After AOPS intro books

[Anonymous]

19 out of 25 sounds very impressive considering that the time limit is 40 minutes! Now I see the point of preparing if you want to attain that.

By the way, I am not sure how it works, is AMC8 just online test; or answer on paper in person under the supervision; any fees, etc. Hopefully, we will learn by just taking this opportunity. As you can see, we were just doing intro books, and don't know anything other than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To add, the cutoff for the 2022 certificate of acievement (https://amc-reg.maa.org/certificates/8/CertificateofAchievement.pdf), which is awarded to hugh scoring students in 6th grade or below, was 19 out of 25. So that's a score the AMC considers to be remarkable enough for 6th graders and below to deserve a certificate

I think the achievement cutoff is 15. You might be thinking of the honor roll, which is awarded to the top 5% of AMC participants (around 17-19 each year)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To add, the cutoff for the 2022 certificate of acievement (https://amc-reg.maa.org/certificates/8/CertificateofAchievement.pdf), which is awarded to hugh scoring students in 6th grade or below, was 19 out of 25. So that's a score the AMC considers to be remarkable enough for 6th graders and below to deserve a certificate

I think the achievement cutoff is 15. You might be thinking of the honor roll, which is awarded to the top 5% of AMC participants (around 17-19 each year)

Yes you're right, my apologies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love AoPS. Their books are great, but once you get to the intermediate level the pacing seems off. They could stand to spend more time on some concepts that they gloss over. Now maybe it's fine if your kid happens to be that statistically rare kid that will do AIME at 13 or spends 6-8 hours a week reading math textbook each week. I don't feel it's sufficient even for very bright students at a higher level.

You can qualify for AIME by taking a test that only covers the Intro series, so I don't see the connection between when you take AIME and the pace of the Intermediate books.

To put it differently, if you don't qualify for AIME yet, you can learn more from the Intro books before attempting the Intermediate books. If you don't fully learn the Intro material, that may be why the Intro books seem too easy and the Intermediate books seem too hard.

If you are trying to track school curriculum but a bit better, then you can skip a LOT of the Intermediate books content, a still learn plenty more than school teaches. Which is fine. The books intentionally have a very high ceiling. It's easier to skip stuff you don't want than go find something you don't have.

PP with the kid who started qualifying for AIME in 6th grade here. The bolded is key. 100%. A second pass through of the material is a great idea, unless the kid is breezing through all of hte problems the first time. One of the ways I approached the AoPS books was to have my kid read the chapter and do all of the non challenge problems on the first pass through the book. Then, on the second pass through, re-read the chapter contents and then do the challenge problems. The other thing is that if your kid is relatively young and generally has breezed through math, it's important to make sure they're not trying to run away from the sections that are particularly challenging to them. The AoPS website has a very active forum, and it's perfectly fine to ask for help with understanding concepts.

Was this over the course of 1 week like their courses or did you end up spending more time on each chapter?

Having a rigid timeframe is a recipe for failure. You need to course correct in response to how much time the kid needs. If they breeze through the problems, you move on. If they struggle a bit, you spend more time, look for outside resources, or ask questions on the AoPS message board.

Unfortunately, the courses that are taught using these books only allocate a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I still need time to check about various suggestions, thanks. Coincidentally, a few days ago, we noticed that we can sign up for AMC8 test at School, so DC did. We checked the AMC8 questions of 2023 last night, and found a few Qs are very difficult. It seems average score is 10 out of 25. We also noticed that the AMC8 questions are: no real algebra question, no much geometry questions, exponents are also not much asked or very easy one only. So, I am guessing that the later half of intro books are high school math, and not asked in AMC8. When we are doing intro books, about the first half is relatively easy going, and the later half takes time.

So, it seems we don't need to buy and go through any AMC8 prep book.

What is this based on? Although the AMC 8 is "just for fun", and 10 out of 25 is great for a 6th grader, that still leaves a lot of room for improvement, if AMC 8 performance is worth training for in your opinion.

The reason you shouldn't buy one is that the best one is free.
https://www.omegalearn.org/mastering-amc8

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:19 out of 25 sounds very impressive considering that the time limit is 40 minutes! Now I see the point of preparing if you want to attain that.

By the way, I am not sure how it works, is AMC8 just online test; or answer on paper in person under the supervision; any fees, etc. Hopefully, we will learn by just taking this opportunity. As you can see, we were just doing intro books, and don't know anything other than that.

