AMC 8 competition instructions

What the AMC 8 is

The AMC 8 is a 25-question, 40-minute multiple-choice mathematics competition for middle-school students. It is run by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) as the first rung of the American Mathematics Competitions — the pathway that continues through the AMC 10 and AMC 12, the AIME and the USA(J)MO. The paper is designed to let students apply classroom skills to unfamiliar problems in a low-pressure, friendly setting, building analytical thinking and confidence rather than testing a syllabus by rote.

Who can enter

The AMC 8 is open to students in grade 8 or below who are under 15.5 years old on the day of the competition. There is no lower age or grade limit, so a strong younger student is welcome to sit the paper. Students do not register as individuals: schools, learning centres and other approved test sites administer the competition, and a competition manager — not a parent or guardian — proctors it.

Format of the paper

The format is the same for every candidate:

• 25 multiple-choice questions, each with five answer choices.
• 40 minutes of working time.
• No calculator — the problems reward insight, not computation, so a calculator gives no advantage.

Bring pencils and scratch paper; everything else is solved by hand. The questions rise in difficulty from the first to the last, so it pays to work steadily through the early problems before spending time on the harder ones.

How it is scored

The AMC 8 is marked simply: you earn 1 point for each correct answer and 0 points for a question left blank or answered incorrectly. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so it always pays to attempt every question. With 25 questions, the maximum score is 25.

Topics covered

The material is drawn from a typical middle-school curriculum. Based on past papers, the AMC 8 most often draws on:

• Counting and probability
• Estimation
• Proportional reasoning
• Geometry, including the Pythagorean theorem
• Spatial visualisation
• Basic number theory

Some later questions may also touch on everyday applications, reading graphs and tables, or introductory algebra such as linear and quadratic relationships. No topic requires material beyond a strong middle-school foundation.

On exam day

Arrive in good time and bring only what the paper allows: pencils, an eraser and scratch paper. No calculators, phones, smart watches or reference materials are permitted. Listen to your competition manager’s instructions, fill in the answer sheet carefully, and remember that a blank costs the same as a wrong answer — so make an attempt at every question before time is called.

Results and honors

Scores are not instant. AMC 8 results are typically released about four weeks after the exam through your test site or registration channel. The MAA recognises the strongest performances with a set of honors — a Perfect Score, the Honor Roll of Distinction, Distinction, and Achievement Roll among them — with the percentile boundaries recalculated from each year’s field of scores. For the full breakdown of awards and how cut-offs are set, see our results and scores page.

Exact exam dates, registration windows and fees are confirmed each season and differ by region. For the current calendar and the rules that apply where you study, contact us or see the China-region schedule below.