MAA American Mathematics Competitions Policies
The following policies are currently in effect for the MAA AMC. The MAA Council on American Mathematics Competition may change the program rules, regulations, awards, and conditions of participation in whole or in part. Whenever possible, competition managers will be notified of these changes ahead of time.
Competition Administration Policies
If school is canceled on the day of the AMC 10 A and AMC 12 A or the AIME I, the competition manager must contact AMC customer service immediately at amcinfo@maa.org to register the school for the AMC 10 B and AMC 12 B or the AIME II. If school is canceled on the day of the AMC 10 B and AMC 12 B or the AIME II, the competition manager can administer the competition at an alternative location such as a local place of worship, a different school, university, or library. The competition manager must receive approval from the school administration before offering the competition at an alternative location. Additional competition dates are not offered for the AMC 10 B, AMC 12 B, and AIME II if school is canceled on these dates.
If school is canceled on the day the AMC 8 was scheduled, the competition manager can administer the AMC 8 on a different day if it falls within the AMC 8 competition period noted online. The AMC 8 cannot be administered after the final day of the competition period.
The competitions must be administered during their valid competition window by competition managers. The valid competition window for this cycle is 8:00 AM to 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time (GMT +5) on the official USA competition dates.
Competition managers may choose to administer the competition at separate times to different sections of students; however, for competition integrity and security, the MAA AMC strongly encourages competition managers to administer the competition to all participating students at the same time.
Remote proctoring is not permitted under any circumstances. Any students found to have taken the MAA AMC remotely will have their scores canceled.
Policies for Students on Competition Day
A student may only take one competition per competition date. Students are permitted to take the A version of any competition and the B version of any competition if they meet the age and grade requirements. For example, a student can take the AMC 10 A and AMC 12 B, or the AMC 10 A and AMC 10 B. However, that student may not take the AMC 10 A and AMC 12 A.
Students cannot discuss problems until after 8 a.m. ET the day after the competition period ends. The reproduction or dissemination of problems and/or solutions via phone, email, or digital media of any type is a violation of the competition rules. Students will be disqualified.
If there is an urgent need to use the bathroom, all materials should remain with the CM. No other breaks are permitted.
Participants should come prepared with lunch and/or snacks since there will be no lunch break during the competition.
AMC 8
For digital administration of the competition, a student may use a laptop or tablet with one tab open to the competition. Otherwise, the only materials students can have during the competition are writing utensils, blank scratch paper, rulers, and erasers. NO CALCULATORS OR PHONES AND SIMILAR ELECTRONIC DEVICES OF ANY KIND ARE ALLOWED. No questions require the use of a calculator.
AMC 10/12 – AIME
For digital administration of the competition, a student may use a laptop or tablet with one tab open to the competition. Otherwise, the only materials students can have during the competition are writing utensils, blank scratch paper, rulers, compasses, and erasers. NO CALCULATORS OR PHONES AND SIMILAR ELECTRONIC DEVICES OF ANY KIND ARE ALLOWED. No questions require the use of a calculator.
USAMO – USAJMO
For digital administration of the competition, a student may use a laptop or tablet with one tab open to the competition. Otherwise, the only materials students can have during the competition are scratch paper, rulers, compasses, and erasers. NO CALCULATORS OR PHONES AND SIMILAR ELECTRONIC DEVICES OF ANY KIND ARE ALLOWED.
Students learning “English as a Second Language” (ESL) may use a hard-copy, nontechnical dictionary to translate between their native language and English. The dictionary must be given to the school competition manager to examine and retain for the 24-hour period preceding the competition. No additional time will be given to students using a translation dictionary.
If your school cannot take the competition, please use the materials as practice sets to prepare for next year’s competition or as supplemental classroom materials. We cannot give refunds or credits after registration.
Eligibility Requirements
Age Requirements
- To participate in the AMC 8, a student must be in grade 8 or below and also under 14.5 years of age on the day of the competition.
- To participate in the AMC 10, a student must be in grade 10 or below and under 17.5 years of age on the day of the competition.
- To participate in the AMC 12, a student must be in grade 12 or below and under 19.5 years of age on the day of the competition.
Additional Requirements
- US-domestic AMC 8, AMC 10/12, AIME, and USAMO/JMO students must be enrolled at a US or Canadian school full-time.
- For MOP, students must be enrolled at a US school full-time.
- For the IMO, EGMO, RMM, TSTSTs, and TSTs, students must be US citizens or US permanent residents enrolled at a US or Canadian school full-time. Visas are not a valid substitute.
The MAA AMC is hosted by math and educational organizations with physical premises for on-site test-taking:
- Schools
- Universities
- Learning Centers
- Math Circles
The legitimacy of the organization must be verified before registration. Home schools are not allowed.
Students taking the MAA AMC may be charged a fee to cover the cost of administering the competition. Failure to follow MAA AMC registration policies will result in disqualification.
Schools and Colleges/Universities
Schools and colleges/universities should register under the appropriate institution categories (Elementary, Middle School, HS/JR, High School, College/University). Competition managers registering a school or college/university must register with a school email address and provide a link to the school website. The MAA AMC must be administered at the registered school or college/institution unless cleared by the MAA AMC Office or following the inclement weather and school cancelation policy.
