Listen "255. Competitive Math And Testing"
Episode Synopsis
While many teens shudder at the prospect of adding math as an extracurricular activity, others relish the opportunity to engage in quantitative competitions. And they should, because the path of a mathlete is rewarding on many levels! Amy and Mike invited educator Vida John to expound upon the connections between competitive math and testing. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the competitive math landscape for students in the U.S. How does the AMC test compare with an SAT, ACT, or AP exam? What math concepts are associated with math competitions? What makes a student right for competitive math (and vice versa)? How do students benefit from participating in math competitions? MEET OUR GUEST Vida John is a math coach and tutor, specializing in students who are preparing for math contests and studying curriculum published by Art of Problem Solving. Vida grew up in Iowa where she was a high school mathlete before studying at the Stanford School of Engineering and UCSF School of Medicine. After working in Silicon Valley for a medical start up, she homeschooled her 2 daughters with the intent of providing an excellent education, especially in math and science. She coached homeschooled math teams for 10 years, and with both daughters now attending Stanford, she continues to help students prepare for MathCounts, AMC, and other contests while building their problem-solving skills. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and runs workshops on using math contests to prepare for college-level work. Find Vida at vidajohntutoring.com. LINKS American Mathematics Competitions MATHCOUNTS Foundation Art of Problem Solving RELATED EPISODES MATHEMATICAL MATURITY & TEST SUCCESS HIGH IMPACT STRATEGIES TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED IN MATH CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
More episodes of the podcast Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
697. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2025
19/12/2025
696. NEW WAYS TO USE YOUR 529 PLAN
16/12/2025
694. TEST PREP PROFILE: Lucy Zhang
11/12/2025
693. TEST PREP PROFILE: Roman Marchenko
10/12/2025
692. TEST PREP PROFILE: Angie Kelley
09/12/2025
691. TEST PREP PROFILE: Jonah Fishel
08/12/2025
690. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: MentoMind
05/12/2025
689. LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES 101
02/12/2025
688. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: November 2025
28/11/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.