News & guides

Notes & guides, newest first.

Plain-English explainers on the format, the grade bands, and how to prepare — plus season updates as they’re confirmed.

Independent guide · not affiliated with the official Math League (mathleague.com).
News

Math League in a Multi-Year Plan: Sequencing Contests From Grade 4 to Grade 12 Without Burning Out

Math League spans grades 4 to 12, which makes it a spine rather than a one-off. How to sequence nine years, when…

Aug 9, 2026 · 10 min
News

Number Theory on Math League: Divisibility, Remainders and Digit Questions, Decoded (Grades 6-12)

Number theory is the most calculator-proof topic on Math League. Here are the six tools that cover almost all of it, six…

Aug 7, 2026 · 9 min
News

How to Practise With Math League Past Contests: A Paper-by-Paper Protocol (2026)

A paper-by-paper protocol for Math League practice: sit past contests timed, score them cold, sort every lost mark into four fixable buckets,…

Aug 5, 2026 · 10 min
News

Math League Without a Calculator: The Number-Fluency Drill Set for the 2026-27 Season

From September 2026 no calculators are allowed on any Math League contest. The five number skills that actually pay, a 10-minute daily…

Jul 31, 2026 · 8 min
News

Math League Summer Challenge 2026 (16 August, Online): Format, the China Time-Zone Trap, and a 3-Week Plan

The 2026 Math League Summer Challenge runs online on 16 August, 12-2 PM Eastern: two rounds, seven levels, USD 66. For China…

Jul 29, 2026 · 9 min
News

The Math League Algebra 1 Contest: The Course-Based Paper Most China Students Miss (2026-27)

The Algebra 1 Contest is 30 multiple-choice questions in 30 minutes for first-time algebra students — defined by course, not grade, and…

Jul 27, 2026 · 9 min
News

Math League Rules and the 2026 No-Calculator Change: Contest-Day Format Rules for China Students (2026)

Math League rules for China students: the format by grade band, the September 2026 no-calculator change, no partial credit on short answers,…

Jul 24, 2026 · 8 min
News

How Hard Is Math League, Really? A Difficulty and Expectations Guide for China Families (2026)

How hard is Math League really? An honest difficulty guide: how each paper ramps easy to hard, where it sits versus school…

Jul 22, 2026 · 8 min
News

How to Enter Math League from China: Routes, Eligibility and the Access Question (2026)

How China-based students actually enter Math League: the realistic routes, why Asia-based sign-up differs, the summer eligibility scores, and what to confirm…

Jul 20, 2026 · 8 min