligible ages: Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.
MATHCOUNTS defines eligibility by grade only. It publishes no age limits.
Individual or team: Individual or team · A school may register a maximum of 1 team of 4 students plus 10 individuals, so 14 chapter competitors in total. Any number of students may take part at the school level. A maximum of 14 Non-School Competitors from the same school may register, on a first-come basis, and a parent or guardian may register one NSC per registration with a separate fee for each child.
Where it runs: In person · United States, US territories, Department of Defense schools
Entry cost: $42 per chapter competitor at the Early Bird rateEarly Bird rate published by MATHCOUNTS for 2026-27. Later rates apply after the Early Bird window and chapter coordinators may allow late registration with an additional fee at their discretion.
Registration deadline: Set locally, not published as a single national date MATHCOUNTS publishes competition windows rather than a single national registration deadline, and chapter coordinators set local dates. The binding date is your chapter's, found via the Chapter and State Competition Search tool.
Competition dates: School competitions November 2026 to January 2027, on a date set by the school's coach, with the 2027 School Competition released online on 3 November 2026. Chapter competitions 1 to 28 February 2027. State competitions 1 to 31 March 2027. The 2027 RTX MATHCOUNTS National Competition is 9 to 10 May 2027 in Orlando, Florida.
Difficulty: Some preparation neededYou will want a few weeks of targeted practice. Most motivated students place respectably.
Prizes: Scholarships and trips, plus state and national recognitionPrize schedule for 2026-27 not located on the official pages checked.

What MATHCOUNTS is

MATHCOUNTS is the largest middle school mathematics competition in the United States, open to students in grades 6 to 8. It runs as a four-level ladder: school, chapter, state, and a national competition where 224 students compete. Each level has four rounds (Sprint, Target, Team and Countdown) that together take about three hours. The team format and the fast buzzer-based Countdown Round make it the most sociable competition in this category.

How the competition works

Four levels: school, chapter, state and national. Each comprises four rounds: Sprint, Target, Team and Countdown, taking about three hours in total. The Sprint Round is 30 problems in 40 minutes with no calculator.

Eligibility notes

You must be a full-time student in grades 6 to 8. Students taking middle school maths who are not full-time in those grades are not eligible. Participation is limited to three years per student.

Is MATHCOUNTS right for you?

Experience needed: None beyond middle school mathematics, though the top rounds get hard fast.
Time commitment: A school-year club commitment, a few hours a week.
What you actually do: Written rounds alone, then a fast team round, then a buzzer countdown round in front of an audience. Speed matters as much as ability.

A good fit if

You are in grades 6 to 8 and want a team maths experience
Your school runs a club
You enjoy quick mental arithmetic

Probably not for you if

High school students
Students who dislike being timed

Compare this against competitions matched to you

Common mistakes

Neglecting mental arithmetic. Many students lose to slower thinkers who compute faster.
Only practising alone when the team round is scored collectively.
Missing the three-year participation limit when planning which years to compete.

How to register

Check the MATHCOUNTS list of registered schools to see whether your school has already signed up for this year.
If it has, ask the coach to add you. If it has not, ask a maths teacher to register the school, which is the cheapest route.
If the school will not participate, a parent or guardian can register you as a non-school competitor. You must first confirm with the school that it will not support your participation.
Register online through the MATHCOUNTS site and pay the per-student fee. Register before the regular deadline to avoid the late fee.
Find your chapter competition date using the Chapter and State Competition Search tool.

What skills you need

How to prepare

MATHCOUNTS rewards speed more than any other competition on this site. The mathematics is roughly AMC 8 level, but the Sprint Round gives you 80 seconds per question and the Countdown Round gives you 45. Most of the improvement available to a middle school student comes from arithmetic fluency and pattern recall, not from new content.

What to study

Arithmetic fluency: Squares to 30, cubes to 12, common fraction and percentage conversions, divisibility rules, mental multiplication tricks. This is the highest-return topic by a wide margin.
Algebra: Linear systems, quadratics, ratios and proportions, rate and work problems, sequences.
Counting and probability: Permutations and combinations, complementary counting, simple expected value, Venn diagrams.
Geometry: Area and perimeter formulas, special right triangles, circles, similar figures, coordinate geometry, three-dimensional volume and surface area.
Number theory: Primes, factorisation, greatest common divisor and least common multiple, remainders, units digits.

Full preparation guide, including a week-by-week plan

Recommended resources

MATHCOUNTS official resources and free handbook Official · free
The School Handbook is released free each year with roughly 250 problems and solutions.
MATHCOUNTS Critical Dates Official · free
The authoritative page for registration deadlines and fees each cycle.
AoPS MATHCOUNTS archive Past problems · free
Community-collected past problems and discussion.
Alcumus Practice platform · free
Free topic-by-topic adaptive practice at exactly the right level.

Past problems and materials

Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.

MATHCOUNTS Coaches Handbook with 250 problems and solutions
Published free each year by the MATHCOUNTS Foundation. Previous years' handbooks remain useful.

Helpful videos

MATHCOUNTS official channelMATHCOUNTS
National Countdown Round broadcasts, which are the best way to understand the format before you compete.

Frequently asked questions

My school does not do MATHCOUNTS. Can I still compete?

Yes, as a non-school competitor. A parent or guardian registers you and pays a higher fee. Before registering you must confirm with the school that it will not register or support your participation. A maximum of 14 non-school competitors from the same school may register.

How many years can I compete?

Participation in MATHCOUNTS competitions is limited to three years per student, which matches grades 6, 7 and 8. There is no limit on how many years you can be coached at school level.

Do I need a calculator?

For the Sprint and Countdown Rounds, no calculators are permitted. The Target and Team Rounds allow them. Bring an approved calculator but do not rely on it; the fastest competitors barely touch it.

Reviews, tips and resources from other students

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Verification

Checked against the official site 2026-08-29

Grades 6 to 8 eligibility, the three-year participation limit, the February 2027 chapter window and the 2026-27 fee tiers ($42 early bird, $45 school and $70 non-school regular, $50 and $80 late) are published by MATHCOUNTS. Non-school competitor registration opened 5 November 2026. The exact regular registration deadline date and current prize schedule were not confirmed.

Traceable facts

Who can enterCompetition Rules and FAQMATHCOUNTS Foundation · checked 2026-08-29
Competition datesCompetition Rules and FAQMATHCOUNTS Foundation · checked 2026-08-29
Entry costCritical DatesMATHCOUNTS Foundation · checked 2026-08-29
Individual or teamOfficial Rules and ProceduresMATHCOUNTS Foundation · checked 2026-08-29
How to registerOfficial Rules and ProceduresMATHCOUNTS Foundation · checked 2026-08-29

Not confirmed for this cycle: Prizes. Check these on the official site.

Cycle checked: 2026-27

Looked for and not found: ages, deadline, prizes. These are shown as not confirmed rather than estimated.

Rules and dates change. Confirm everything on the official site before you rely on it.

At a glance

CategoryMath
Grades6 to 8
Cost$42 per chapter competitor at the Early Bird rate
FormatEither
LocationIn person
Difficulty2 of 5
Top prize$20,000

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