The American Math Competition (AMC) 8 is a national math competition held annually for middle school students. The goal of the AMC 8 is to challenge students’ problem-solving, so while most of its topics come from standard middle school math, the difficulty level is significantly higher than an average school math test. Consequently, a strong AMC 8 score is a real accomplishment worth including on academic applications, and preparing for the AMC 8 is a great way to challenge students who are uninterested in school math.
Format
The AMC 8 is a 25-question, 40-minute multiple-choice test. The questions are loosely ordered by difficulty: the first few questions are often at the level of a challenging school math question, while the end of the test frequently has questions that require several steps or knowledge outside of standard school math.
There is no penalty for incorrect answers, so students are encouraged to guess if they run out of time or get stuck on a question.
Topics
The AMC 8 tests students’ problem-solving mainly through standard middle school math topics like proportional reasoning, elementary geometry, algebra, and interpreting data. However, it also includes topics that students may have only experienced tangentially, such as counting, probability, logic, and number theory.
What’s a good score
The mean score on the AMC 8 is usually between 8 and 11, and the AMC gives an extra distinction to the top 5% (Honor Roll) and top 1% (Distinguished Honor Roll) of scorers. The score required for the Honor Roll ranges between 15 and 19, and the score required for the Distinguished Honor Roll ranges between 19 and 23. Additionally, students in 6th grade or below who score at least 15 points are recognized on the Achievement Roll.
Because the AMC 8 is such a difficult test, students should be careful not to overemphasize their score, especially if they’re used to getting almost every question right on their school exams. The group of students that take the AMC 8 is already self-selecting, so students should be proud of any problems they solve correctly.
How to take the test
The AMC 8 is generally held over a one-week window in late January at schools and other educational centers. This school year, the test will be held on a day between January 22 and 28, 2025, depending on the test center.
Students can register for the AMC through its website. At schools, the math team or math club usually administers the AMC. But if a student’s school doesn’t offer the AMC — and they can’t cajole a math teacher or administrator into it — students can reach out to other schools or test centers.