Free in your kids school or at Montgomery College. AoPS hosts it for their students too. Paper or online; host's choice. Most hosts are going online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love AoPS. Their books are great, but once you get to the intermediate level the pacing seems off. They could stand to spend more time on some concepts that they gloss over. Now maybe it's fine if your kid happens to be that statistically rare kid that will do AIME at 13 or spends 6-8 hours a week reading math textbook each week. I don't feel it's sufficient even for very bright students at a higher level.

You can qualify for AIME by taking a test that only covers the Intro series, so I don't see the connection between when you take AIME and the pace of the Intermediate books.

To put it differently, if you don't qualify for AIME yet, you can learn more from the Intro books before attempting the Intermediate books. If you don't fully learn the Intro material, that may be why the Intro books seem too easy and the Intermediate books seem too hard.

If you are trying to track school curriculum but a bit better, then you can skip a LOT of the Intermediate books content, a still learn plenty more than school teaches. Which is fine. The books intentionally have a very high ceiling. It's easier to skip stuff you don't want than go find something you don't have.

PP with the kid who started qualifying for AIME in 6th grade here. The bolded is key. 100%. A second pass through of the material is a great idea, unless the kid is breezing through all of hte problems the first time. One of the ways I approached the AoPS books was to have my kid read the chapter and do all of the non challenge problems on the first pass through the book. Then, on the second pass through, re-read the chapter contents and then do the challenge problems. The other thing is that if your kid is relatively young and generally has breezed through math, it's important to make sure they're not trying to run away from the sections that are particularly challenging to them. The AoPS website has a very active forum, and it's perfectly fine to ask for help with understanding concepts.

Was this over the course of 1 week like their courses or did you end up spending more time on each chapter?

Having a rigid timeframe is a recipe for failure. You need to course correct in response to how much time the kid needs. If they breeze through the problems, you move on. If they struggle a bit, you spend more time, look for outside resources, or ask questions on the AoPS message board.

Unfortunately, the courses that are taught using these books only allocate a week.

It's not strictly true that they do one chapter per week in the AoPS classes. That being said, yes, the courses will move at their own pace. Some weeks, the material will seem easy and your kid will breeze through it. Other weeks, they'll struggle a bit with the homework, need to spend a lot more time than usual, and also spend time asking questions on the message boards. Each online course has its own dedicated message board, and the TAs are very responsive. They also have office hours, where people are available to answer questions.

If you're self studying, there's no reason to follow the regular course's pace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love AoPS. Their books are great, but once you get to the intermediate level the pacing seems off. They could stand to spend more time on some concepts that they gloss over. Now maybe it's fine if your kid happens to be that statistically rare kid that will do AIME at 13 or spends 6-8 hours a week reading math textbook each week. I don't feel it's sufficient even for very bright students at a higher level.

You can qualify for AIME by taking a test that only covers the Intro series, so I don't see the connection between when you take AIME and the pace of the Intermediate books.

To put it differently, if you don't qualify for AIME yet, you can learn more from the Intro books before attempting the Intermediate books. If you don't fully learn the Intro material, that may be why the Intro books seem too easy and the Intermediate books seem too hard.

If you are trying to track school curriculum but a bit better, then you can skip a LOT of the Intermediate books content, a still learn plenty more than school teaches. Which is fine. The books intentionally have a very high ceiling. It's easier to skip stuff you don't want than go find something you don't have.

PP with the kid who started qualifying for AIME in 6th grade here. The bolded is key. 100%. A second pass through of the material is a great idea, unless the kid is breezing through all of hte problems the first time. One of the ways I approached the AoPS books was to have my kid read the chapter and do all of the non challenge problems on the first pass through the book. Then, on the second pass through, re-read the chapter contents and then do the challenge problems. The other thing is that if your kid is relatively young and generally has breezed through math, it's important to make sure they're not trying to run away from the sections that are particularly challenging to them. The AoPS website has a very active forum, and it's perfectly fine to ask for help with understanding concepts.

Was this over the course of 1 week like their courses or did you end up spending more time on each chapter?

Having a rigid timeframe is a recipe for failure. You need to course correct in response to how much time the kid needs. If they breeze through the problems, you move on. If they struggle a bit, you spend more time, look for outside resources, or ask questions on the AoPS message board.

Unfortunately, the courses that are taught using these books only allocate a week.

I beliece courses from AoPS virtual campis and third parties like WTMA move slower than the AoPS online courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love AoPS. Their books are great, but once you get to the intermediate level the pacing seems off. They could stand to spend more time on some concepts that they gloss over. Now maybe it's fine if your kid happens to be that statistically rare kid that will do AIME at 13 or spends 6-8 hours a week reading math textbook each week. I don't feel it's sufficient even for very bright students at a higher level.

