Rules and Regulations

Please read this information carefully. Related information may be found on the Competition Information page.

Definitions

Rules

1 The Competition consists of 4 stages.
Stages 1 and 2 are individual written competitions. Stage 3 is a Team competition. Stage 4 is a one-on-one oral competition between the top [up to 10] individuals who participated in stages 1 and 2.

1.1 Blitz Stage
Blitz consists of one session on a variety of mathematical subjects. Participants will be allowed to work for 40 minutes on 26 questions written on four pages [each correct answer will count as one point]. Thus, the maximum number of points available in this stage is: 26.

1.2 Bull's Eye Stage
Bull's Eye consists of three sessions on a certain mathematical subject. For each of the sessions, participants will be given 12 minutes to work on the 4 questions on that subject. The total number of questions in Bull's Eye is 12 and each correct answer will count as two points. Thus, the maximum number of points available in this stage is: 24.

1.3 Co-op Stage
Co-op stage is a Team competition and it consists of a session on a variety of mathematical subjects. Participants will be allowed to work for 36 minutes on 15 questions written on three pages [each correct answer will count as two points]. Thus, the maximum number of points available in this stage is 30. Scientific calculators are allowed for this stage of the competition. Graphing calculators and programmable calculators are not allowed at all. Devices with wireless communication capabilities are absolutely not allowed.

1.4 Face-Off Stage
2.0 No food and Drink permitted in Exam rooms
FOOD IS NOT PERMITTED IN CLASSROOMS. Students will not be allowed in the exam rooms with food or drink. Students bringing in open food or drink containers or consuming food in an exam room will be disqualified by the invigilators.

School Accreditation

All competitors shall attend a school listed on the BC Government website on the webpage entitled “BC K-12 School and District Contact Information” [ http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/apps/imcl/imclWeb/Home.do – the list is located under the heading School Information]. Other schools may meet the intent of this rule – contact Math Challengers to find out more.

Out of province schools that meet similar requirements may also meet the intent of this rule – contact Math Challengers to find out more.

Grade Level Eligibility

There are three [3] grade levels of competition in the Province of British Columbia: the Grade 8 level, the Grade 9 level, and the Grade 10 level, all at the regional and provincial level.

3.1 Each competitor may compete a maximum of two times at any grade level, provided they meet all the requirements for the grade levels they compete in. After that, the competitor must proceed to the next Grade level, provided the competitor continues to meet all of the requirements for the grade levels they compete in. For example, a first time Grade 5 student can compete two times in each of the Grade levels 8, 9, and 10. A first time Grade 6 competitor can compete two years in a row at the Grade 8 level, then two more years at the Grade 9 level, and then one more year at the Grade 10 level. A first time Grade 7 competitor can compete two years in a row at the Grade 8 level, then one more year at the Grade 9 level, and then one more year at the Grade 10 level. A first time Grade 8 student competes one year at the Grade 8 level, the following year at the Grade 9 level, and then the following year at the Grade 10 level.

Grade 8 Competitors
3.2 An eligible Grade 8 competitor shall turn 14 during the calendar year of the competition [or a later year].

3.3 A Grade 8 competitor must be registered in Grade 8 or below at the competitor's school, although the competitor may be taking a math course beyond Grade 8.

Grade 9 Competitors
3.4 An eligible Grade 9 competitor shall turn 15 during the calendar year of the competition [or a later year].

3.5 A Grade 9 competitor must be registered in Grade 9 or below at the competitor's school, although the competitor may be taking a math course beyond Grade 9.

Grade 10 Competitors
3.6 An eligible Grade 10 competitor shall turn 16 during the calendar year of the competition, or a later year.

3.7 A Grade 10 competitor must be registered in Grade 10 or below at the competitor's school, although the competitor may be taking a math course beyond Grade 10.

Registration and Team Composition

4.1 What is the maximum number of teams per school?
A maximum of three [3] teams per Grade, for each of Grade 8, 9 and 10, per school, for a maximum of nine [9] teams will be accepted for registration and competition.

4.2 What is the maximum number of students per team for registration?
Each team may register a total of 5 students, the scores of the top 4 only will be counted for team scores.

4.3 Is there a minimum team size? [Updated July 2022]
A team may consist of 5 or fewer students - however the team score will be adversely affected if the team consists of fewer than 4 students. A team with fewer than 2 students will not be eligible for team awards.

4.4 Can a School register team[s] or individual[s] on the day of competition?
Registration will not be accepted on the day of competition.

4.5 Will registration be accepted for individuals?
Only one Individual per grade level can register from a school if a team in the same grade level from that school hasn't registered by the Early Bird deadline. After the first Individual or team registers, subsequent contestants from the same school and grade level must register as an appropriate number of teams with corresponding fees – see rule 4.3 for additional information. The initial Individual registration becomes a team registration and the Individual joins one of the subsequent teams with fees transferred, unless the subsequently registering team(s) exclude that Individual. Within a grade level, if a school is invited to send a team to the Provincial Finals, and an individual outperformed any member of their school's Provincial Team, and if that individual opts to participate in the Provincial Finals, they are required to be included as one of the (up to) five members of their school's Provincial team. Coaches with non-compliant registrations will be notified with corrections and possible added fees.

