Math
North South Foundation Math Bee is a nation-wide competition among the children our community. It is aimed at nurturing mathematical skills among children attending grades 1 thru 8, in a challenging environment. Math Bee was begun in 2004 as a pilot and was expanded to all centers in 2005.
Proficiency in mathematics can be personally satisfying and empowering. The underpinnings of everyday life increasingly involve mathematics and technology. Mathematics is one of the greatest cultural and intellectual achievements of humankind, and the children should develop an appreciation and understanding of that achievement. India has produced several great mathematicians like Ramanujan, Aryabhatta, Bhaskara, and Brahmagupta. Just as the level of mathematics needed for enlightened citizenship has increased dramatically, so too has the level of mathematical thinking and problem solving needed in the workplace, in almost all professional areas. Although all careers require a foundation of mathematical knowledge, some are more mathematics intensive. More students must pursue an educational path that will prepare them for lifelong work as mathematicians, statisticians, engineers, computer programmers and scientists. Further, Math Bee will better prepare children to take standardized tests like PLUS, PSAT, SAT I, SAT II and ACT.
The contests are conducted every year in two steps. First, children participate in a regional contest, conducted in various states throughout USA. Qualified winners of the regional contests are invited to participate in the National Finals. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from each contest at the Nationals are awarded scholarships of $1,000, $500, and $250 respectively, redeemable in the winners' freshman year of college.
The Math bee is open to children in grades 1 to 8. Younger children are encouraged to participate, on equal basis, solely with the aim of familiarizing them with the contest.
are several goals for conducting the Math Bee contests . To enumerate a few:
- To introduce important Mathematical concepts
- To make Mathematics an easier subject to learn and excel from early on
- To better prepare for excelling in college entrance exams like the SAT/ACT
- To stimulate enthusiasm and a love for Mathematics
- To teach major strategies for problem solving
- To develop Mathematical flexibility in solving problems
- To strengthen Mathematical intuition
- To foster Mathematical creativity and ingenuity
- To provide for the satisfaction, joy, and thrill of meeting challenges
- To meet other students and develop friendship
Math Bee contests is divided broadly into 3 levels based on the student’s grade. The grade definition is determined as of February 1.
In addition to all the general contest rules stated by North South Foundation, the following rules are applicable for Math Bee Competition.
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There are 3 levels of competition in Math Bee:
- MB1 (Math Bee Level 1): Grades 1, 2 and 3
- MB2 (Math Bee Level 2): Grades 4 and 5
- MB3 (Math Bee Level 3): Grades 6, 7 and 8
- A 1st rank winner at the National Finals of the North South Foundation math bee level 3 (MB3) contest is not eligible for competing in this and future math bee contests conducted by the Foundation (National winners of MB1 and MB2 can participate ONLY in MB2 and MB3 bees, respectively). A contestant who participated in a higher level bee cannot participate in a lower level bee in subsequent years.
- The syllabus for the Math Bee, level-wise, can be found on this website. It should be understood that any syllabus can only act as a guideline, but in the same given category of syllabus, the level of difficulty can vary dramatically from a beginner to an advanced level.
- Math bees (MB1 to MB3) are held in two phases, both Phases I and II are written. Contestants should bring their own pencils and sharpeners. Parents are NOT allowed in both Phase I and II.
- In Phase I, each contestant will be given a set of 25 questions to answer them. The maximum time allocated to answer the 25 questions is 35 minutes.
- Each contestant is given a question paper with 25 questions along with a blank answer sheet with 25 numbered rows to write the final answer. Each question has adequate space to arrive at the answer with a pencil. No other sheets will be given. Contestants are allowed to use the backside of the question paper to work out problems. Contestants are required to transfer the answers from the question paper to the answer sheet (which is attached to the question paper and contains 25 numbered rows to write the answer).
- All participants will move on to Phase II.
- In Phase II, each contestant will be given a set of 20 multiple choice questions to answer them. The maximum time allocated to answer the 20 questions is 15 minutes.
- Each contestant is given a question paper with 20 multiple choice questions along with a blank answer sheet with 20 numbered rows to write the final answer. Each question has adequate space to arrive at the answer with a pencil. No other sheets will be given. Contestants are allowed to use the backside of the question paper to work out problems. Contestants are required to transfer the answers from the question paper to the answer sheet (which is attached to the question paper and contains 20 numbered rows to write the answer).
- Calculators are NOT allowed at any level.
- All sheets (including question and answer sheets) shall be returned at the end of the contest to the proctor.
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Unclear and illegible writing might be open for misinterpretation. So, contestants are expected
to
write clearly and legibly
. The decision of the judges is final. - There will NOT be any partial credits for steps. There will be NO negative points for any incorrect answer. The contestant will be awarded one point for the correct answer and zero for an incorrect answer.
- Based on the combined scores from both phases, the judges will determine the winners. The 1st place winner shall be ahead by at least one point to be declared as the champion.
- The tiebreaker rules apply ONLY if there are at least 5 or more contestants participating in a given center and at the discretion of the judges/regional coordinator.
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After tabulations of combined scores from Phase I (questions 1-25) and Phase II (questions 1-20),
if there is a tie, to break the ties, the scheme outlined below is followed in the order given:
- Phase I score among questions 1-25
- Phase I score among questions 21-25
- Phase I score among questions 1-20
- Phase II score among questions 11-20
- Phase II score among questions 1-10
- If the above steps fail to break the tie in question, the foundation may use additional measures to resolve them or award joint ranks.
