The iTest was founded in 2004 by Bradley Metrock and takes place each September, offering students from across the country to compete against the best and brightest high school students in a highly competitive environment.

Guidelines

Any American high school student (or middle school, though the competition may be too challenging for all but the brightest of these) may compete in a team of up to five people. Students are not required to be students of the same school, or even residents of the same state. Because of the decentralized nature of the competition, an advisor such as a teacher of a guardian is required for each team to monitor the team and vouch for compliance with the competition's rules. No computer or calculator programs or applications are allowed on the iTest, though graphing calculator use is allowed.

Format

Prior to 2008, it has consisted of 25 multiple-choice questions (with 1 answer choice on the first problem, 2 on the second, etc.), 25 short-answer questions, and 10 "Ultimate" questions, which are much like relay questions in that each Ultimate question depends on the answer to the previous ones. In 2008, it will only consist of 100 multiple choice or short answer problems. There were 4 Tiebreaker proof questions up until 2008 - in the 2008 competition, ties will solely be broken by submission time.

Participation

Students from 44 states have participated in the iTest, including home school students. In 2005, the iTest admitted the American School of Warsaw in Poland as part of a pilot program to open the competition to international schools.

Naming

When the iTest was founded in 2004, it was named the American High School Internet Mathematics Competition, as mentioned before. However, the iTest soon became its nickname, and the competition officially adopted the name in 2007.

Prizes

The iTest offers a different prize each year, attempting to reward the top students with cutting edge technology.

• In 2004, each student on the winning team was awarded their choice of a Microsoft Xbox
  Xbox
  The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
  
  , Sony PlayStation 2
  PlayStation 2
  The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
  
  , or Nintendo GameCube
  Nintendo GameCube
  The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
  
  .
• In 2005, each participant of the winning team was given an Apple iPod nano
  IPod nano
  iPod Nano is a digital media player designed and marketed by Apple Inc.. The first generation of iPod Nano was introduced on September 7, 2005 as a replacement for iPod Mini. It uses flash memory for storage. iPod Nano has gone through six models, or generations, since its introduction...
  
  .
• In 2006, each member of the winning team received a Wii
  Wii
  The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
  
  , Nintendo DS Lite
  Nintendo DS Lite
  The is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It is a slimmer, brighter, and more lightweight redesign of the Nintendo DS, designed to be aesthetically sleeker, while taking styling cues from the Game Boy Advance SP, and to appeal to broader commercial audiences...
  
  , and a copy of Brain Age. (Wiis were not given due to availability issues).
• In 2007, each member of the winning team was awarded a $200 Best Buy
  Best Buy
  Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
  
  gift card.

Prizes are also offered for other criteria, including State Champion, Sponsor's Award for Leadership, and Best Team Name.

Winners

• 2004: Gangsta Feedbags
• 2005: Team Dominators
• 2006: Quagga
• 2007: North Carolina
• 2008: Purchase Cellophane (AAST)

External links

• iTest official site
• AHSMIC Forum moderated by iTest creator Bradley Metrock
• iTest Blog