4.6 Can elementary students compete on secondary school teams?
Secondary School teams may use elementary students on their teams, provided these students are from an elementary school within their catchment/feeder area, and that the elementary school does not have its own team in the competition.

4.7 Can the team roster be changed between the regional and provincial competitions?
Coaches may alter their team roster between the regional and provincial competitions.

4.8 Math Challengers reserves the right
to disqualify any team containing a member who is ineligible to compete in the grade level in which that team is registered.

Teams Advancing to the Provincial Final

The top placing school in each Pool will be invited to participate in the Provincial finals. All other schools will be determined by the wild card process based on team scores.

Awards are discussed on the Competition Information web page.

Each regional pool [competition] in the province will send a certain number of schools to the Provincial Finals. The Canadian Math Challengers Committee reserves the right to determine regional boundaries. From each pool, one school will be invited to send one team to the provincials, and additional schools may be selected on a wild card basis.

5.1 What is the maximum number of teams per Grade level per school to advance to the Provincial competition?
Only one team per Grade level per school is allowed to advance to the Provincial competition. In other words, the top two, three, four, or more teams from a regional pool advancing to the Provincial competition must be teams from different schools. This is to ensure equal chances for advancement to the Provincial Final among the schools regardless of the number of teams they send to the regional competitions.

5.2 What are Wildcard Schools?
The Math Challengers executive will select schools based on the high scoring teams from schools in the entire province to be invited to the Provincial Competition. For regions with more than one pool in a Grade level, one or more wild card team[s] may be selected within that Grade level to advance to the Provincial Final. These must be schools, not from the top placing schools already selected, but those with the next highest scores within that Grade level. This is to ensure equal chances for advancement to the Provincial Final among the schools regardless of the composition of the pool they are placed in.

5.3 Can a student who places in the [up to] top 10 in a regional Face-Off stage but whose school team does not qualify for the Provincial Final participate in the Provincial final on an individual basis?
Any competitor participating in a regional Face-Off will advance to the Provincial final on an individual basis if the competitor's school did not qualify in that grade competition.

Face-Off Oral Competition and Awards

6.1 What is the maximum number of students per school per Grade level advancing to Face-Off at the Regional, or Provincial competitions?
Schools will not have more than five students advancing to the Face-Off stage in each grade level at the Regional competitions.

6.2 Prizes Trophies and Scholarships
Math Challengers medals will be awarded to all individuals in each Grade level advancing to Face-Off at the Provincial final. These prizes will be awarded based on the individual standings from Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the competition.

6.3 Individuals Trophies
Math Challengers individual awards will be presented to [up to] the top 3 individuals per pool, for the grade 8, 9, and 10 levels at the Regional and Provincial Competitions as follows. These prizes will be awarded based on the standings before Face-Off stage.
6.4 School Trophies Regional Competition
Math Challengers team trophies will be presented to [up to] the top 3 schools [not necessarily the top 3 teams] per pool, per grade 8, 9, and 10 levels at the Regional Competitions as follows. These prizes will be awarded based on the team standings from the written stages of the competition. 6.5 School Trophies Provincial Final
Math Challengers team trophies will be presented to [up to] the top 3 schools in the grade 8, 9, and 10 levels at the Provincial Final. These prizes will be awarded based on the school standings from the written stages of the competition.
6.6 Individual Cash Prizes
At the Provincial competition, cash prizes of $200, $150 and $100 may be awarded to the three highest scoring individuals in each grade Face-Off stage.


Post Provincial Final Event

The top four [or more] Grade 9 students from the Provincial competition may be invited to participate in an event tour or competition.

Rule Clarification

Calculators are not permitted for the Blitz, Bull's-eye and Face-Off stages; however calculators are permitted for the Co-op stage, and they must be scientific calculators. Programmable and graphing calculators are not allowed at all. Devices with wireless communication capabilities are absolutely not allowed.

Units - Engineering Editorial Comment Only

No questions require conversion between or within measurment systems, such as British Imperial, US, or MKS Metric measurement systems.

However students are highly advised that in life they must be able to convert complex Multi dimensional measurement units between British, USA and MKS and old EU metric measurement systems frequently and accurately.

Additional Instructions

Additional instructions given at any time shall have the same force as rules, and may be published or announced before and during the competitions.

Disclaimer: The sole responsibility of the organizers and directors is for establishing and conducting the match itself. Parents, coaches, and guardians are responsible for the conduct of the participating students. By agreeing to participate, the competitors, their parents, guardians and heirs shall hold harmless the organizers, directors, and volunteers of Canadian Math Challengers Society from any consequences of misbehaviour on the part of the participants and from any damage to property or injury whatsoever to persons attending this event.