- Invitation to National Finals is based on the combined scores from both phases [Phase I: 25 questions; Phase II: 20 questions] of all the contestants nationally and is not based on a direct correlation of ranks achieved by a contestant in a regional contest. Thus, the combined Phase I & II score of each contestant out of 45 relative to all such scores around the country will determine whether the contestant will be invited to the National Finals. The regional tiebreakers are only helpful in determining the winners for a particular center, but have no bearing on the Finals invitation.
Phase I (Written):
Phase II (Written):
Winners and Ranks:
Tiebreaker Rules:
Invitation to National Finals:
For Math Bee Syllabus: click here
Following are links to Regional Contests Sample Questions for various levels.
Full sample paper (Phase I and II) will be available after registration is complete.
The above files need Acrobat Reader v 5.0.1 or above. If you are using Acrobat Reader version 4.0 you will see error "Reader unable to decrypt the document". Please go to www.adobe.com and download version required.
We conduct online coaching and workshops to benefit the students all through the year. In addition, this page contains general resources for preparation for the Math Bee contests. Some sample resources and books are categorized below by level. This is not an endorsement of any commercial product by us. You can search the web for better results and up-to-date links.
- Critical Thinking Skills - Teaching your kid how to think rather than what to think www.criticalthinking.com
- Khan Academy - Online Courses, Lessons and Practice. Look for Arithmetic under Math
- Math Kangaroo www.mathkangaroo.org
- Singapore Math www.singaporemath.com - Look for math books for Primary students
- Khan Academy - Online Courses, Lessons and Practice. Look for Arithmetic, Pre-Algebra and Geometry under Math
- Math League contest books for grades 4 and above www.themathleague.com (contests usually conducted at local schools)
- Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools www.moems.org (student must belong to a school team)
- Singapore Math www.singaporemath.com - Look for grade appropriate books
- MATHCOUNTS - www.mathcounts.org (student must belong to a school team). Contest material for one year (last contest) is usually made available
- Books for advanced middle school students from www.artofproblemsolving.com
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Khan Academy - Online Courses, Lessons and Practice. Look for Arithmetic, Pre-Algebra, Geometry, Pre-calculus, Probability and Statistics under Math
www.khanacademy.org www.khanacademy.org
- Math League contest books for grades 6 and above www.themathleague.com (contests usually conducted at local schools)
- Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools www.moems.org (student must belong to a school team)
- Alcumus – AoPS’s Online Learning System - www.artofproblemsolving.com/Alcumus
The NorthSouth Math Bee is a Mathematics competition for children all across North America. It is aimed at nurturing mathematical skills among children attending grades 1 through 8, in a challenging environment. Math Bee has Regional and National-level components just as all the other North South Foundation Bees.
The underpinnings of everyday life increasingly involve math and science/technology. North South Foundation believes that math abilities are a vital foundational and literacy requirement for the child of today.
We also believe that proficiency in Mathematics can be personally satisfying and empowering to the individual. Mathematics is one of the greatest intellectual achievements of humankind, and the children should develop an appreciation and understanding of that achievement.
India has produced several great mathematicians like Ramanujan, Aryabhatta, Bhaskara, and Brahmagupta. Just as the level of mathematics needed for enlightened citizenship has increased dramatically, so too has the level of mathematical thinking and problem-solving needed in the modern workplace.
Although all careers require a foundation of mathematical knowledge, some are more math-intensive than others. We hope that the Math Bee program will especially help our students pursue an educational path that will prepare them for lifelong work as mathematicians, statisticians, engineers, computer programmers and scientists.
Further, North South Foundation also believes that Math Bee will better prepare children to take standardized tests like PLUS, PSAT, SAT I, SAT II and ACT.
There are several goals and some of these are :
- To make Mathematics an easier subject to learn and excel from early childhood
- To better prepare for excelling in college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT
- To stimulate enthusiasm and a love for Mathematics
- To introduce important Mathematical concepts
- To teach major strategies for problem solving
- To develop Mathematical flexibility in solving problems
- To strengthen Mathematical intuition
- To foster Mathematical creativity and ingenuity
- To provide for the satisfaction, joy, and thrill of meeting challenges
- To meet other students of Indian origin and develop friendship
See the section on Math Contest Rules .
See the section on Math Contest Rules .
No, a participant can only participate in one Math bee and in one regional center only. Eligible contestants from the Regional Contest will be invited into the same bee for the North South Foundation National Finals event.
Yes, each grade group will have a different test. The questions will be based on the syllabus for the particular grade grouping.
See the section on Math Bee Preparation .
See the section on Math Bee Syllabus.
Yes, a child in KG is allowed to participate in the Math Bee Level 1, on an equal basis without any special privileges. Parents should bring young children into the contest with the primary aim of getting them familiar with the Bee. Over, the last several years many young children have participated and done exceedingly well in various contests.
Calculators are not allowed at any level.
This is only applicable at the National level. In the lightning round, we will avoid questions involving complex calculations. Typically the students are expected to answer within 60 seconds. A blank paper and pencil will be provided to children.
No. The questions in the contest will be within the syllabus for the particular level.
It depends on each chapter. Some may hold it over on one day and some over two days. Please refer to the Contest Calendar or contact your Chapter Coordinator.
Online registration via North South Foundation homepage is generally available, starting early January. You can also refer to the North South Foundation Contest Calendar or ask your Regional Coordinator about registration deadlines and contest dates.