What is Try-Math-A-Lon (TMAL)?
Try-Math-A-Lon is a tutoring program meant to foster good study habits for at-risk Black students, help prepare for standardized test exams such as the ACT and SAT, promote competition and good sportsmanship. The TMAL competition is held between teams composed of high school students in grades 9-12. The purpose of the competition is to help groom TMAL team members for success in STEM courses and prepare them for standardized SAT/ACT testing.

 

TMAL aims to:

• Develop a positive attitude for at-risk Black students towards academic excellence
• Develop a positive attitude towards self
• Stimulate enthusiasm about engineering and science
• Utilize NSBE collegiate and Alumni members as role models

TMAL Components
The contest is divided into three events held in the order listed:

Event 1: The Progress Assessment Test (PAT)

The PAT is a timed test given to assess students’ ability in response to various standardized test math questions. (No calculators are permitted). In addition, there will be 5 to 10 NSBE facts or NSBE History added to the PAT.

Event 2: The Engineering Contest (TEC)

TEC is timed and measures teams’ ability to solve a real-world engineering problem. The contest promotes engineering, math, and science skills and encourages teamwork (One calculator is provided to each team)

Event 3: The Quiz Bowl

The final event, a Quiz Bowl, is predominately a mathematics competition in the style of the television game show Jeopardy, where quick thinking and problem solving skills are tested. Black inventor and scientist knowledge is also quizzed in this event. No calculators are permitted.

Click here to download the TMAL toolkit. The TMAL Toolkit provides detailed information for all TMAL competitions.

TMAL Requirements:
Every TMAL team must:

• Consist of four members and MANDATORY alternate
• Be a combination of students in grades 9-12

TMAL teams CANNOT CONSIST OF FOUR SENIORS!!!!!

• Be paid NSBE Jr. Members
• Have a current advisor/coach that is a paid NSBE Alumni member
• Register with the Regional TMAL coordinator

ALL TMAL WORLD TEAMS MUST BE REGISTERED BY SEPTEMBER 26, 2008. After this date no further registrations will be accepted for the TMAL World competition track.
TMAL teams that do not meet all the above criteria will not be allowed to participate in ANY Try-Math-A-Lon competitions.

TMAL WORLD National Competition

The TMAL WORLD Competition exercises the traditional TMAL format during the course of the year. To compete in the TMAL WORLD competition, your team must win your regional competition.
All regional winning teams are representatives for their region and compete at the national TMAL WORLD competition held at the NSBE national conference, to be held in Las Vegas, NV March 25, 2008 - March 29, 2008.

TMAL USA National Competition

The TMAL USA national competition is designed to measure excellence in TMAL teams who
            a. Did not register by the deadline for participation in the local competition
            b. Did not win a local competition
            c. Did not win their regional competition held at FRC.
The TMAL USA national competition will use the PAT to eliminate teams and facilitate a final winning round of six (6) competing TMAL USA teams. The final winning round of six TMAL USA teams should include one team from each region based on participation.
The TMAL USA national competition is an alternate competition created to ensure that all students receive year round tutoring and training.  It provides an opportunity for students who are not high achievers to receive the same level of attention and tutoring that the top students receive.

Local Competitions Deadlines:
All local competitions should be held NO LATER THAN three weeks prior to the Fall Regional Conference and approved by Regional TMAL Coordinator.

 

Region	Deadline
Region 1	October 17, 2008
Region 2	October 10, 2008
Region 3	November 7, 2008
Region 4	November 7, 2008
Region 5	October 10, 2008
Region 6	October 17, 2008

 

Should you have any questions please email your Regional TMAL coordinator. Below is the national and regional TMAL coordinators.

2008-2009 TMAL COMMITTEE