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Specific Rules for National Math Bee Finals

1. There are 3 levels of competition for Math Bee:
   • Math Bee Level 1 (MB1): Grades 1 and 2
   • Math Bee Level 2 (MB2): Grades 3, 4, and 5
   • Math Bee Level 3 (MB3): Grades 6, 7, and 8
2. A 1st rank winner at the National Finals of the North South Foundation math bee level 4 (MB4) contest is not eligible for competing in this and future math bee contests conducted by the Foundation (National winners of MB1, MB2 and MB3 can participate ONLY in MB2, MB3 and MB4 bees respectively.) A contestant who participated in a higher level bee cannot participate in a lower level bee in subsequent years.
3. The contest will be conducted in two phases (Phase I and II) for all levels. All contestants will participate in Phase 1 and Phase 2. No parents are allowed in Phase I.
Phase I (Written):
4. In Phase I, each contestant will be given a set of 20 questions and will have 60 minutes to answer them.
5. Each contestant is given a question paper with adequate space to arrive at the answers. No other sheets will be given. Contestants are allowed to use the backside of the question paper to work out problems. Contestants are required to transfer the answers from the question paper to an answer sheet (provided with the question paper booklet; it has 20 numbered rows to write the answer).
6. Calculators are NOT allowed at any level.
7. All sheets (including question and answer sheets) should be returned at the end of the contest.
8. Unclear and illegible writing might be open for misinterpretation. So contestants are expected to write clearly and legibly. The decision of the judges is final.
9. There will NOT be any partial credits for steps. There will be NO negative points for any incorrect answer. If the final answer is incorrect, zero points will be awarded to the answer and if the answer is correct they will be awarded one point.
10. Phase I questions will be similar to those used for regional contests, but more difficult for the national finals. Sample questions and a very limited number of lightning round (Phase 2) questions have been published on the NSF website here. (If you can't click on this link, please cut and paste this link in a separate browser window).
Phase II (Written, Lightning Round):
11. In Phase 2, each contestant will be given an answer sheet to record answers. There will be enough space on the answer sheet to work out the steps.
12. Phase 2 also called the lightning round will comprise of 20 questions. Questions will be projected on a screen, one by one, and read by a proctor in front of the contestants. Once a question is read, each contestant will have 45 seconds to write down the answer on the answer sheet.
13. There will NOT be any partial credits for steps. If the final answer is incorrect, there will be no points awarded to the answer.
Winners and Rank-by-Grades:
14. The First, Second and Third place winners will be determined based on the combined scores of Phase I and II.
15. This year, the Foundation will recognize top ranks by grade. The number of ranks is contingent upon the number of contestants per grade that actually compete on the day of the Final. For contestants ≥ 20 from a given grade, ranks 1-5 by grade will be announced. If there are < 20 contestants from a given grade, a lower number of grade-based ranks will be announced.
16. The grade-by-recognition will include a trophy and a certificate.
Tiebreaker Rules:
17. In case of a tie, based on the combined scores, Phase I scores will be used to break the tie. That is, if two contestants get equal total scores, the contestant with the higher Phase I score will be the winner.
18. If a tie persists, the Foundation reserves the right to administer tiebreaker tests or use alternative criteria or declare multiple winners depending upon the situation.

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