Log1 Test Descriptions

During the contest, sponsors (while logged-in) should download and administer the tests for the active round, which can be accessed from the Log1 button on their dashboard. The window of dates for each round are shown below for your convenience.

Round 1: November 1 - December 13, 2019 - Topic test 1: Applications OR Equations and Inequalities

Round 2: December 1, 2019 - January 17, 2020 - Topic test 2: Logs and Exponents OR Circles/Parabolas/Polygons

Round 3: January 13 - February 21, 2020 - Individual (general mathematics knowledge)

Log1 Contest tests are chosen to model the kinds of tests that will be given at the 2020 National Convention in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. There will be three rounds of testing: a) Topic Tests Round 1, b) Topic Tests Round 2, and c) Individual. There will be somewhat different versions of each of the tests for the different divisions: Theta, Alpha, and Mu. The tests for any given round will assume that students have a limited amount of content knowledge for their division based on the time period that the round coincides with their progress in the class.

The test format is the same for the Round 1, Round 2, and Individual Tests: each is a 15 open-answer problem test that must be completed in 30 minutes without the use of a calculator. For the first round and second rounds, there will be six tests (2 topics for 3 divisions). Sponsors must print the tests and make sufficient copies for their students and schedule a time during the testing period to administer the test. The tests will be available as of the opening day of the testing window in the sponsor's dashboard's Log1 button. Testing may take place at any point during the testing window for each corresponding round. Sponsors must read the instructions file that is available when they download the testing materials. 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. Scores must be entered by the designated score entry deadline (see "Log1 Calendar" for dates).

For examples of tests used in previous years, click here.

Divisions: 

• Mu division is for associates or members who are taking a Calculus course. Mu students are responsible for knowing topics in all divisions.
• Alpha division is for associates or members who are in math courses above Algebra 2 but who have not taken calculus. No calculus is to be included at this level.
• Theta division is for associates or members who have not taken a class above Algebra 2, such as statistics, pre-calculus, or calculus. There will be no trigonometry questions other than right triangle trigonometry or law of sines and law of cosines. These students are usually enrolled in or have completed Algebra 1 and/or Geometry.

Scoring:
Each student test score will be scaled to account for varying test difficulty. The test score is 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 whole 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.

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 in the logged-in Log1 button section of their dashboard. When entering the students' scores, make sure to set the level (Theta, Alpha, or Mu) for each student taking the test. If the level is not set, the student's scores will not be used in team scoring or individual scoring. About a week after each round, the top scores in each division will be posted.

If there are any disputed questions or answers, please contact info@mualphatheta.org. We will verify the dispute and notify other schools if a change is necessary.