You can qualify for AIME by taking a test that only covers the Intro series, so I don't see the connection between when you take AIME and the pace of the Intermediate books.

To put it differently, if you don't qualify for AIME yet, you can learn more from the Intro books before attempting the Intermediate books. If you don't fully learn the Intro material, that may be why the Intro books seem too easy and the Intermediate books seem too hard.

If you are trying to track school curriculum but a bit better, then you can skip a LOT of the Intermediate books content, a still learn plenty more than school teaches. Which is fine. The books intentionally have a very high ceiling. It's easier to skip stuff you don't want than go find something you don't have.

PP with the kid who started qualifying for AIME in 6th grade here. The bolded is key. 100%. A second pass through of the material is a great idea, unless the kid is breezing through all of hte problems the first time. One of the ways I approached the AoPS books was to have my kid read the chapter and do all of the non challenge problems on the first pass through the book. Then, on the second pass through, re-read the chapter contents and then do the challenge problems. The other thing is that if your kid is relatively young and generally has breezed through math, it's important to make sure they're not trying to run away from the sections that are particularly challenging to them. The AoPS website has a very active forum, and it's perfectly fine to ask for help with understanding concepts.

Was this over the course of 1 week like their courses or did you end up spending more time on each chapter?

Having a rigid timeframe is a recipe for failure. You need to course correct in response to how much time the kid needs. If they breeze through the problems, you move on. If they struggle a bit, you spend more time, look for outside resources, or ask questions on the AoPS message board.

Unfortunately, the courses that are taught using these books only allocate a week.

I beliece courses from AoPS virtual campis and third parties like WTMA move slower than the AoPS online courses.

They do 36 week "full year" courses (Math 2-10) vs 24-32 weeks for the in-person and online courses.
They still makes Intermediate Algebra the most intense class -- longest book, and the fewest bonus weeks compared to the other courses that are shorter in the regular classes.

(Super weird that "virtual campus" is different from *both* "online" and "in-person" classes. I guess it markets to home schoolers looking for a "normal" math class?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love AoPS. Their books are great, but once you get to the intermediate level the pacing seems off. They could stand to spend more time on some concepts that they gloss over. Now maybe it's fine if your kid happens to be that statistically rare kid that will do AIME at 13 or spends 6-8 hours a week reading math textbook each week. I don't feel it's sufficient even for very bright students at a higher level.

You can qualify for AIME by taking a test that only covers the Intro series, so I don't see the connection between when you take AIME and the pace of the Intermediate books.

To put it differently, if you don't qualify for AIME yet, you can learn more from the Intro books before attempting the Intermediate books. If you don't fully learn the Intro material, that may be why the Intro books seem too easy and the Intermediate books seem too hard.

If you are trying to track school curriculum but a bit better, then you can skip a LOT of the Intermediate books content, a still learn plenty more than school teaches. Which is fine. The books intentionally have a very high ceiling. It's easier to skip stuff you don't want than go find something you don't have.

PP with the kid who started qualifying for AIME in 6th grade here. The bolded is key. 100%. A second pass through of the material is a great idea, unless the kid is breezing through all of hte problems the first time. One of the ways I approached the AoPS books was to have my kid read the chapter and do all of the non challenge problems on the first pass through the book. Then, on the second pass through, re-read the chapter contents and then do the challenge problems. The other thing is that if your kid is relatively young and generally has breezed through math, it's important to make sure they're not trying to run away from the sections that are particularly challenging to them. The AoPS website has a very active forum, and it's perfectly fine to ask for help with understanding concepts.

Was this over the course of 1 week like their courses or did you end up spending more time on each chapter?

Having a rigid timeframe is a recipe for failure. You need to course correct in response to how much time the kid needs. If they breeze through the problems, you move on. If they struggle a bit, you spend more time, look for outside resources, or ask questions on the AoPS message board.

Unfortunately, the courses that are taught using these books only allocate a week.

It's not strictly true that they do one chapter per week in the AoPS classes. That being said, yes, the courses will move at their own pace. Some weeks, the material will seem easy and your kid will breeze through it. Other weeks, they'll struggle a bit with the homework, need to spend a lot more time than usual, and also spend time asking questions on the message boards. Each online course has its own dedicated message board, and the TAs are very responsive. They also have office hours, where people are available to answer questions.

If you're self studying, there's no reason to follow the regular course's pace.

My kid is currently taking the Intermediate Algebra course. The email I got from them just yesterday stated they expect most kids to spend 5-7 hours on the weekly homework to keep up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also MBMT and TJIMO for locally crates contests and archives of challenging and creative problems.

