Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Glad it helped

Make sure to try RMS

I don't think students can start directly in the competition classes. Am I wrong?

AoPS does not require that the students complete an evaluation for those classes, we were able to enroll without one. I am not sure if that is because the classes are offered through their online options or not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Glad it helped

Make sure to try RMS

I don't think students can start directly in the competition classes. Am I wrong?

You can ask to take the test of the competition class.

Anonymous wrote:Glad it helped

Make sure to try RMS

I don't think students can start directly in the competition classes. Am I wrong?

Anonymous wrote:AoPS's "Middle school competition math" (i.e. AoPS Vol1) is a misnomer. It should be called "intermediate competition math". You need to master it before you start "HS competition math" (AoPS Vol1).

Many high school mathletes (i.e. those wanting to get to the AIME) would benefit by mastering Vol1.

Not true if the student has completed the introductory AoPS books. They can start with volume 2.

Glad it helped

Make sure to try RMS

Hi, I am the OP here again. Thank you to everyone’s insight. Now what the tutor is saying finally makes sense.

Well, typed, but yes. And I did transpose letters because I do that from time to time. The OP was asking what was middle school competition vs high school competition. RSM runs math competitions based on grade and list the topics that they teach in each of those classes. AoPS runs math competition classes based on test, their website does not dive into the same level of specifics on topics.

I even said that RSM is what I know best and that the info is on the website. There is also a quote from AoPS.

So, yeah. It’s from the website.

OP seems to be new to the world of math competition. It is more than what kids learn in the classroom, even the kids who are a grade ahead. The topics listed by AoPS and RSM should point to the OP what the tutor she hired is talking about in terms of what it is that the tutor was saying.

Anonymous wrote:The math found in math competitions is more challenging then the math in the regular classroom. If you are a strong student you can do well on math competitions without additional practice but you are not going score in the top group. Math competitions require a great depth of understanding and a greater breadth of understanding. The problems are going to require some creativity in terms of how you approach them. You need to have a good understanding of fields not taught in the classroom, or at least not taught with any depth in the classroom. They are a different beast.

I know RSM best so here is what they have on their website. Keep in mind that their math competition classes start in 4th grade and that each grade level has 2 levels plus there is a national program that accepts only 200 kids per grade level. The national program is a bout a year ahead of the grade level, although the distance grows when you get to the middle school classes.

The RMS math competition class for 8th grade level 1, teaches introduction to number theory, combinatorics and probability, contest level geometry, statistics and other topics.

The RMS math competition class for 8th grade level 2, teaches combinatorics and probability, contest level number theory, contest level geometry, contest level algebra (sequences and polynomials).

The RMS math competition class for 9th grade teaches Combinatorics and Probability, Contest level Number Theory, Contest level Geometry, Contest level Algebra (Sequences and Polynomicals).

Looking at the AoPS catalog, their classes tend to be directed more towards specific competitions. They are less overall math competition strategy. The AMC 10 classes break down on general questions and then a class on the Final Five, which are traditionally the hardest of the problems on the AMCs. "Our AMC 10 course is designed for students in grade 10 or below who have completed an algebra course and can currently score 60+ on the AMC 10 contest. Students not yet meeting this standard should instead consider Introduction to Algebra B, Introduction to Counting & Probability, or Introduction to Number Theory." I suspect that your child would do well to start with the classes on Counting and Probablity and nuber theory if he wants to do well on the AMC 10.

This is definitely copy-pasted from the website, and wrote "RSM" as "RMS" on purpose to make it seem casual.

The math found in math competitions is more challenging then the math in the regular classroom. If you are a strong student you can do well on math competitions without additional practice but you are not going score in the top group. Math competitions require a great depth of understanding and a greater breadth of understanding. The problems are going to require some creativity in terms of how you approach them. You need to have a good understanding of fields not taught in the classroom, or at least not taught with any depth in the classroom. They are a different beast.

I know RSM best so here is what they have on their website. Keep in mind that their math competition classes start in 4th grade and that each grade level has 2 levels plus there is a national program that accepts only 200 kids per grade level. The national program is a bout a year ahead of the grade level, although the distance grows when you get to the middle school classes.

The RMS math competition class for 8th grade level 1, teaches introduction to number theory, combinatorics and probability, contest level geometry, statistics and other topics.

The RMS math competition class for 8th grade level 2, teaches combinatorics and probability, contest level number theory, contest level geometry, contest level algebra (sequences and polynomials).

The RMS math competition class for 9th grade teaches Combinatorics and Probability, Contest level Number Theory, Contest level Geometry, Contest level Algebra (Sequences and Polynomicals).

