American Mathematics Competitions

Revision as of 12:52, 5 January 2008 by Temperal (talk | contribs) (expand)

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" is also used as an abbreviation for American Math Contest, used to refer to the AMC 8, AMC 10, and AMC 12.


AMC Contests

In order of increasing difficulty, AMC competitions are

The top students on the USAMO are invited to participate in the Mathematical 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. All three of the tests are designed such that no background in calculus, analysis, or any other higher mathematics are needed to take the exams.

Chain

The AMC tests are the first in a series of test to select the American International Mathematical Olympiad team. High scoring students on the AMC 10 or 12 are allowed to take the American Invitational Mathematics Examination. Students who have a high AMC index, or a high score on both the AMCs and the AIME, are allowed to take the United States of America Mathematics Olympiad, the national Olympiad of the United States. There, many high scorers go to the Math Olympiad Summer Program, which is divided into three "colors" depending on how high ones scored. The highest color, black, consists of twelve students, six of whom will form the United States' IMO team.

Resources

Links


Recommended reading


Preparation Classes


See also