American Mathematics Competitions

The American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) consist of a series of increasingly difficult tests for students in middle school and high school. The AMC sets the standard in the United States for talented high school students of mathematics. The AMC curriculum is both comprehensive and modern. AMC exams are so well designed that some top universities such as MIT now ask students for their AMC scores.

AMC Contests

In order of increasing difficulty, AMC competitions are

• AMC 8 -- for students grades 8 and under.
• AMC 10 -- for students grades 10 and under.
• AMC 12 -- for students grades 12 and under.
• American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) -- high scorers from the AMC 10/12 exams.
• United States of America Mathematics Olympiad (USAMO) -- high AIME and AMC scorers.

The top students on the USAMO are invited to participate in the Math Olympiad Summer Program, where students train for possible inclusion on the U.S. IMO team.

Curriculum

AMC tests mathematical problem solving with arithmetic, algebra, counting, geometry, number theory, and probability, with far more cross-over between the subject areas than in most classrooms. Test vary widely in difficulty and depth of curriculum.

Resources

Links

• AMC homepage

Recommended reading

• Introduction to Counting & Probability by Dr. David Patrick. Information
• Introduction to Geometry by Richard Rusczyk. Information
• The Art of Problem Solving Volume I by Sandor Lehoczky and Richard Rusczyk. Information.
• The Art of Problem Solving Volume II by Sandor Lehoczky and Richard Rusczyk. Information.

Preparation Classes

• Art of Problem Solving offers many helpful online classes on topics covered by the AMC exams.
• AoPS holds many free Math Jams, some of which are devoted to discussing problems on the varouis AMC exams.
• EPGY offers AMC contest preparation classes.

See also

• AMC historical results
• Mathematics competitions
• Mathematics competition resources
• Mathematics scholarships