American Mathematics Competitions (AMC)
AMC Information Hub
Grade Limits and Basic Structure
AMC 8
Open to students in grade 8 or below.
AMC 10
Open to students in grade 10 or below.
AMC 12
Open to students in grade 12 or below.
Competition Progression
AMC 10 Track
AMC 10 (Top 2.5%) → AIME → USAJMO (United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad)
AMC 12 Track
AMC 12 (Top 5%) → AIME → USAMO (United States of America Mathematical Olympiad)
Note
Final Olympiad qualifiers are selected based on the combined score of the AMC and the AIME.
Competition Schedule
AMC 10 / 12
Held in November. Features Contest A, followed by Contest B one week later. Note: The official difficulty level for both contests is the same. A student may take both Contest A and Contest B. Reaching the qualifying score on either test grants AIME qualification.
AMC 8
Held in January.
AIME
Held in February. Note: Features AIME I, followed by AIME II one week later. However, students may only take one of the two exams.
USAJMO / USAMO
Held in March.
Exam Coverage
AMC 8
Essential: Pre-Algebra, Basic Algebra 1 (linear equations, ratios), Middle School Geometry (area, volume, Pythagorean theorem), Basic Number Theory, Basic Counting and Probability. Helpful: Advanced Algebra 1 (intro to quadratic equations, etc.), Advanced Properties of Polygons.
AMC 10
Essential: Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Basic Number Theory, Basic Combinatorics (counting/probability). Helpful: Early topics in AP Pre-calculus (sequences, series, basic polynomials, etc.), Advanced Number Theory, and Combinatorics techniques. Caution: AMC 10 does not cover trigonometry, advanced complex numbers, or logarithms.
AMC 12
Essential: All AMC 10 topics + Complete AP Pre-calculus (trigonometry, logarithms, complex numbers, advanced polynomials, etc.). Helpful: Basic concepts of AP Calculus AB/BC (While not officially on the syllabus, using derivatives for optimization problems to quickly find maximum/minimum values can save significant time), Advanced Number Theory, and Combinatorics.