AIME and USA(J)MO instructions

Students who perform well on the AMC 10 or AMC 12 are invited to continue in the AMC series of examinations, a sequence that ultimately leads to the International Mathematical Olympiad. The route is the same for everyone, and each rung is harder than the last:

AMC 10 / AMC 12 → AIME → USA(J)MO → IMO.

This page explains the two stages that sit above the AMC 10/12: the American Invitational Mathematics Examination, and the two olympiads that follow it.

The AIME

The American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) is the invitational stage reached by the highest scorers on the AMC 10 and AMC 12. It is a 15-question exam taken in two 90-minute parts with a short break in between, and every answer is an integer between 0 and 999, so no answer choices are given and no calculator is used. From 2027 the AIME is delivered as a computer-based exam at Pearson Professional Centers: questions appear on screen and answers are entered on the test-center computer, with 8 questions in the first part and 7 in the second, and no returning to the first part once the second has begun. The questions are markedly harder than those on the AMC 10 and AMC 12, and they are designed to separate the strongest students from one another.

Qualification is no longer percentage-based. The MAA has published set qualifying scores: students who score 100 or above on the AMC 10, or 85 or above on the AMC 12 — and meet the other eligibility rules, including a new minimum age of 13 — qualify to register for the AIME. The former AIME I / AIME II arrangement has been retired: the 2027 AIME is taken once per student during a single February 5–6, 2027 window, scheduled directly with Pearson, with a US$85 registration fee (financial assistance available) and no alternate or make-up dates. The highest-scoring participants on the AIME are then invited to the USAMO or USAJMO.

The USAMO and USAJMO

The United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) and the United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO) are the proof-based olympiads that follow the AIME. Each is a six-problem examination written over two days, nine hours in total, in which students must construct full written proofs rather than supply numerical answers.

From 2027, qualification for the USAMO and USAJMO is primarily based on AIME scores — AMC 10/12 scores are no longer a factor in olympiad selection, and the former combined AMC + AIME index system has been retired. The MAA invites 400+ students across the two olympiads each year: AMC 12 entrants advance toward the USAMO and AMC 10 entrants toward the USAJMO, with the complete qualification criteria set out in the official USAMO/USAJMO policies. From 2026 both olympiads are sat only at designated official testing sites across the US and Canada, held synchronously on two consecutive competition days.

The USA(J)MO is where the national team begins to take shape. Top performers are invited to the Mathematical Olympiad Program in the summer that follows, and participants from that program are then eligible to be selected for the six-person team that represents the United States at the IMO the following summer.

AIME and USA(J)MO at a glance

	AIME	USA(J)MO
Format	15 questions; each answer an integer from 0 to 999; no calculator	6 problems; full written proofs
Length	3 hours in two 90-minute parts; computer-based at Pearson centers (single Feb 5–6, 2027 window)	9 hours across two days
Who qualifies	Set scores: AMC 10 ≥ 100 or AMC 12 ≥ 85 (plus eligibility rules, incl. age 13+)	Primarily by AIME score (USAMO from AMC 12 entrants, USAJMO from AMC 10 entrants); AMC scores no longer counted

In short, the AIME is the gateway and the USA(J)MO is the proof-based summit: reach the published AMC 10/12 qualifying score, sit the AIME, and a strong AIME result opens the olympiad and, for a handful of students each year, the path to the IMO.