PUMaC FAQ
From MathClub
Welcome to the Princeton University Math Competition 2009-10 FAQ. In general, when there is a question of something being unclear, the answer is usually to contact the PUMaC staff as soon as possible.
Contents |
General
- Ahh! I do not understand something about the competition! Something is not working! What do I do?
- Contact us! The fastest way to reach us is by e-mailing us at pumac@math.princeton.edu . We will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible (usually within 24 hours).
- How many coaches/supervisors/parents can/should come?
- At the very least, we hope that one adult (the coach) comes per team. Any more visitors are welcome to come, but we cannot guarantee that we will have lunch available for them. See the information desk on the day of the competition for extra lunch tokens.
- Wow. Those PUMaC shirts are awesome! Can I have one?
- Yes! We will be selling the shirts on the day of the competition for $10 per shirt. Or! feel free to pre-purchase them after your team registers (there will be a simple purchase form on the coach's site).
- Wait, so there are two competitions?
- Yes. The main competition is on-site, and is comprised of the Power round, individual rounds, team round, and individual finals. For teams unable to make it on-site, there is also available the Power Round competition where teams will ONLY take the Power round and will be considered in a completely different ranking. We recommend the main competition for all teams that are able to make it on campus.
- Can we take both competitions?
- No. No double dipping.
- Is there an A division and a B division in the Power competition?
- No. If anything, there may be a separate division for international schools, but that is still under development, and depends on the international team turnout.
- I got to the competition late! What happens now?
- Contact a PUMaC representative ASAP. If teams are late, teams can only join the competition in between rounds. For example, if a team comes an hour late, and individual rounds have already begun, then the team can participate in the competition but must miss the first individual round.
Awards
- What awards will be offered?
- Awards will be announced during the awards ceremony. For a big hint, feel free to visit out sponsors page.
- Will the awards ceremony go over time this year again? We really cannot afford to be held up for so long.
- We will put our best effort into making the competition run as smoothly as possible. Although we cannot promise that we will have no technical and/or grading difficulties, we can assure you that much more preparation is being put into this year's competition, and many of last year's delays will be avoided. In fact, computer simulations are being programmed to find the most efficient ways to run the competition.
Lunch
- Will lunch be served?
- Yes!
- Last year, many people not part of the competition were able to take sandwiches, and it resulted in a shortage of food. Will this happen again?
- No! Each coach will receive lunch tokens, and each team member should be given one. These will be traded for lunch later.
- Will teams taking only the Power Competition also be offered lunch?
- No. That is an odd question, no?
Minievents
- What happened to math bowl???
- Math Bowl will still be offered as a Minievent. This year, Math Bowl is optional, although individuals are still encouraged to participate.
- Do the Minievents count towards the final scores of the teams?
- No. The Minievents are there for the participants to have some fun and enjoy the Princeton Campus after a morning of testing, and small awards will be given out in each.
- What Minievents will be offered?
- Thus far, we hope to plan to offer the following:
- Math Bowl
- Rubiks cube
- Useless Math Olympiad
- Chess
- What are the prizes that will be offered at these Minievents?
- Prizes will vary across the different events, and will be related to the event in some way.
Registration
- Why can't I have more than two teams?
- Every year, we are forced to not allow certain teams because there simply is not enough space or volunteers for every team. To be as fair as possible, we let each coach sign up two teams, and more teams may be accepted as the competition date approaches. If we have enough space and volunteers, coaches will be informed that more teams they have registered have been accepted. This year, we hope to accept 70 teams.
- Why can't I compete in Division B? I don't think we are good enough for A!
- If you have done well in past years, then your team may be forced to division A. If you feel, however, that there has been a technical error or that your team genuinely does not belong in division A, feel free to contact us.
- Can we only pay by check?
- Unfortunately, at this time, the accounts are only set up to accept checks. We hope to change this in the future. If you are having difficulty with paying by check, contact us, and we will see what other options are possible.
- If my team only wants to take the Power Competition, how do we register? I only see one registration site.
- Register just like the main competition teams would.
- I registered, and I want to change what division my team is on, but the registration website won't let me! Why?
- We have a certain limit on the number of teams we can accept in each division this year, and so we cannot let teams freely change what division their team is on. Choose a division once you register, and if the team is accepted, it is accepted into a certain division. If you wish to compete in a different division, e-mail us ASAP and we will see if there is space available.
The Competition
- Wait, so can we still challenge a problem if we feel it is ambiguous/the solution is incorrect/etc. ?
- Yes, feel free to contact a volunteer, and they should be able to contact the right people to straighten everything out.
- What if I am caught cheating?
- Such situations will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. At the very least, the cheating individual will be disqualified, and the team will have to compete with the remaining individuals.
- The competition was so hard last year! There is no way I can compete. Is coming worth it?
- Yes! This year, the tests have been made more accessible to high school students, and by the time you take the competition, the tests would have gone through many, MANY edits. Bottom line: Compete. The tests are better this year.
- Is it better to take combinatorics than algebra? I know fewer people usually take it!
- Each test will be scaled so that they can be compared. Although fewer people take combinatorics, it is very competitive to reach the top spots in any test. The general consensus among the PUMaC staff is that the advantages of taking one test over another for statistical reasons are slim, and it is recommended that individuals choose tests they are comfortable with (keeping in mind, of course, the new grading this year). More information on how the tests will be scaled will be announced in the near future.
- Wait, the top 5 scores in each category will count? But there are only 8 team members! It's impossible to have 20 scores!
- Exactly! The new rules are to encourage some thinking before the competition on behalf of the coaches and contestants. With the rules, it still is disadvantageous to have the entire team take the same two exams, but it allows teams to have some more flexibility this year than last year. For example, teams strong in Algebra could have five participants taking it, and then teams weaker in Number Theory could, mathematically, only have one person taking Number Theory. With both cases, all of the teams' scores will be considered in their final ranking. If there is still some confusion, as always, feel free to contact us.
- I think someone cheated. What do I do?
- Tell a volunteer as soon as possible. Such situations are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, but in general are not tolerated and will result in the disqualification of the guilty team.
- I think something is not clear with the Power Round. What do I do?
- You may e-mail us during the testing period, and we will do our best to e-mail you back with a clarification. However, please do so as soon as possible - we cannot promise to answer any e-mails right before the competition.
- Wow, I can't solve all these power round questions. Do we have no chance during the competition now?
- Definitely not! The power test is supposed to be hard - we are testing competitors with some difficult concepts, and most, if not all, teams will have trouble finishing the power test. Solving just a couple of the problems is already a huge accomplishment, and you should come to the competition optimistic with just that!
- Are there differnet individual finals exams for the two divisions?
- No. The only exams that differ between the two divisions are the individual exams and the team round exams. Two versions of the power test will be released, but both could be used by any team - they are equivalent tests.
Miscellaneous
- Will a competitor be guaranteed admission to Princeton University if he or she participates in the competition? What if he or she does very well in the competition?
- No. Although this year PUMaC has developed stronger ties to the admissions office, this does not mean that any competitor that does well will be awarded admission to the University. We encourage all of our participants to apply to Princeton for admission, and to indicate on their applications that they have participated and/or done well in the competition. The admissions office is aware that PUMaC is a serious competition, and they will consider any PUMaC results appropriately. However, this does not mean that it will grant any student admission, or even a spot on the waitlist. For more information on admissions, feel free to learn more at the Admissions Website
