Math contest practice, Grades 1 to 8

Math contest practice tests

Each spring, many US students in Grades 1 to 12 take a math contest of 24 or 30 multiple-choice problems in 75 minutes. Problems are worth 3, 4 or 5 points, the easiest first, and nothing is taken off for a wrong answer. The problems reward clear thinking more than long sums: logic, patterns, pictures and number puzzles.

Our math contest practice has a paper for each pair of grades, from Grades 1 and 2 to Grades 7 and 8, with the real contest's length, time, points and five choices. Every paper is new when your child starts it, and the score and points show straight away.

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A look at the test

Questions in the math contest style

Written by us in the style of the published math contest question types.

  • Grades 1 and 2: which card went first

    Five cards, each with a shape on it, were put down one at a time. Which card was put down last?

    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E

  • Grades 3 and 4: truth and lies

    Ava, Sara, Pia, Dina and Omar are playing, and one of them has the ball.
    Ava says: "Sara does not have the ball."
    Sara says: "Ava has the ball."
    Pia says: "Sara has the ball."
    Dina says: "I do not have the ball."
    Omar says: "I have the ball."
    Exactly one of them is telling the truth. Who has the ball?

    1. APia
    2. BOmar
    3. CAva
    4. DDina
    5. ESara

  • Grades 5 and 6: shaded fractions

    What fraction of the big square is shaded?

    1. A2/9
    2. B2/7
    3. C1/9
    4. D1/3
    5. E5/18

The test

Levels by grade

LevelGradesQuestionsTimeWhat is on it
Grades 1 and 2Grades 1 and 224: 8 each worth 3, 4 and 5 points1 hour 15 minutesPictures, repeating patterns, putting things in order, balances and digit puzzles.
Grades 3 and 4Grades 3 and 424: 8 each worth 3, 4 and 5 points1 hour 15 minutesLogic and truth-and-lies problems, shaded fractions, magic squares and missing digits, as well as pictures and patterns.
Grades 5 and 6Grades 5 and 630: 10 each worth 3, 4 and 5 points1 hour 15 minutesCounting shapes, missing digits, angles, clever calculation, logic and patterns.
Grades 7 and 8Grades 7 and 830: 10 each worth 3, 4 and 5 points1 hour 15 minutesPrimes and factors, powers, probability, counting, angles and logic.

Problem counts, time, points and the five choices are the organizers' published figures. They do not publish a topic list, so the mix of problem types in our papers is ours, from their sample problems.

By grade

Free practice for each grade

Pricing

Sitting is free. The answers are US$19.

Every practice test is free to sit, as often as you like. The pack shows your child what they got right, the right answers and how to reach them, on every math contest test. Practicing for more than one kind of test? The US bundle covers them all for US$99.

Math contest packLaunch price

US$19

for 6 months

  • Which questions your child got right, after every practice test
  • The right answer to every question
  • A worked solution for every question, step by step
  • Every contest paper, Grades 1 to 8, with each problem's points

Every US testLaunch price

US$99

for 6 months

  • Everything in the gifted pack, the private school pack, the math contest pack and the MAP Growth pack
  • CogAT, NNAT and OLSAT, for gifted and talented programs
  • ISEE and SSAT, for private school entry
  • Math contest practice, Grades 1 to 8
  • MAP Growth practice, by grade and subject

One payment in US dollars for 6 months of access. No auto-renewal: when the 6 months end, access stops unless you buy again.

Questions

What parents ask

Are these real contest problems?
No. We write our own problems in the style of the contest's published format and sample problems, at the same length, time, points and number of choices.
Which paper should my child practice?
The paper for their own grade. Grades 1 and 2 share a paper, as do Grades 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and 7 and 8.
How is the contest scored?
Each problem is worth 3, 4 or 5 points, and nothing is taken off for a wrong answer, so your child should answer every problem. Our practice shows the points as well as the number right.
Can my child use a calculator?
No. Calculators and phones are not allowed, so practice with paper and pencil.
Is it free?
Sitting is free: make a free account and your child can sit as many papers as you like. The math contest pack (US$19 for six months) shows which problems were right, the right answers and a worked solution for each. The US bundle (US$99) covers every US test we offer.
Does a practice score predict a contest result?
No. Contest results are ranked against other students in the same grade, which only the real contest can do. Our practice shows the problems answered correctly and the points they earn.

The spring math contest for Grades 1 to 12 is run in the US by the contest's organizers. Scholar Tests is not affiliated with or endorsed by the contest's organizers or any school. Our practice problems are written by us in the style of the contest's published format; they are not real contest questions, and a practice score is not a contest result.