These books are divided into three sections for ease of use by students and teachers. You'll find the contests in the first section. Each contest consists of 30 or 40 multiple-choice questions that you can do in 30 minutes. On each 3-page contest, the questions on the 1st page are generally straight-forward, those on the 2nd page are moderate in difficulty, and those on the 3rd page are more difficult. In the second section of the book, you'll find detailed solutions to all the contest questions. In the third and final section of the book are the letter answers to each contest. In this section, you'll also find rating scales you can use to rate your performance.

Many people prefer to consult the answer section rather than the solution section when first reviewing a contest. We believe that reworking a problem when you know the answer (but not the solution) often leads to increased understanding of problem-solving techniques.

Each year we sponsor an Annual 4th Grade Mathematics Contest, an Annual 5th Grade Mathematics Contest, and an Annual 6th Grade Mathematics Contest. A student may participate in the contest on grade level or for any higher grade level. For example, students in grades 4 and 5 (or below) may participate in the 6th Grade Contest. Starting with the 1991-92 school year, students have been permitted to use calculators on any of our contests.