I can't find TJIMO archive

MBMT archive: https://mbmt.mbhs.edu/archive/



Andover Open archive:
https://andovermathopen.com/archives

MBMT and Andover have a very steep scale. Short tests that quickly go from easy #1 to nearly impossible #6

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love AoPS. Their books are great, but once you get to the intermediate level the pacing seems off. They could stand to spend more time on some concepts that they gloss over. Now maybe it's fine if your kid happens to be that statistically rare kid that will do AIME at 13 or spends 6-8 hours a week reading math textbook each week. I don't feel it's sufficient even for very bright students at a higher level.

You can qualify for AIME by taking a test that only covers the Intro series, so I don't see the connection between when you take AIME and the pace of the Intermediate books.

To put it differently, if you don't qualify for AIME yet, you can learn more from the Intro books before attempting the Intermediate books. If you don't fully learn the Intro material, that may be why the Intro books seem too easy and the Intermediate books seem too hard.

If you are trying to track school curriculum but a bit better, then you can skip a LOT of the Intermediate books content, a still learn plenty more than school teaches. Which is fine. The books intentionally have a very high ceiling. It's easier to skip stuff you don't want than go find something you don't have.

PP with the kid who started qualifying for AIME in 6th grade here. The bolded is key. 100%. A second pass through of the material is a great idea, unless the kid is breezing through all of hte problems the first time. One of the ways I approached the AoPS books was to have my kid read the chapter and do all of the non challenge problems on the first pass through the book. Then, on the second pass through, re-read the chapter contents and then do the challenge problems. The other thing is that if your kid is relatively young and generally has breezed through math, it's important to make sure they're not trying to run away from the sections that are particularly challenging to them. The AoPS website has a very active forum, and it's perfectly fine to ask for help with understanding concepts.

Was this over the course of 1 week like their courses or did you end up spending more time on each chapter?

Having a rigid timeframe is a recipe for failure. You need to course correct in response to how much time the kid needs. If they breeze through the problems, you move on. If they struggle a bit, you spend more time, look for outside resources, or ask questions on the AoPS message board.

Unfortunately, the courses that are taught using these books only allocate a week.

I beliece courses from AoPS virtual campis and third parties like WTMA move slower than the AoPS online courses.

They do 36 week "full year" courses (Math 2-10) vs 24-32 weeks for the in-person and online courses.
They still makes Intermediate Algebra the most intense class -- longest book, and the fewest bonus weeks compared to the other courses that are shorter in the regular classes.

(Super weird that "virtual campus" is different from *both* "online" and "in-person" classes. I guess it markets to home schoolers looking for a "normal" math class?)

In the case of WTMA, their algebra 2 course doesn't go through the whole intermediate algebra book

[Anonymous]

A different conversation reminded me of this thread.

AoPS Intermediate Algebra is a bit crazy, and then AoPS Precalculus is far less material.

Public schools, including magnets, will put a bunch of that AOPS intermediate algebra stuff in their precalculus class instead, such as conic sections.

AoPS cares less about balancing 1 years worth of material per subject, and cares more about bundling material that they feel fits together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have been doing AOPs books at home; intro to algebra, intro to number theory, intro to counting and probability, and intro to geometry.
In a few months, we will be done. (We are doing cover to cover, but skip some very difficult Qs).

DC is grade 6. I am wondering if the intermediate AOPS books may be too difficult for DC. Intermediate books are for high schoolers, right? Or, can you handle it if you finish the intro books?

Do you have any suggested book that can be in-between the intro and intermediate AOPs books. It may be good to do easier books for a while, but normal books like Scholastics seem too easy. Any suggestion?

IMO, the intermediate Algebra book is a a big step up from the intro books, so it will prove more challenging.

[Anonymous]

OP. We have been doing AOPS's Contest Math for Middle School (small paperback) after the intro series. It was a good book to practice, but DC is sick of it (we repeated the missed questions up to 4 times). Then, I randomly purchased from Amazon Learn or Review Trigonometry Essential Skills, but it is too easy.

DC is not math genius, and we are not that interested in pushing for the contest math direction. DC recently took AMC8 at school though.

I looked at the AOPS's Intermediate Algebra book, and it seems too difficult/unnecessary. Alcumus is recommended, and we will do, but I am looking for a next book to work on.

Is AOPS's precalculus book a bad idea (wondering this book may be easier than Intermediate Algebra?), or do you recommend just repeat Intro to Algebra book for a second round?