General Math Tmsca Study Guide [ 2025-2026 ]

Order of operations (PEMDAS) with negative numbers and fractions.

This section separates regional qualifiers from casual competitors. Systems of equations and operations with polynomials.

You cannot flip through a textbook during the test. Know these cold. General Math Tmsca Study Guide

The test covers a broad spectrum of middle school curriculum and competition-specific "tricks." Number Theory & Operations: Divisibility Rules: Memorize rules for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. Special Numbers:

: Optimization techniques for linear objective functions subject to constraints. Order of operations (PEMDAS) with negative numbers and

Memorize sevenths, ninths, elevenths, and twelfths (e.g.,

A comprehensive study guide should cover the following core middle school and junior high topics: Arithmetic & Number Theory : Operations with integers, fractions, and decimals; Divisibility rules (2-10); and finding GCF/LCM. : Formulas for circumference ( ), area of a circle ( You cannot flip through a textbook during the test

Create flashcards for geometric formulas, prime numbers up to 100, squares up to 30, and cubes up to 12. Drill these until recall is instantaneous.

This guide is tailored for high school students competing at the UIL/TMSCA level. However, the core concepts and many of the preparation strategies apply to middle school competitions as well, as the test content is often adjusted for different grade levels.

Algebra Basics

Texas Math and Science Coaches Association (TMSCA) competitions challenge middle school students to push past standard classroom curriculums. The General Math event is a fast-paced, 40-minute test consisting of 50 multiple-choice questions. It tests a massive range of concepts, from basic arithmetic to high school-level algebra and geometry.