![]() ![]() ![]() "Chinese students are usually at an advantage in the contest because the questions mainly focus on basic math knowledge."ĭan Flegler, co-founder of the Stanford Math League Competition, was quoted by a New York Times website article in September as saying that "the only students who ever got perfect scores in the speed round were two fraternal Chinese twins, a boy and a girl." "In Beijing alone, approximately 2,500 students compete in each category of the AMC," said Zhang. All answer sheets are sent back to the US for marking and final results. The most popular one is the AMC, which is divided into three categories for students in different grades.Ĭompetition venues were allocated in Beijing after test papers were delivered from the US. Photo: ICīesides the AMC of The Mathematics Association of America and the EMCC, there are several other appealing math contests in the US among Beijing's young math-lovers, including the Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament (HMMT) the Princeton University Mathematics Competition (PUMaC) and the Stanford Math League Competition. At that time, four Chinese students were ranked among the top 10 in the individual competition, while one Chinese team placed fifth.Įxperts say math education for children should promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills rather than solving difficult questions to win contests. For example, each team had a contestant who was good at English," said Zhang. "We group students of different specialties together to optimize their performance. Īpart from taking part as individuals, students were also required to form groups of four for the team competition. ![]() In 2013, Zhang was among the coaches who led a group of about 40 students to the US for the Exeter Math Club Competition (EMCC) of the Phillips Exeter Academy. One should be familiar with English math vocabulary, said Li.įor Chinese students fortunate enough to go to the US to compete in math contests on elite campuses, the importance of team work is another lesson. Li became accustomed to the American style of posing math problems by reading and practicing.Ī good understanding of the English language is also vital for entering these competitions. Preparation for the AMC requires a lot of self study. "The questions were set in intriguing circumstances, different to China's questions which usually follow a rigid format." "It was a fresh and interesting experience because it was quite different from China's math contests," said Li. At the time, all his classmates were encouraged by teachers to enter the competition. Li Aolong, a math enthusiast, entered the AMC in 2011 when he was a high school student at Sun Weigang Math Experimental Class at Beijing No.22 Middle School. "The achievements in these contests demonstrate students' excellent academic ability, increasing their opportunities for admission to America's elite academies and colleges." "An increasing number of parents and students in Beijing have been drawn to math contests in the US," said Zhang. Zhang is a young coach working with the Beijing Mathematical School Team, an organization devoted to honing the math brains at middle school, by preparing students for domestic and international competitions. He also helps his students understand the questions which were originally written in English, by breaking down the sentence structure and decoding the grammar. Standing in front of more than 20 teenagers in a classroom in Haidian district, a hub of China's best colleges and middle schools, Zhang Mingyu attempts to decode and elaborate on a question posed by the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC). ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.Chinese students have increasingly become interested in participating in American math contests organized by elite institutions. ![]()
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