Eligible Participants:
All students currently studying in grades 1 to 7 are eligible to participate in SCI Math Minds competition.

Format of Competition:
The competition consists of the following process:
a) A Written Round for all grades.
b) The top 8 students in grades 3 through 7 advances to the Oral Round.
c) The top four Winners in the Oral Round for Grades 3 through 7 are recognized with cash prizes.
d) The top four highest-scoring students in the Written Round for Grades 1and 2 are recognized with cash prizes.

Competition Components:
The Written Round (60 minutes) consists of 40 problems. This round tests students’ knowledge of fundamental mathematical concepts and problem-solving skills. Both accuracy and speeds are tested in this round. Calculators are not permitted. For students in grades 1and 2, this completes the competition.

The Oral Round is for students in grades 3 through 7. In each grade, the highest scoring 8 students from the Written round (Finalists) participate in the respective grades’ Oral Round one after another. They not only compete against time but also against each other. A question is projected on the screen and simultaneously read out. The students have 45 seconds to answer the question. A student presses the buzzer once he/she has the answer to lock out the other student and provide the answer. One point is awarded for each correct answer. If a student answers incorrectly, the other student has the remainder of the 45 seconds to attempt an answer. There are no negative scores for incorrect answers. If 45 seconds elapse with neither attempting an answer or providing a correct answer, neither gets a point, and the next question is posed. The student who scores the most points out of three is declared the winner and advances to the next round. Any tie after 3 questions is resolved by additional questions one after another until the tie is resolved. The grand prize round will use “Best of Five” questions. Through a series of pairings, the Grand Prize, First Prize, 2nd Prize, and 3rd Prize winners are identified in each section.

Recognition & Awards:
Eight Awards are given for each grade during the Award Ceremony.

a)  The top four highest-scoring students in the Written Round for Grades 1and 2and the top four Winners in the respective Oral Rounds for Grades 3 through 7 are recognized with plaques and cash prizes. Grand Prize, First Prize, Second Prize and Third Prize winners are awarded cash prizes of $150, $100, $75and $50 respectively.

b) The next four students in each of the grades are awarded a Finalist plaque.

 Rules for Written and Oral Rounds :

1. Parents will need to bring in documentation showing the grade level of the student, such as a recent school report card, etc. This is needed at check-in time prior to the written test.
2. All written answers must be legible to enable correct scoring.
3. Students should bring their own pencils, pens, and erasers. Scratch paper will be provided in both the written and oral rounds. Students cannot bring their own scratch paper. Nor can they use notes or other reference materials.
4. Calculators are not permitted to be used.
5. Pagers, cell phones, laptops, PDAs, radios and MP3 players, or any other electronic equipment are not permitted in the competition room.
6. Should there be any irregularity, Math Minds officials at their sole discretion may take appropriate action, including disqualification from further competition or cancellation of results.
7. No private photography or videography is allowed during both written and oral rounds.
8. Food and Drinks are prohibited during the Written Test and at all times in the Auditorium.
9. All students will take the written round during their scheduled window of time.
10. Students need to be present at the start of the oral round when the top 8 names are announced in the auditorium. If a student is not present, the next highest ranking student will be selected to participate in the oral round.