The American High School Mathematics Examination
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The fundamental goal of the mathematics community in providing these exams is to pique interest in mathematics and develop talent. Problems are at the heart of mathematics, and experience greatly sharpens problem solving skills.

The American High School Mathematics Examination was first given in 1950 in the New York metropolitan area. In 1957 it became a national competition. Because of growing concern about the quality of pre-college mathematics education, many organizations decided it was important to become involved in the formative middle school and high school years of our students. As part of this decision, MAA and AMC co-sponsored the American Mathematics Competitions. In 1985 the American Statistical Association and in 1986 the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges became a sponsor. Since 1988, further sponsors came on board: The American Mathematical Society in 1989, and the American Society of Pension Actuaries in 1995.

· The AMC 8 is a 25 question, 40 minute multiple choice examination in junior high school (middle school) mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem solving skills. AMC 8 is held a week before Thanksgiving on Tuesay.The examination provides an opportunity to apply the concepts taught at the junior high level to problems which not only range from easy to difficult but also cover a wide range of applications. Many problems are designed to challenge students and to offer problem solving experiences beyond those provided in most junior high school mathematics classes. Calculators are allowed. High scoring students are invited to participate in the AMC 10.

      Early Registration (Before October 10) $25
      Registration (October 11-November 1) $35
      Late Registration(November 2-November 10)$45

Exams (including student answer forms) are sold in Bundles of 10 @ $10 per bundle. The minimum charge to participate in the AMC 8 is $40 (including the early registration fee) and would enable 10 students to participate.

· The AMC 10 is a 25 question, 75 minute multiple choice examination in secondary school mathematics containing problems which can be understood and solved with pre-calculus concepts. Calculators are allowed. The designated dates are the first and third Tuesday of February. ( Contest A on the first Tuesday of February, and Contest B on the third Tuesday of February) - Registration may be accomplished by mailing the Registration Form Fees for each school wishing to register are as follows:

Early Registration (By Dec. 15) $32
Registration (Dec. 16 - Jan. 15) $42
Late Registration
----Contest A (Jan. 16 - Jan. 25) $52
----Contest B (Jan. 16 - Feb. 7) $52

Exams (including student answer forms) are sold in Bundles of 10 @ $10 per bundle.

The AMC 12 is a 25 question, 75 minute multiple choice examination in secondary school mathematics containing problems which can be understood and solved with pre-calculus concepts. Calculators are allowed. There are two dates on which the contest may be taken: Contest A on the first Tuesday of February, and Contest B on the third Tuesday of February.

Early Registration (By Dec. 15) $32
Registration (Dec. 16 - Jan. 15) $42                                                    Late Registration
             ----Contest A (Jan. 16 - Jan. 25) $52
             ----Contest B (Jan. 16 - Feb. 7)   $52                                     Exams (including student answer forms) are sold in Bundles of 10 @ $10 per bundle.

The main purpose of the AMC 12 is to spur interest in mathematics and to develop talent through solving challenging problems in a timed multiple-choice format. What happens before and after the AMC 12 can have lasting educational value. Talents will be enhanced if one practices beforehand, by working through previous examinations, by participating in math leagues and, most importantly, by studying mathematics more intensely than one normally does in high school.

The Difficulty Level

For many years there had been a debate within the American Mathematics competitions about making the problems easier. On the one hand these exams were the capstone mathematics examinations for North American High School Students, harder than various state and local exams and with a long tradition. On the other hand, efforts to keep many students and their teachers from getting discouraged, by having them set realistic goals, were not succeeding. The introduction of the AIME provided a context in which a consensus was reached to make the exams easier.

The AIME (American Invitational Mathematics Examination) is an intermediate examination between the AMC 10 or AMC 12 and the USAMO. All students who took the AMC 12 and achieved a score of 100 or more out of a possible 150 are invited to take the AIME. All students who took the AMC 10 and were in the top 1% also qualify for the AIME.

The AIME is intended to provide further challenge and recognition, beyond that provided by the AMC 10 or AMC 12, to the many high school students in North America who have exceptional mathematical ability. The top scoring U. S. citizens and students legally residing in the United States and Canada (with qualifying scores, based on a weighted average) are invited to take the USAMO.

The AIME is a 15 question, 3 hour examination in which each answer is an integer number from 0 to 999. The questions on the AIME are much more difficult and students are very unlikely to obtain the correct answer by guessing. Calculators are not allowed.

The AIME provides the exceptional students who are invited to take it with yet another opportunity to challenge their mathematical abilities. Like all examinations, it is but a means towards furthering mathematical development and interest.

All AMC exams are not standardized tests, like the SAT’s. AMC immediately makes all its problems and solutions publicly available- the main goal is to promote mathematical learning.

Over the years the emphases in mathematical problems change. In the 1950’s the tests almost exclusively consisted classical geometry problems and algebraic manipulation.

By this time the coverage is much broader, includes statistics, algorithms, application problems, computation.

There has been some change in the “allowed aids”. Calculators were first allowed in 1994, but only in the first round of the examination, not on the AIME.

FOR STUDENTS:

Here are a few reasons you might want to participate:

Participation in the AHSME looks good on a college application.

The AMC contests will prepare you for Math Team competitions (and vice versa!).

The AMC contests are the first step towards competing in the American Invitational Mathematics Examination, the USA Math Olympiad, and the International Olympiad.

If you are interested in taking the exam, ask your math teacher about it, or send email to Eva J. Szillery PhD (to: evaszillery@prexar.com) and let us know your name, your school's name, and the city you live in. You may be able to register to take the AHSME as an individual if you are home schooled, or we can assist you to join a group nearby to take the exam with. We have samples of old exams with solutions on this website and we the copy of the 50-year anniversary sample edition. If you wish, we can send you additional samples of old exams for practice.