math kangaroo results are out

[Anonymous]

Mine got a national rank in the 60s and national percentile in the 20s. Not being a math person, these numbers dont seem to go together. I think this means 80% of the country's test takers scored higher than him. But rank is 60s, should the rank be lower?

Also how bad is this score? This is 3rd grade with no prep, just a kid who likes to enter for the tchotckies and math fun.

[Anonymous]

mine got:

score 91/96, national rank: 4, state rank: 1. But super mathy kid that loves national comp. prep class at RSM where they teach strategies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine got a national rank in the 60s and national percentile in the 20s. Not being a math person, these numbers dont seem to go together. I think this means 80% of the country's test takers scored higher than him. But rank is 60s, should the rank be lower?

Also how bad is this score? This is 3rd grade with no prep, just a kid who likes to enter for the tchotckies and math fun.

https://mathkangaroo.org/mks/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025_Grade-3_National-Ranking.pdf

[Anonymous]

There are only 88 ranks available, I believe, so it does make sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Also how bad is this score? This is 3rd grade with no prep, just a kid who likes to enter for the tchotckies and math fun.

Without prep, it's an okay score. A lot of Kangaroo questions do not align much with school math and 5-point problems will make many adults think long and hard, too. My kid prepped for a couple of months (1 full test a week), and got 17th rank, 91% percentile or so. He's a 99% MAP student, but without prep, I doubt he'd break into top-20.

[Anonymous]

RSM and AoPS Are so good at prepping that I don’t know how a kid can be competitive if they’re not in one of those two program programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:RSM and AoPS Are so good at prepping that I don’t know how a kid can be competitive if they’re not in one of those two program programs.

You can prep at home with books + there are youtube videos of math students going through the solutions. Totally possible but requires parent involvement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RSM and AoPS Are so good at prepping that I don’t know how a kid can be competitive if they’re not in one of those two program programs.

You can prep at home with books + there are youtube videos of math students going through the solutions. Totally possible but requires parent involvement.

Right, but AoPS has a system that you can do at home with books, videos, online practice, and online classes if you need them. I read that every member of the US Math Olympiad team since 2015 uses AoPS. To go into a math competition without using it (or RSM, I just don't know that system as well) seems like you are setting your kid up for failure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:mine got:

score 91/96, national rank: 4, state rank: 1. But super mathy kid that loves national comp. prep class at RSM where they teach strategies.

🍪?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RSM and AoPS Are so good at prepping that I don’t know how a kid can be competitive if they’re not in one of those two program programs.

You can prep at home with books + there are youtube videos of math students going through the solutions. Totally possible but requires parent involvement.

Right, but AoPS has a system that you can do at home with books, videos, online practice, and online classes if you need them. I read that every member of the US Math Olympiad team since 2015 uses AoPS. To go into a math competition without using it (or RSM, I just don't know that system as well) seems like you are setting your kid up for failure.

There's no secret. The classes just provide a structure for discipline to study and practice. Some kids need that, some don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also how bad is this score? This is 3rd grade with no prep, just a kid who likes to enter for the tchotckies and math fun.

Without prep, it's an okay score. A lot of Kangaroo questions do not align much with school math and 5-point problems will make many adults think long and hard, too. My kid prepped for a couple of months (1 full test a week), and got 17th rank, 91% percentile or so. He's a 99% MAP student, but without prep, I doubt he'd break into top-20.

Mine is a consistent MAP 99% tester, in the highest math class at school, and in the highest RSM 3rd grade group (not competition class) and scored very low on Kangaroo, like 25th percentile. I do think the 3rd and 4th graders take the same Kangaroo test, so that might be part of it. It's Grade 1 and 2 together and Grade 3 and 4 together. I don't know if the student's grade level is factored into the score, though.

[Anonymous]

The grade is factored in. They are compared against the same grade only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also how bad is this score? This is 3rd grade with no prep, just a kid who likes to enter for the tchotckies and math fun.

Without prep, it's an okay score. A lot of Kangaroo questions do not align much with school math and 5-point problems will make many adults think long and hard, too. My kid prepped for a couple of months (1 full test a week), and got 17th rank, 91% percentile or so. He's a 99% MAP student, but without prep, I doubt he'd break into top-20.

Mine is a consistent MAP 99% tester, in the highest math class at school, and in the highest RSM 3rd grade group (not competition class) and scored very low on Kangaroo, like 25th percentile. I do think the 3rd and 4th graders take the same Kangaroo test, so that might be part of it. It's Grade 1 and 2 together and Grade 3 and 4 together. I don't know if the student's grade level is factored into the score, though.

The difference between AoPS and school math is wide. My kid learned perfect squares, triangle numbers, prime numbers, reflections and rotations, and more in kindergarten on Beast level one. Then in school, they were learning addition and subtraction up to 10? And every year builds from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RSM and AoPS Are so good at prepping that I don’t know how a kid can be competitive if they’re not in one of those two program programs.

You can prep at home with books + there are youtube videos of math students going through the solutions. Totally possible but requires parent involvement.

Right, but AoPS has a system that you can do at home with books, videos, online practice, and online classes if you need them. I read that every member of the US Math Olympiad team since 2015 uses AoPS. To go into a math competition without using it (or RSM, I just don't know that system as well) seems like you are setting your kid up for failure.

I suspect AoPS will claim anyone who has done one of their programs. RSM has teams participating in competitions. I have not paid enough attention to RSMs literature to know how many kids in USMO have taken classes there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also how bad is this score? This is 3rd grade with no prep, just a kid who likes to enter for the tchotckies and math fun.

Without prep, it's an okay score. A lot of Kangaroo questions do not align much with school math and 5-point problems will make many adults think long and hard, too. My kid prepped for a couple of months (1 full test a week), and got 17th rank, 91% percentile or so. He's a 99% MAP student, but without prep, I doubt he'd break into top-20.

Mine is a consistent MAP 99% tester, in the highest math class at school, and in the highest RSM 3rd grade group (not competition class) and scored very low on Kangaroo, like 25th percentile. I do think the 3rd and 4th graders take the same Kangaroo test, so that might be part of it. It's Grade 1 and 2 together and Grade 3 and 4 together. I don't know if the student's grade level is factored into the score, though.

Competition math is very different than school math. Your kid would likely pick up the competition math easily but it is a different skill set and approach to math. It is fun and challenging for kids who are good at math and enjoy the subject.