Looking at the AoPS catalog, their classes tend to be directed more towards specific competitions. They are less overall math competition strategy. The AMC 10 classes break down on general questions and then a class on the Final Five, which are traditionally the hardest of the problems on the AMCs. "Our AMC 10 course is designed for students in grade 10 or below who have completed an algebra course and can currently score 60+ on the AMC 10 contest. Students not yet meeting this standard should instead consider Introduction to Algebra B, Introduction to Counting & Probability, or Introduction to Number Theory." I suspect that your child would do well to start with the classes on Counting and Probablity and nuber theory if he wants to do well on the AMC 10.

Anonymous wrote:AoPS's "Middle school competition math" (i.e. AoPS Vol1) is a misnomer. It should be called "intermediate competition math". You need to master it before you start "HS competition math" (AoPS Vol1).

Many high school mathletes (i.e. those wanting to get to the AIME) would benefit by mastering Vol1.

AOPS "middle school competition math" is for middle school competitions. It is true that middle school competitions are harder than than middle school school, much like middle school sports teams are harder than PE sports.

Anonymous wrote:AoPS's "Middle school competition math" (i.e. AoPS Vol1) is a misnomer. It should be called "intermediate competition math". You need to master it before you start "HS competition math" (AoPS Vol1).

Many high school mathletes (i.e. those wanting to get to the AIME) would benefit by mastering Vol1.

I meant "HS competition math" (AoPS Vol2)

AoPS's "Middle school competition math" (i.e. AoPS Vol1) is a misnomer. It should be called "intermediate competition math". You need to master it before you start "HS competition math" (AoPS Vol1).

Many high school mathletes (i.e. those wanting to get to the AIME) would benefit by mastering Vol1.

Your 8th grader did not make the honor roll on the AMC 8. A score of 16 is strong but it is not in the 95th percentile that is recognized by the hosting organization. He is justified in feeling proud of his score, he did better then a lot of kids, but his score is not one that screams that he will do well on the AMC 10 or close to well enough to make the AIME cutoff. Your tutor is telling you that he has not mastered the skills needed to make the recognized awards on the AMC 8 and the AMC 10 will require more, a lot more.

This is where things get a bit weird because your child is doing well in Math and is a bit advanced, Algebra 1 in 8th grade. He is doing great by every standard. But there are a good number of kids who are ahead of him. There are 30 about kids in 6th grade in FCPS taking Algebra 1 and about 1,500 in 7th grade. They are, objectively, ahead of your child in math. I would bet that a decent number of them took the AMC 8 and scored higher than you child.

My 6th grader scored an 18 on the AMC 8. He started taking a math competition class in 4th grade. He is in the 95-99th percentile in every competition he takes, and he does a lot of them. I expect him to be in Algebra 1 H in 7th grade and that he will likely be bored because he has learned a lot of Algebra and Geometry in his math competition class. And I promise you that my kid is probably seen as behind by people on this board because he only started math competition stuff in 4th grade and because we didn’t push for Algebra 1 in 6th grade.

DS is aiming for distinguished honor roll on the AMC 8 next year and to see how he does on the AMC 10. We have no clue how he will do on the AMC 10, we don’t have a specific goal. His math competition class is geared towards preparing for it though. The summer online program he is doing with AoPS is geared towards math counts because he wants a shot at making the larger group at Carson. He knows there will be a lot of kids aiming for that group. The AoPS class he is taking this summer recommends that kids score at least an 18 on the AMC 8 to take this particular class. His RSM competition class during the year is aimed towards AMC 10 prep and the higher level MS competitions.

Your child is doing great. He really is. It is just that what he has been doing does not match with what you think he can do on the AMC 10 next year.

Update again from OP

So apparently $75/hr is the rate bc my kid is somehow still learning “middle school competition math” ? I am not complaining, as their rate goes a little higher for the high school tutoring, but I would have thought my 8th grader would be able to understand t”middle school” competition math by now.

Anyone with insights?

Anonymous wrote:Update, I am the OP

So I had a demo with the Olympiad insider tutoring, it was a high schooler who qualified for the Olympiad round of amc 10. I was told the rate was $75/hr for new clients which I felt was reasonable, so I signed my son up for once a week. The high schooler seemed to know which topics were tested the most and even had some sort of a curriculum. I was impressed.

$75/hr is still pretty expensive though… any thoughts? Should I increase the number of sessions? Right now it’s only one hour per week.

If your kid enjoys it and has the free time sure.