Math Circle
Math Student Circles and Math Teachers’ Circles that are registered with the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) and appear on the respective website may administer the MAA AMC. Materials for competition administration by a Math Circle cannot be mailed to a residential address and must be mailed to the location where the competition is to take place. Acceptable locations where the MAA AMC may be administered include schools, universities, libraries, or community centers. Competition managers registering a Math Circle must demonstrate that the Math Circle is registered with AIM, provide a link to the Math Circle website, and provide the email address of an individual associated with the competition location who will be responsible for receiving the competition materials.
Learning Centers
Learning/Tutoring/Enrichment Centers must be able to provide a link to the learning/tutoring/enrichment center website and provide a valid tax ID form upon registering. Materials for competitions administered by a learning/tutoring/enrichment center cannot be mailed to a residential address and must be accepted at the business address. The MAA AMC must be administered at the registered learning/tutoring/enrichment center.
The AMC is registered and administered by a Competition Manager (CM). A CM is:
- An adult not related to any of the participants
- Affiliated with the host organization and has demonstrated this affiliation and the organization’s legitimacy during registration.
Under no circumstances may a parent or guardian of an AMC student register for the competition.
Invitationals Policies
The MAA AMC program will determine the cutoff indexes qualifying students to participate in the AIME each year. Once the cutoffs are set and announced, they will not be changed. Qualification parameters for the AIME depend on the results of the AMC 10 and AMC 12 competitions. For the AMC 10, at least the top 2.5% of all scorers from the A and B competition dates are invited, and for the AMC 12, at least the top 5% of all scorers on each version are invited.
Students must take the AIME at the same competition location where they took the AMC 10 or AMC 12. This ensures that a student’s AMC 10 or AMC 12 score can be matched with their AIME score for the USA Mathematical Olympiad qualification. If the competition manager is unable to offer AIME I or II or a student absolutely cannot take the AIME at the same competition location, it is the competition manager’s responsibility to make arrangements with a different competition manager for their student, complete the Change of Venue Form located in the competition administration portal online.
Any student who takes the AMC 10/12 internationally is eligible to qualify for the AIME, and our international partners are licensed to administer the competition. For all of our competitions that are offered internationally, students’ results are not included in our system, and their names will not be reported online when we announce award winners such as honor roll and honor roll of distinction recipients. The exam must be taken at the same time as students in the US, and students taking that competition abroad must adhere to the same rules and regulations as their peers taking it domestically.
Students who qualify for the AIME will automatically be registered to take the AIME I. If a competition manager cannot administer the AIME I and needs to administer the AIME II instead, they must complete the AIME II registration form and pay the associated fees by the stated deadline.
After the AIME I and AIME II are scored, the MAA AMC program will determine the cutoff indexes that will qualify students for USAMO or USAJMO participation. The MAA AMC program selects approximately 500 students for the two Olympiads each year. Once the indexes are set and announced, they will not be changed. The USAMO and USAJMO indexes are calculated as follows:
USAMO Index = AMC 12 Score + 10 x AIME Score
USAJMO Index = AMC 10 Score + 10 x AIME Score
If a student’s scores qualify them for both the USAMO and the USAJMO, they will be invited to take the USAMO. Only students currently attending school full-time in the United States or Canada are eligible to participate in the USAMO and USAJMO. The MAA AMC Office reserves the right to invite additional students to participate for the purposes of International Mathematical Olympiad and European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad team selection.
The road to the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) begins with the AMC 10/12. Students hoping to qualify for the IMO must first take the AMC 10 or AMC 12. Top-performing students in those competitions are then invited to take the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). Students who do exceptionally well in those two competitions are then invited to participate in the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) or the United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO). About 60 of the top-performing students are then invited to attend the Mathematical Olympiad Program (MOP), where they begin a series of team selection tests that determine the final six students that the United States will go on to send to the IMO.
Cheating and Academic Dishonesty
If it is clear to the competition manager that a participant has cheated from personal observation, the competition manager must disqualify the participant. After the participant is disqualified, the competition manager must email AMCHQ@maa.org to notify the AMC of the disqualification for further action.
The MAA AMC office takes all disqualifications, cheating accusations, and suspicious behavior seriously and requires reporting to AMCHQ@maa.org.
It is critical to support the claim with facts or documentation. If the competition manager receives an allegation or obtains indirect evidence of cheating, the competition manager must immediately report all evidence of the situation to the MAA AMC Office at AMCHQ@maa.org. The MAA AMC Office reserves the right to disqualify scores if it determines the rules and procedures were not followed.
If a student is found to have cheated on the AMC 8 or AMC 10/12, they will be disqualified from the competition for the rest of the cycle. If this happens a second time, they will be removed from the MAA Competitions Program and cannot participate in future cycles.
If a student is found to have cheated on the AIME, USAMO, USAJMO, or any other olympiad-level competitions, they will be disqualified for the rest of the competition cycle and unable to compete in future cycles.
In both instances, all scores will be eliminated from MAA Competitions’ historical data immediately, and the student will not be eligible for cycle awards.