Wando High School
Mu Alpha Theta Tournament
Rules

Please read these to your students before you attend this competition.

GENERAL RULES

1. No hats, headphones, beepers, cell phones or other electronic devices other than scientific calculators.
2 . Any inappropriate behavior (this includes any form of cheating) by a participant may lead to the banning of the student and/or school from this and future Wando High math competitions.
3. Scientific calculators only at the tournament. NO GRAPHING CALCULATORS ALLOWED.

FILING DISPUTES/ANSWERING QUESTIONS/INDIVIDUAL TEST


4 . You may NOT sit adjacent to anyone from your school during the individual test.
5 . Scoring is 4 times the number correct, minus the number wrong. Answers left blank count as zero points.
6. If a student believes a test item is defective, select E. NOTA and file a dispute explaining why.
7 . In the case that a question has multiple correct answers, all correct answers will be counted as correct. DO NOT select “NOTA”. This applies even if one of the answers is in a more simplified form than another. If your answer is (is not) one of the choices, write a dispute explaining why your answer should also be accepted.
8 . If AN ANSWER CHOICE IS NOT COMPLETE choose “NOTA.” For example, when solving a quadratic where there should be two solutions, a choice providing only one solution should NOT be chosen. On the other hand, if a question asks for “A solution … ” a choice providing only one solution would be correct.
9. The phrase “two numbers” is to be interpreted as allowing the two numbers to be equal. The phrase “two distinct numbers” means find two different numbers.
10. If a student files a dispute claiming what the dispute center believes is a unique or highly unusual interpretation of the problem, the dispute center may award that student credit while allowing the intended answer for all other students.
11. Students should select E. “none of the above” ONLY if they believe either there is no correct answer or the question is seriously flawed.
12. Unless a question asks for an approximation or a rounded answer, give the EXACT answer.

PARTICIPATION RULES

13. Students may take only one individual division test (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus, and Calculus).
14. No team can be made up of students from more than one school with the exception of a high school/feeder middle school combination.
15. If more than one team per division is seated, there will be only one trophy per division, per school.
16. In the case that two teams from the same division are from the same school, and they both place in the top three (with their composite scores) the team with the lowest score will not receive a trophy but will receive verbal recognition at the awards ceremony. That recognition is to be given at the end of that division’s awards.

SCORING/TIE BREAKERS

17. Scoring for the school at-large award will be the total points accumulated from the Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus, and Calculus divisions for each school.
18. All ties at all levels will be broken by the sudden death method and subsequent hierarchy.
19. Ties will be broken on the individual test by the following sudden death method:

  1. Compare the answer sheets beginning with question 1.
  2. Find the first two answers that are different and compare those as follows:
    1. a correct answer is better than a blank or incorrect answer
    2. a blank answer is better than an incorrect answer
    3. If the papers are identical, the students will be called down at the awards ceremony before any of the awards for their division are given. Students involved will be given an easy question of at most one minute in length. The first correct answer will break the tie. This process will continue until the tie is broken.
    4. If the tie is for the last award, the students will be notified what place they are competing for, otherwise, they will not be informed.

20. Ties will be broken for the division scores using the sudden death method as follows:

  1. Compare the final team totals
  2. Compare team scores per question by points until there is a discrepancy. The highest number of points on that question breaks the tie.
  3. Compare individual scores with the highest scoring team member.
  4. Use the procedure outlined in 23 above.

21. Ties will be broken for the sweepstakes award by the sudden death method as follows:

  1. Compare the highest division both schools counted toward the sweepstakes in the following order: Calculus, Pre-Calculus, Algebra II, Geometry, Algebra I.

GROUP COMPETITION

The following are the directions for answering the team question:

  1. There will be a total of 12 questions during the team competition.
  2. You will have 4 minutes to answer each question.
  3. The scoring will be: 16 points for a correct response in the 1st minute, 12 points for a correct response in the 2nd minute, 8 points for a correct response in the 3rd minute, 4 points for a correct response in the 4th minute.
  4. Once your hand has been raised with the answer sheet, it must stay up. If you put your hand down, your answer will be disqualified for that question.
  5. Your answer must be submitted on the official answer sheet that has been correctly filled out. Otherwise your answer will be disqualified.
  6. Your answer must be in the specific form that the question asks for.
  7. If not otherwise noted, the answers should be in one of the following generally accepted forms:
    1. denominators rationalized
    2. simplest radical form
    3. fractions, improper fractions, or mixed numbers in simplest form
    4. equations should have integral coefficients if in standard form
  8. No units are necessary
  9. Scientific Calculators are allowed for ALL divisions. NO GRAPHING CALCULATORS ALLOWED.
  10. Headphones, beepers, cell phones, or electronic devices other than calculators are not permitted.
  11. Sunglasses and hats are not permitted.