Introduction Being a high schooler in the world of mathematics can be difficult.

Moreover, it can be confusing.

Where to begin?

What to do?

How to stand out?

One of the most renowned competitions for high schoolers who are passionate about math to begin with is the AMC, and it has been the pivotal reason why thousands of students in the past have been accepted into top universities.

The AMC?

I've never even heard of such a thing!

Today, we will be going over what the AMC and USAMTS are, as well as provide you with the necessary resources to succeed in these competitions.

Let's go!

How to Qualify for Math Olympiads with the AMC as a High School Student in STEM American Math Contest (AMC) Ahh yes.

The famous (or maybe infamous) American Math Contest.

Its origins dating all the way back to the 1950s, this competition now consists of 25 questions, and is split into the AMC 8, the AMC 10, and the AMC 1

2. Anyone in grades up to and including the number in front of the word "AMC" is allowed to take the test, and each exam has slightly different standards.

For the AMC 8, any middle schooler interested in competition maths as a whole is encouraged to participate in the contest, and it is meant to be filled with introductory level math concepts targeted with secondary school grade level material.

Those who have previously partaken in competitions such as MATHCOUNTS are typically the ones who perform the best on this test, but the stakes aren't too high, with the maximum award being a certificate of excellence.

At the top level, a prize of $5000 is also sometimes awarded to the highest 5 performers.

For the AMC 10 and the AMC 12 in the high school division, the rules are a bit different.

There are still 25 questions in increasing order of difficulties, but the problems are significantly harder (especially for the AMC 12) overall, and as expected, cover concepts surrounding a higher level of math.

Additionally, you are actually penalized for an incorrect answer, which is worth 0 points, as opposed to an answer left blank, which is awarded

1. 5 points.

Correct answers are worth 6 points, and those who score above 115 points for the AMC 12 and 135 points for the AMC 10 typically receive an honorable distinction.

The other thing that is different about the AMC 10 and 12, and the reason why it is such a coveted competition, is that it allows high schoolers to qualify for the AIME, or American Invitational Math Competition as it is less commonly known as.

Scoring well on this competition then leads students to qualify for the USAMO (United States of America Mathematics Olympiad), and doing well on this leads to qualification for a summer program known as MOP (Mathematical Olympiad Program) that can lead students to represent the U.

S.

A national math team in the International Math Olympiad.

PlayThe IMO is insanely hard to get into.

Want to find out how this student did it?

Click the link above!

Student who make it to the final stage, or even as far as two stages behind it are considered to be some of the nation's finest and brightest elite young minds, making the AMC an extremely prestigious starting point.

However, the math presented in these competitions is often times very unorthodox and requires a level of thinking outside the bounds of what is taught in school, which is why tuition fees to study for it can be very costly.

However, there is one beacon of hope.

A FREE guide has been created by a former International Math Olympiad Winner in partnership with Rishab Jain, and it unlocks all of the secrets that have been gate kept from you all for so long.

So what are you waiting for?

If you like math in any way, shape, or form, the AMC is almost undoubtedly from you, and this guide is where you should begin.

Bonus: USAMTS I know what some of you are thinking.

I hate timed tests, and the whole concept of the AMC makes my brain want to explode!

Maybe not in those exact words, but a similar message is voiced by thousands of students all around the globe.

Well, listen up.

The USAMTS, or USA Mathematical Talent Search, is a competition in parts hosted and administered by the Art of Problem Solving, and is a proof-based contest that gives student a month to solve 5 problems, rigorously proving for 4 of them (the first one is typically a puzzle) how they came to their answer.

This is repeated three times for a total of 15 problems solved.

PlayWARNING: Just qualifying for the AIME isn't necessarily enough to land you a spot at your dream school.

Check out this video to see a Harvard Undergraduate's feedback for an AIME qualifier who just narrowly missed her admission slot into the college of her choice. 15 problems? 3 months?

Piece of cake!

Not quite.

Be warned

- for a high school level, these can be some of the most difficult and unintuitive problems students have ever faced in their life times, and oftentimes they are unable to make head or tail of what the problem is even talking about.

Nevertheless, it is certainly a viable option.

Great, so clearly this is different from the AMC.

How do I even begin to study for this?

Well, it may not be as different as you think.

If you think about it, just like the AMC, this contest is endeavoring to assess your high level understanding of low-level concepts with a limited number of problems.

Looking at this, it is clear that typical study habits such as looking at curated content about your topic, although imperative for a school setting, would have to be tweaked (though still used) in this setting.

Thus, what I recommend you do is take some entry level concepts

- Number Theory, Probability and Counting, Algebra, Geometry, etc.

- and try to work yourself up to doing the hardest types of problems in each set.

The beautiful thing about studying math is that if you can solve the hardest type of problems, and you catch yourself with silly mistakes, then you can do anything.

You also cover your bases, so when a hard problem inevitably does come up on the exam, you know how to respond.

The Source of All STEM Wisdom: Just.

For.

You.

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