The AMC 10 (American Mathematics Competition 10) is a math challenge for middle schoolers, opening doors to scholarships, summer programs, and a love for STEM courses. But with its challenging problems and time pressure, preparing for the AMC 10 can feel daunting....
AMC prep
The AMC vs the usual tests and grades
This blog, also hosted on Substack, is where I share what I’ve been discussing, writing, and reading in the realms of academic and cognitive development for gifted high schoolers in specific, and education in general. My tutoring and coaching practice is centered...
The AMC 10 and 12 Exams: What You Need to Know
They say that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but today would be the second best. That’s how I feel about writing about the American Math Competition (AMC): I wish I had spent more time writing about it in the past, but I’ll do the next best thing and...
Dear Wes
We wanted to share some great news. (My son) presented 3 posters at the (large conference) in (major city) last week. One of his posters on (interesting math topic) got selected as one of the top posters and he was invited to present it formally at the Abstract...
Test Anxiety
Students suffering from test anxiety often make things worse by misunderstanding the nature of successful preparation work. They think: "my goal is to have new knowledge and new techniques." But that's wrong. The right goal is to have new habits. Under pressure, all...
“Test Day Jitters”
"Test day jitters" manifests as "the problems were hard!" when what's really going on is "I'm not quite as capable when I'm nervous / amped up / in the spotlight." The biggest barrier to addressing this issue is misunderstanding what's really going on.