Monday, August 18, 2025

2025/2026 Mathcounts, AMCs, AIMEs Competition Preparation Strategies

Hi, Thanks for visiting my blog.

E-mail me at thelinscorner@gmail.com if you want to learn with me.  :) :) :) 

Currently I'm running different levels of problem solving lessons, and it's lots of fun learning along with students from different states/countries. 

So many students are not learning smart.

Problem solving is really fun (and a lot of the times very hard, yes).

Good questions are intriguing and delicious, so come join our vibrant community and have the pleasure of finding things out on your own.


There is no overnight success.

My other blogs :

thelinscorner  : Standardized test preps (ONLY the hardest problems), books, links/videos for life-time learning


Take care and have fun learning.

Don't forget other equally interesting activities/contests, which engage your creativity  and imagination. 

Some also require team work. Go for those and have fun !! 

Don't just do math.  


Before going full throttle mode for competition math, please spend some time reading this
well- thought-out article from BOGTRO at AoPS "Learn How to Learn".

It will save you tons of time and numerous, unnecessary hours without a clear goal, better method in mind.

Less is more. My best students make steady, very satisfactory progress in much less time than those
counterparts who spent double, triple, or even more multiple times of prep with little to show.

It's all about "deliberate practices", "tenacity", and most of all, "the pleasure of finding things out on your own".

Take care and have fun problem solving.

I have been coaching students for many years. By now, I know to achieve stellar performance you need :
Grit (from TED talk), not only that but self-awareness (so you can fairly evaluate your own progress) and a nurturing-caring environment. (Parents need to be engaged as well.)
               
Thanks a lot !!  Mrs. Lin

"Work Smart !!" , "Deliberate practices that target your weakness ", " Relax and get fully rested.", "Pace your time well", "Every point is the same so let go of some questions first; you can always go back to them if time permits."

"It's tremendous efforts preparing for a major event on top of mounting homework and if you are the ones who want to try that, not your parents and you work diligently towards your goal, good for you !!"

"Have fun, Mathcounts changes lives, because at middle school level at least, it's one of those rare occasions that the challenges are hard, especially at the state and national level."

Now, here are the links to get you started: 

Of course use my blog.  Whenever I have time I analyze students' errors and try to find better ways (the most elegant solutions or the Harvey method I hope) to tackle a problem. Use the search button to help you target your weakness area.

Newest Mathcounts' competition problems and answer key

For state/national prep, find your weakness and work on the problems backwards, from the hardest to the easiest. 

Here are some other links/sites that are the best.

Mathcounts Mini : At the very least, finish watching and understanding most of the questions from 2010 till now and work on the follow-up sheets, since detailed solutions are provided along with some more challenging problems.

For those who are aiming for the state/national competition, you can skip the warm-up and go directly to "The Problems" used on the video as well as work on the harder problems afterward.

Art of Problem Solving 

The best place to ask for help on challenging math problems. 
Some of the best students/coaches/teachers are there to help you better your problem solving skills.

                                                             Do Not Rush !!

Awesome site!!
       
For concepts reviewing, try the following three links.
 
Mathcounts Toolbox
 
Coach Monks's Mathcounts Playbook
 
You really need to understand how each concept works for the review sheets to be useful.

To my exasperation, I have kids who mix up the formulas without gaining a true understanding and appreciation of how an elegant, seemingly simple formula can answer myriads of questions.

You don't need a lot of formulas, handbook questions, or test questions to excel.

You simply need to know how the concepts work and apply that knowledge to different problems/situations.

Hope this is helpful!!

Friday, August 15, 2025

8/15/2025 2020 AMC 12 A student reflection notes from H while in India

2020 AMC 12A Log

Wrong

  • Q18 – Tried other equation → could not solve
  • Q23 – Hard casework (I could guess if correct, more of a check)
  • Q24 – Weird set, specialized translations in geometric problem
  • Q25 – Really hard Q. Required graphing + adaptation for 2π trap but not confident/solid

Right

  • Q15
  • Q16
  • Q17
  • Q19
  • Q20
  • Q21
  • Q22

Thursday, August 14, 2025

8/14/2025 SAT/AMC 12 student reflection notes from Ay

1) Reviewed the attached problems and solutions 2) Reviewed the SAT vocabulary words and tried the SAT questions. I was able to answer all three questions correctly. 3) Attempted the 2023 AMC 12 A. I skipped these questions- #15, #21, #22, #24 and #25 Rest all questions were answered correctly.

Thursday, August 7, 2025

8/6/2025 2014 AMC 12 B student reflection notes from H while in India :)

2014 AMC 12B Log

Correct:

  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18 – took time
  • 19
  • 20
  • 22 – time-sink
  • 24
  • 25

Wrong:

  • 21 – struggled with too many variables
  • 23 – no idea how to approach

Sunday, August 3, 2025

7/27/2025 2023 Mathcounts state sprint student reflection notes An

2023 Mathcounts State Sprint: 

Q13 Rate silly mistake made miscalculation when I was trying to find the rates always double check if the rates if it make sense with the question 

Q21 number theory had an idea but it didn't work because I didn't count all the ordered triplets
Learn how to do these problems fast and accurately 

Q22 probability didn't know how to do it 
Learn how to do these problems fast and accurately 

Q23 Algebra didn't know how to do it
Learn how to do these problems fast and accurately 

Q25 number Theory didn't know how to do it
Learn how to do these problems fast and accurately 

Q26 number Theory didn't know how to do it
Learn how to do these problems fast and accurately 

Q27 Algebra didn't know how to do it
Learn how to do these problems fast and accurately 

Q28 Geometry didn't know how to do it
Learn how to do these problems fast and accurately 

Q29 Algebra didn't know how to do it
Learn how to do these problems fast and accurately 

Q30 Geometry didn't know how to do it
Learn how to do these problems fast and accurately