Students darken circles on an answer sheet which has been preprinted with their identification information. This is an untimed test. Most students complete it in less than two hours. The MFMT is administered for the first time to students in Grade 6, in the spring. The test is given in the fall in October and again in the spring in April.
Official results are usually available approximately eight weeks after testing.
The Maryland State Department of Education defines functional mathematics in terms of 30 objectives based on six goals in the area of mathematics. The students' answer sheets are scanned at the Central Office of The Howard County Public School System, then a data tape is sent to the State Department of Education for scoring. Approximately 4-6 weeks after testing, preliminary results are available for parents and schools. Official results are released approximately eight weeks after testing, and used to update the Data Distribution System and the Central Office database. In addition, paper reports and individual student labels are generated and sent to the schools for placement in student files and to be sent home.