Boost your test results with these five Math Kangaroo help and advice tips!

The 2021 Math Kangaroo competition recently concluded on March 18th. We are so incredibly proud of all of our students who participated and tried their best! It is no secret that the Math Kangaroo international competition is a challenging exam. The official Math Mangaroo website states that every year only a small portion of contestants finish in the top percentile. However, this does not mean that students cannot improve the second time around! If your child was unhappy with their score from a previous Math Kangaroo exam. This article is here to provide some Math Kangaroo help and advice on how to elevate their results!

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What is the Math Kangaroo competition?

For those who do not know, the Math Kangaroo is an international competition for students in grades 1-12 that has taken place in the U.S. since 1998. The competition is a single round 75-minute test. It has 24 questions for grades 1-4 and 30 questions for grades 5-12. 

The test questions are divided into 3 levels that consist of 3 points (easy), 4 points (medium), and 5 points (difficult). All questions are multiple-choice with five different options. Test-takers are not allowed to use calculators and can only work-out calculations on one piece of scratch paper.

The test evaluates students’ logical combination capabilities and creative problem-solving skills. Most of the test questions are word problems and present concepts that are not usually taught in Common Core math.

It is also an opportunity for students to show off their math skills and test their critical thinking abilities. For many children, the Math Kangaroo is the first competition that they participate in. Overall, it is a great event to introduce your little one to competition math. In fact, many students who perform well at the Math Kangaroo competition end up finding success at the AMC 8, AMC 10, and even AMC 12!

The Math Kangaroo test always lands on the 3rd Thursday of March.

Practice Sample Problems and Take Mock Tests 

One of the best ways to prepare for the Math Kangaroo competition is to take as many mock tests as possible! Mock tests are as close to the real deal as you are going to get and will better prepare you for what to expect on exam day. 

In addition, make sure to replicate a testing environment by setting a timer for 75 minutes. Depending on the grade level of your child, have them try to solve either 24 or 30 questions from previous Math Kangaroo exams within the 75-minute time limit. Parents can especially help with this activity by playing the role of the test proctor! 

Furthermore, before the exam day, it is very important to make sure that you have no weak spots. Practicing problems from every Math Kangaroo topic will help ensure that no question is too difficult to solve. For example, if you missed a question from your practice session because you did not understand the concept. Make a note of it and take it upon yourself to learn how to solve that specific problem. 

Free Math Kangaroo sample problems

Master the Basics 

In order to perform well at the Math Kangaroo competition, it is crucial to have a full understanding of fundamental math concepts. Feeling comfortable with the basics will allow you to grasp more advanced topics that are guaranteed to show up on the exam more easily.

Learn How to Calculate Mentally 

As stated above, students are not allowed to use a calculator while taking the Math Kangaroo exam. Due to this rule, it is even more important that participants are skilled at doing math calculations in their head. In fact, it is practically a requirement because of the 75-minute time limit. If students are unable to swiftly calculate numbers mentally, it will be hard for them to finish all of the problems before time runs out. 

It is recommended that participants have their multiplication tables memorized to 12 and their squares and cube tables memorized to 10. This will allow them to solve calculation problems quickly and not have to spend too much time writing it out on their piece of scratch paper. 

Have a Consistent Study Schedule 

The old saying is “practice makes perfect” and that statement could not be more true for the Math Kangaroo competition. However, simply studying at a high volume is not enough to secure a great performance on the exam. The amount that you study must be properly spaced out and balanced so that the math material that you learn is retained! 

One piece of advice when studying for the Math Kangaroo competition is to routinely review sample problems. In addition, make sure that you especially have a high level of understanding for the more advanced problems. This will ensure that no curve balls are thrown your way during the exam. 

Spacing out your review sessions will further solidify your skills and help you retain the knowledge that you learned regarding these tougher subjects. Furthermore, write important formulas, problem-solving strategies, and techniques into your notebook. As always, challenge yourself and never give up!

Get a Math Tutor or Register for a Math Kangaroo Prep Class

Tutors and prep classes are especially helpful with math competition preparation. Instead of having your child spend hours trying to understand a problem. Which will eventually lead to frustration and a decline in motivation. Math tutors and prep classes are able to guide students through the problem solving process step by step and provide them with tools on how to effectively find the solutions to calculations or equations. 

In addition, many math tutors and prep class teachers are well versed on the subject of math competitions. Not only do they have years of experience teaching students the keys to success. A lot of them have also taken math competition exams such as the Math Kangaroo in the past!

On top of that, tutors and prep classes have access to the best mock tests and practice problems. Overall, either option will help your child study for math competitions such as the Math Kangaroo in a more efficient and less stressful manner. 

Think Academy’s Classes

For those who are interested, we provide numerous different math courses for children in grades K-8. We have short-term basic math classes that can help improve your child’s fundamental math skills. These courses last only about four weeks. 

Furthermore, we also have K-8 long-term classes to ensure that students master the math material in their respective grades. These semester-long courses are available in three different levels (Advancement, Mastery, ACE) to account for all learning speeds!

Lastly, for students who want to take their math skills to the next level. Think Academy provides math competition prep classes for events such as the AMC 8 and Math Kangaroo!

You can register for any of our courses by clicking the link here or by downloading our app here.

1-on-1 Evaluation 

As a final note, before you register for our long-term courses. Make sure to sign up for Think Academy’s free 1-on-1 evaluation if you have not already! Our 1-on-1 evaluation contains an overview of our mission and academic structure, a 15-question evaluation exam, a one-hour in-depth analysis, and a 15-minute teacher-to-parent discussion. We will provide you with a customized study plan after the evaluation. This study plan will account for all of your child’s learning needs!