How The teams are selected
There are two teams of 15, one of which has training aspects to it. In addition Ga ARML usually takes 3 alternates for a total of 33 team members.
Georgia ARML wants to find the best 33 math students in the state. We look at tournament scores around the state. The best thing a prospective member can do is to beat current members of the team in math tournaments; the more the better. Tournaments around the state are listed at the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics web page.
There are some tests that almost everyone takes: the AMC/AIME tests and the GCTM tournament. We can and do use these tests to compare student abilities.
For the AMC/AIME tests were look at the USAMO selection index which is computed by the formula AMC + 10 * AIME. A good score on this really helps but a bad or mediocre score does not disqualify. These tests are the best indication of a student’s brilliance. See the page called Good Scores for a list of the selection index scores of the current ARML teams. Information on these tests is here, including how to purchase old tests.
The GCTM state tournament:
Almost everyone takes this test, so it helps us judge the thoroughness of a student’s mathematics and math team preparation.
Almost everyone takes this test, so it helps us judge the thoroughness of a student’s mathematics and math team preparation.
Local tournaments: We keep track of as many local tournaments as we can. What we hope to see is a prospective member beat current members of the team. This is a better indicator of ability to us than what place a student gets. Local tournaments are posted at http://www.gctm.org. Make sure that local directors notify us of tournament results. GaARML@comcast.net will get to us.
Two tournaments each year that are guaranteed to be well attended by a large number of good Georgia students: UGA and Lassiter. The Cobb Invitational, Rockdale, GaSW, Armstrong, and Mercer tournaments are also recommended.
This year Columbus High School and North Springs High School are having tournaments for the first time. These look to be good.
About high school freshman and sophomores: only a few are selected. We do not select on potential, but on demonstrated ability. Be sure to take the AMC test and participate in the JV State Mathematics Tournament. We recommend that you take the AMC both times it is offered. Take the AMC10 the first time and the AMC12 the second time.
Two good methods for making the team
Method 1: you choose yourself.
By tradition the top 15 at the state tournament are chosen to the team. This is not automatic however. If a student has not been to tournaments during the year, or did not do well on the USAMO index, we will look for other, better candidates first.
Also by tradition, although this is a less firm tradition, the top 15 from the USAMO selection index make the ARML team.
We have never turned down a USAMO person.
Method 2: We choose you.
We look at tournaments around the state, the USAMO selection index (AMC+10*AIME) and the score on the state tournament. Many of the top 25 at the state tournament or on the selection index are chosen. 12th graders have to be reasonable candidates for Georgia A, which makes their selection slightly less likely. 9th graders do not need to score as well, but we do not take many of those.
We like validated scores. We are suspicious of taking a person with only one good score. We want two, preferably more, good scores from a candidate.
We want to see that you can beat people we know are good (i.e., former members of this team). The more times you do that, the more we like it.
Do former members automatically make the team?
No, they must make it again each year. We like to keep people in whom we have invested a year of training, but we also like to see that the training has had good effects.
The Georgia ARML Teams
How the teams are selected
