2008 iTest Changes

In 2008, the iTest continues to evolve. The format changes once again for the 2008 iTest, but this change may prove permanent if successful.

First, the iTest aims to be as inclusive as possible, providing opportunities for a very broad array of students to compete in a national math competition. For this reason, we are expanding the total number of problems, including more problems at the easier end of the spectrum, as well as more at the approximate level of the AMC 10 and AMC 12 exams.

The harder end of the test will remain similar to the recent past, but the proof problems will disappear. Tie breaking will be time-based.

Many of the 100 problems on the 2008 iTest will involve a storyline that will provide various forms of context for many of the problems. We believe this approach will provide a unique opportunity to educate certain types of learners in addition to making the contest more enjoyable.

Additionally, teams from multiple states will be disallowed. We believe the contest to be more beneficial to more students, and more interesting as a competition with MOP dream teams essentially disallowed. This also prevents the need for a red queen race between increasingly more knowledgeable MOSPers and problem writers who often spend 10-12 hours crafting a single problem to challenge the best and brightest students. Added time pressure should also prevent the need for more than a few difficult-to-write olympiad level problems.

We believe the iTest loses nothing, and gains significantly with these changes, and that the 2008 iTest will be the most enjoyable of the iTest competitions to date.

We thank Zach Abel and Adam Hesterberg for their continued contributions to the test-writing process.

We also thank the Southern Company for providing generous support, enabling us to improve and expand the iTest.