The AMC 10 and AMC 12 are nationwide tests administered by the Mathematical Association of America that qualify you for the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME). Only those with top scores will be invited to take the AIME. The MAA recommends 9th and 10th graders take the AMC 10, and 11th and 12th graders take the AMC 12. You can take the AMC 10 and/or 12 multiple times.
The AMC 10 and AMC 12 each have 25 questions. You have 75 minutes for the entire exam. Note that you don't need to get all of the questions right to get a qualifying score. You just have to do better than most of the other students taking the exam! Keep that in mind as you come up with a strategy for the test.
You need to be in the top 5% of scorers on the AMC 12 or the top 2.5% of scorers on the AMC 10 to qualify, so the vast majority of people who take the AMC exams don't qualify. But, if you do qualify, you can take the American Invitation Mathematics Examination, or AIME.
If you do well on the AIME, you can qualify for the US Mathematical Olympiad. The top scorers from that competition then have the opportunity to train to be on the US team that competes at the International Math Olympiad. (You can find more info on this process over at the Mathematical Association of American website .)
It's a long process to get to the IMO, and very few students make it that far. But even just taking the AIME can set you apart in the college admissions process, especially if you are interested in engineering programs. Along with a high GPA and strong SAT/ACT scores, taking the AIME is a way to signal to colleges you have superior math and problem-solving skills.
This course will help students to be more ready for do well on AMC 10/12 tests. We will use customized materials for different topics in the competition and also use many previously AMC 10/12 questions both in class and for homework.
Instructor:
Peng Lin
