Blazers excel on University of Maryland Math Test

Ninety-two Blair students passed the first round of the University of Maryland Math test in October. The test is designed to promote mathematics in Maryland and Washington D.C.

The test is divided into two parts held on different days: 25 multiple choice and five short answer questions. Students must receive a score of 56 percent to advance to the next level. A scholarship of $500 is given to the three top scoring students.

Magnet math teacher Eric Walstein says the assessment is very difficult and is open just to high achieving math students in Blair's population. "We ask math teachers if they have students who want to take the test," he said. "We only offer this test to our best students."

Two-thousand and thirty-two students from Maryland and Washington DC took the 2003 test. Blair had 300 students who took the test, and 92 out of 230 in Maryland and DC qualified to take the second round of the test.

Blazers took the second portion of the test December 3. The scores from that part of the examination will be released in March.

Students from Blair who received perfect scores on the first round of the test are senior John Shen, juniors Matt Jordan, Randolph Li and Alexander Mont, sophomore John Kim, and freshmen Brian Lawrence and Richard McCutchen.