2011-2012 Log1 Contest

Test Descriptions and Samples

2011 - 2012 Log1 Tests for Download

During the given month, sponsors (logged-in) should download and administer the tests below.

December 2011 - Topic tests 1/2: Circles, Polygons and Pi (pdf) (docx) ; Equations/Inequalities (pdf) (docx) ; Instructions (pdf) (docx)
January 2012 - Topic tests 3/4: Number Theory (pdf)(docx); Applications (pdf)(docx); Instructions (pdf)(docx)
February 2012 - Individual (pdf)(docx), Instructions (pdf)(docx)

Below are test descriptions, links to sample questions and test administration procedures. There are many more sample tests at the national site. The tests for this years Log 1 contest were chosen to model the kinds of tests that will be given at the 2012 National Convention in Boston. There will be three rounds of testing; a) Topic Test 1/2, b) Topic Tests 3/4, and c) Individual, which tests overall knowledge and problem solving skills. There will be somewhat different versions of each of the tests for the different divisions: Theta, Alpha and Mu.

The FAMAT organization has put together a great online reference of past tests.

Log1 tests from 2010-2011: Individual, Matrices , Sequences/Series, Algebra/Functions, Equations/Inequalities.
Log1 tests from 2009-2010: Individual, Logs and Exponents , Geometry, Probability, Sequences/Series.
Log1 tests from 2008-2009: Individual, Circles, Geometry, Matrices, Number Theory.
Log1 tests from 2007-2008: Individual, Ciphering, Geometry, Applications and Logs/Exponents.

The division definitions are:
MU level is for full members who are enrolled in Calculus class.
ALPHA level is for full members who are enrolled in math courses above Algebra II but have not been enrolled in a Calculus class.
THETA level is for associate or full members are enrolled in Geometry and/or Algebra II but have not been enrolled in a higher level mathematics course.

Round 1 - Topic Test 1/2
There will be two topic areas that the students may choose between:
Circles, Polygons and Pi - Any concept having to do with circles and/or polygons.
Equations / Inequalities -For this test, students will need to be able to solve a variety of equations and inequalities. In some cases, word problems may be given for which the student will have to first set up the equation or inequality.

During each round, a link will be provided (above) so that logged-in sponsors can download electronic copies of the tests and instructions. For the first round, there will be six tests (2 topics for 3 divisions). Sponsors should print the tests and make sufficient copies for their students and schedule a time during the two-week testing period to administer the test. At the testing time, sponsors should distribute scratch paper and copies of the chosen tests to each student. Students will take only one of the topic tests offered during Round 1 and then again for Round 2.

Each Topic Test will consist of fifteen open-answer problems to be solved without a calculator in thirty minutes. The Alpha division test will have at least three questions substituted for Theta questions and the Mu test will substitute at least an additional three questions. In each case, correct responses on the first five questions are worth 4 points, 5 points for questions 6 through 10 and the last five questions are each worth 6 points. At the conclusion of the test, sponsors should score each paper and enter the scores on the student information page. If there are any disputed questions or answers for which the sponsor concurs, please contact log1dispute@wamath.net. Scores may be entered or edited up to one week after the testing round ends.

Round 2 - Topic Test 3/4
There will be two topic areas that the students may choose between:
Number Theory - Advanced number theory, factors, primes, modulo, bases, etc.
Applications - Primarily word problems at the Algebra 2 (Theta), Pre-calculus (Alpha) and Calculus (Mu) levels..

Round 3 - Individual Test
The individual test is administered in the same manner as the topic tests.It is a 15-problem, 30-minute, individual test of general mathematics knowledge. Problems, to be solved without a calculator, will range from easy to difficult to provide confidence and challenges to all students. Problem selection and scoring will be the same as the topic tests.

Again, disputed questions may be submitted to log1dispute@wamath.net as soon as they are noted. We will verify the dispute and notify other schools if a change is necessary.

Scoring
Each student test score will be scaled to account for varying test difficulty. The test score will be divided by the maximum test score for that test and math division and multiplied by 100. A student’s overall score will be the sum of their scaled scores on the three tests and will thus be a number between zero and three hundred.

The school score on the topic test rounds will be the sum of the highest student score on each topic test and math level for a total of six scores. On the individual test, the top two scores from each math level will accumulate towards the school score. There is a potential then of 600 points on each round for a maximum school score for the contest of 1800.