American Mathematics Competitions (AMC)

The American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) is the oldest and most prestigious nationwide mathematics competition in the United States. It started in 1950 and it is and has been the exclusive pathway for a student to advance to the USA Mathematical Olympiad.

The next AMC-8 competition for students in grades 7-8 (younger students with teacher's recommendation) will take place IN-PERSON on Friday, January 19, 2024 at 6:30 PM.

Registration deadline is December 1, 2023. 

How to take part and to prepare to AMC?

What is AMC-8?

Why participate in AMC-8?

Our winners


How to take part and to prepare to AMC-8?

A child does not need to be a MathAltitude student to participate. We invite our students in grades 7-8 (younger students with teacher's recommendation) and their friends to challenge their mathematical curiosity with this contest.

Students, not enrolled in math classes at MathAltitude, should register for AMC-8 competition and workshops on our website. MathAltitude students should register for the contest and pay for the workshops in the office. 
Contest Fee: $10.00 (Free for MathAltitude students)

We at MathAltitude encourage students to participate in the competitions, but strongly believe that only rigorous preparation can help them to achieve good results.

We offer a 6-week AMC-8 preparatory course that will prepare students for the types of questions commonly seen in the AMC-8 contest.  Each week will focus on a different topic, and show students a range of questions (drawn from multiple past AMC-8 contests) that incorporate that specific concept or strategy.

Our ONLINE and In-Person preparatory course will be held on Sundays, November 19, December 3, 10, 17, January 7, 14 at 11:45 A.M. - 1:45 P.M.
Preparatory Course Fee: $35 for each of 6 2-hour classes. Discounts are provided for MathAltitude students - please ask in the office.

Questions: contact Nathan Senecal at nathan.senecal@mathaltitude.com, or call us at (860)-37 LEARN.


What is AMC-8?

The AMC 8 contest is for students in the sixth through eighth grade, although accelerated fourth and fifth graders can also take part. AMC 8 eligibility extends to any student 14.5 years of age or younger, and not enrolled in grades 9 through 12.

The material covered is the middle school mathematics curriculum. Topics include probability, estimation, percentages, spatial visualization, everyday applications, reading and interpreting graphs. There are 25 multiple-choice questions with no penalty for guessing. The contest takes 40 minutes. A student’s score is the number of problems correctly solved.


Why participate in AMC-8? (quoted from AMC-8 website)

A special purpose of the AMC 8 is to demonstrate the broad range of topics available for the junior high school mathematics curriculum.

The AMC works with teachers, mathematicians, and professional organizations to provide high quality, challenging math problems aligned with curriculum standards. Many well-known colleges and universities request scores from AMC contests at the higher grade levels and use them for recruiting and admissions. 

Additional purposes of the AMC 8 are to promote excitement, enthusiasm and positive attitudes towards mathematics and to stimulate interest in continuing the study of mathematics beyond the minimum required for high school graduation. Developmentally, junior high school students are at a point where attitudes toward school and learning, and perceptions of themselves as learners of mathematics are solidified. It is important that they be provided opportunities that foster the development of positive attitudes towards mathematics and positive perceptions of themselves as learners of mathematics. The AMC 8 provides one such opportunity.


Our winners

In 2011, MathAltitude students participated in AMC-8 for the first time. Each took home certificates and symbolic prizes. Since then, our students have taken part in AMC every year. Here are our school winners over years:

2011 - Sabrina Hallal, grade 7  _DSC_0050_crop_low res
2012  - Abigail Corriveau, grade 6
2013 - Adriana Yuen, grade 6
2014 - Adriana Yuen, grade 7
2015 - Ria Narahari, grade 8
2016 - Ronit Avadhuta, grade 7
2017 - Shrita Kalikiri, grade 7
2018 - Jessica Sapozhnikov, grade 7
2019 - Jessica Sapozhnikov, grade 8 
2020 - Rishi Ramesh, grade 7
2022 - Lev Strougov, grade 8
2023 - Damian Zash, grade 6

Questions: contact Nathan Senecal at nathan.senecal@mathaltitude.com, or call us at (860)-37 LEARN.