By Edgar Gonzalez, Staff Reporter
American Math Association of two year colleges (AMATYC) which is a nationwide organization that sponsors a math competition twice a year, said full time math instructor Judy Lalani.
New Mexico Math Association for two year colleges (NMMATYC) sponsors the regional circuit of it and they have in the past had a price for the top scores in the state, she said.
Professors from across the country come together in order to write the problems for the test and send them to NMMATYC, she said.
CNM tries to host this event twice a year once in the spring and again in the fall around the same time on Fridays since most students are not in class, she said
Usually the dates for this event in the fall are in the last week of October or the first week of November, while the dates for the spring are the last week of February or the first week of March, she said.
CNM is scheduled to administer the spring test on March 4, 2016 in MS 315 at 12:00 noon, she said.
All of the two year schools in the state are able to participate in the exam, she said.
CNM has done this every semester for the last 14 years, she said.
There are topics in the exam that CNM does not offer, she said.
CNM has reserved four rooms for all students who decide they want to participate in the exam, she said.
There is a sign in sheet along with a form that says that you do not have a degree and your instructors’ information since some instructors offer extra credit for taking the exam, she said.
The test is a 20 question multiple choice exam, she said.
Students get one hour to take the exam which is multiple choice, said Lalani.
For the test, students are welcome to use a non-computer algebra system calculator and scratch paper, she said.
Given that this test is for two year colleges, the questions on the test go up to but do not include calculus, she said.
The test includes Geometry, Number Theory, and Advanced Algebra, she said.
Calculus students might have an advantage since they have more experience in calculus problem solving and doing those types of problems, she said.
Any person who is registered in CNM courses is welcome to try the exam no matter what the skill level of math the student might be in, she said.
This exam has a cash prize so during the test there will be instructors that monitor the students, she said.
To be eligible for the prize students cannot have a degree of any kind, she said.
The students get a prize of $25 for third place a $50 for second place and $100 for first place, she said.
The school receives a certificate showing that their school had the first place winner, she said.
The top three students of the school will then face off against the top three students from the other community colleges in New Mexico that are participating, she said.
