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Date of Competition: Saturday, May 2, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM until 1:00 PM
Place: Cafeteria, South Forsyth High School
Registration: Only teachers may register students.
Format: Each team is composed of any five students from the same school who are in grades 4, 5, or 6. There are two segments: The individual event (10 problems, 30 minutes) and the team event (10 problems, 20 minutes). The solutions to each problem will be reviewed thoroughly between rounds.
Cost: FREE
Chaperones: One teacher or parent per school is required to be present at the competition.
Awards: High scorers, both individual and team, will receive awards. Sixth Grade Teams and Elementary teams will be awarded separately.
Concessions: There are vending machines on site that take cash or card.
Calculators: Calculators are NOT permitted for this event.
Parents may drop students off at the entrance in the front of the school (Main Hall). We have over 30 high school student volunteers who will usher students down to the competition room (the cafeteria). Use this opportunity to learn about services offered by our premium sponsor, Mathnasium of Coal Mountain.
Pi Fight Math Competition FAQs
What will the event schedule look like?
8:30 Check-in begins
9:05 Intro and Rules
9:15 Individual Segment (10 questions)
9:45 Break
10:00 Review Solutions to Individual Round
10:25 Team Segment (10 questions)
10:45 Review Solutions to Team Questions
11:15 Lunch/Break (bring your own - snacks will be sold in vending machines)
12:00 Tie Breakers and Countdown Round
12:45 Awards
Parents can expect to pick children up by 1:00.
What should students bring?
Students should bring two sharpened pencils. NO calculators allowed for this event.
Can parents stay to watch?
Parents are required to drop children off and return at 12:45 for awards. Parents will NOT be allowed in the competition area until the awards segment at 12:45.
How does each segment of the tournament work?
Each child completes an individual set of questions (10) in the individual round. In the team round, each child gets a copy of the 10 team questions, but there is only 1 answer document for each group of 5 students to record their answers. Students can work together in the team round, but not in the individual round.
How do students record their answers and will partial credit be awarded?
Each child will receive an answer document; all questions are open-response. No partial credit – there is a very strict system of scoring. For the most part, if an answer requires specific units, the units are pre-typed on the answer form.
How are awards determined?
There are two divisions: 1) 4th and 5th graders, and 2) 6th graders. For each division, the top 4 scoring individuals and the top 4 scoring teams will each earn a trophy. Each student on a winning team will be awarded a medal to take home. It is recommended that the team trophy be awarded to the team’s school.
How are scores calculated?
For individuals, it is simple: 1 point for each question answered correctly (10 possible points). For teams, it’s a little more complex: 3 points for each question answered correctly in the team segment (30 possible points) PLUS the sum of the team members’ scores from the individual segment (10 possible points for each of the 5 teammates, for a total of 50 possible points). So, 80 points is the highest possible team score.
What about ties?
Individual students who are tied for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place will compete in a brief tie-breaker round in the scoring room. If teams are tied for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place, the tie-breaker is the total number of points scored by the team members in the individual event. If teams are still tied after applying this rule, individual scores from each team will be ranked and compared from 1st to 5th until the tie is broken. If teams are still tied, each team will send one representative to the tiebreaker round.
What is the Countdown Round?
Inspired by the MATHCOUNTS competition, 2022 marks the first year we will add this exciting round to the Pi Fight event. This segment focuses on speed and accuracy. Select students face off in head-to-head matchups and have a maximum of 45 seconds per problem without a calculator. The Countdown winner will receive a separate award.
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