American Mathematical Competitions
The American Mathematics Competitions are a series of nationally syndicated math contests, sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America. The AMC 8, 10, and 12 are for middle and high school students, and are the first tier of competitions leading to the USA Mathematical Olympiad. From the AMC website:
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"The mission of the MAA's American Mathematics Competitions is to increase interest in mathematics and to develop problem solving through a fun competition. Teachers and schools benefit from the chance to challenge students with interesting mathematical questions that are aligned with curriculum standards at all levels of difficulty. In addition, students gain the opportunity to learn and achieve through competition with students in their school and around the world."
Fall 2026 AMC 10/12
Exam dates:
AMC 10/12A: Thursday, November 5th, 2026.
AMC 10/12B: Friday, November 13th, 2026.
Location: UT Austin campus. The exact location will be emailed to registered students a week prior to the exam date.
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm.
Please arrive at around 6:15 pm to find your seat. The competition instructions will start at 6:30 pm, and the competition will end at around 7:50 pm (the testing period is 75 minutes).
Rules: No aids are permitted during the exam other than pencils, scratch paper, and erasers, rulers, compasses. NO CALCULATORS ARE ALLOWED. Phones, smartwatches, protractors, and graph paper are also prohibited. Scratch paper will be provided but students must bring number 2 pencils.
Registration:
Please complete one of the following forms to preregister for the exam of your choice:
AMC 10A
AMC 10B
AMC 12A
AMC 12B
Spring 2027 AMC 8
Exam date: Tuesday, January 26th, 2027.
Location: UT Austin campus. The exact location will be emailed to registered students a week prior to the exam date.
Time: 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm.
Please arrive at around 6:15 pm find your seat. The competition instructions will start at 6:30 pm, and the competition will end at around 7:15 pm (the testing period is 40 minutes).
Rules: No aids are permitted during the exam other than pencils, scratch paper, and erasers. NO CALCULATORS ARE ALLOWED. Phones, smartwatches, protractors, and graph paper are also prohibited. Scratch paper will be provided but students must bring number 2 pencils.
Registration:
Please complete the following form to preregister for the AMC 8 exam:
AMC 8
FAQ
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Where can I find out detailed information about the AMC exams?
Visit the AMC website. They have an extensive FAQ section and will be able to answer most questions.
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Can I see any past exams or sample questions?
Yes: The AMC website also has an archive of sample problems and past exams, which you can find if you poke around on their site. We also have a practice exam available for download here.
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Is my student eligible for the exam?
It depends on your current grade in school. The AMC 12 is for students in high school who are under 19.5 years of age. The AMC 10 covers mathematics normally associated with grades 9 and 10 and is for students under 17.5 years of age who are not enrolled in grades 11, 12 or equivalent. The AMC 8 is for middle-school students in grades 8 and below. There is no minimum age requirement for these exams.
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How long is the exam?
The AMC 8 is 25 questions long and takes 40 minutes. The AMC 12 and AMC 10 contests are 25 questions long, with approximately 12 questions in common to both contests, and take 75 minutes.
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Will I have to pay a $60 registration fee? Do I have to buy a test?
The host (that's SMMG!) pays the registration fee and buys exams for the whole group. You do not need to worry about ordering exams: as the hosting organization, SMMG is responsible for ordering exams and administering the competition.
