AMC 8 - American Mathematics Competition 8

Have you heard of American Mathematics Competition 8 (AMC 8)?

Held by Mathematical Association of America, it is one of the most popular Math Competitions worldwide!

Source Credits: Mathematical Association of America

For all you Math Olympiad lovers, we’re delighted to share with you in-depth AMC 8 insights by none other than our AMC 8 Perfect Scorer, Think Academy’s Math Olympiad Teacher Crystal! Fun fact – Teacher Crystal also achieved Perfect Scores for AMC 10 AND AMC 12. Because of her stellar achievements, she was invited to the exclusive American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME).

Think Academy’s Math Olympiad Teacher Crystal who achieved perfect scores for AMC 8, 10, 12!

Here’s what you’ll learn by the time you finish reading this article:

The AMC 8 competition date, format and prizes/awards
Types of Math knowledge and skills required
Key benefits of taking part in AMC
*Highly Recommended* Math Olympiad Teacher Crystal’s Insights into actual AMC 8 past year exam questions
How to prepare for and achieve excellent AMC 8 results

Let’s begin!

Source Credits : Giphy

The AMC 8 Competition Date and Format

25 Jan 2022
Online Contest (due to Covid-19 situation)
Participants’ Grades: Accelerated Grades 4-6 (Singapore Primary 4-6), Grades 7-8 (Singapore Secondary 1 – 2). In addition, participants need to be 14.5 years and below as of the date of the competition.
40 minutes
25 MCQs (5 choices per question), 1 mark for each correct answer, no deductions for incorrect or blank answers. Therefore, a Perfect Score is 25 points.
Competition sign up link is here! Registration closes 7 Jan 2022.

Source Credits: Giphy

Competition Awards:

P1-P6: 15/25 – Achievement Honor Roll
Top 5% worldwide – Honor Roll (Second Prize) (about 18 points)
Top 1% worldwide – Distinguished Honor Roll (First Prize) (22 points)

The competition’s official rule is that it is open to students who are in Grade 8 or under and below 14.5 years old on the day of the competition. However, it’s more suitable if Lower Primary students in Singapore join only when they are older. Wait till they’re older to let them give the competition a go!

Types of Math Knowledge and Skills Required

Typical US Middle School Math curriculum topics and skills are covered. Some examples include:

Proportional Reasoning
Counting and Probability
Estimation
Spatial Visualisation
Geometry such as Pythagoras Theorem
Real-Word Context Math Applications
Graph and Table Data Analysis
and more!

The more challenging questions could include beginning Algebra related topics, Linear or Quadratic Functions and Equations, Coordinate Geometry etc.

Based on Teacher Crystal’s own AMC 8 competition experience plus in-depth analysis of past year AMC 8 questions, the distribution of questions’ difficulty are as follows:

First 10 Questions: Easy Questions
Next 10 Questions: Medium Difficulty Questions
Last 5 Questions: Tough Questions that require Singapore Secondary School Math Knowledge and Skills!

Key Benefits of Participating in the Competition

“Why should my Math-loving child in Singapore take the American AMC 8?”

Good question! Here are some of the key benefits for your child:

Benefit #1: A New Learning Opportunity

Since this is a competition that typically USA Middle Schoolers attend, preparing for AMC 8 creates an occasion and opportunity for your child to learn some Upper Primary or Lower Secondary level Math knowledge in advance. Additionally, it’s a way to assess your child’s current Math ability and sense. With time and consistent effort to prepare for the competition, you’ll be able to witness improvements from your child! Typically, children are typically more motivated to learn when they have an end goal to work towards. The AMC 8 is such an opportunity!

Set a goal and work towards it! Participating in AMC 8 and doing well in it could be that goal!
Image credit: makeameme

Benefit #2: Exam-Setting Practice

Taking the AMC 8 exam gives your child additional opportunities to practice their exam, time management and stress management skills before other Math Olympiad or key examinations (e.g. PSLE, GCE ‘O’ Levels). Just like practicing for Math, the more simulated or real examination and competition experience gained, the better your child will be at handling stressful situations – provided there’s guidance in these aspects as well and monitoring of your child’s emotional wellbeing, which Think Academy’s teachers are trained to do so and coach students in this aspect too!

Image Credits: memegenerator.net

Benefit #3: Opening Doors to New Opportunities

There’s still American Mathematics Competition 10 and 12 (AMC 10 and AMC 12) after AMC 8 – the high school Math version of the competition. High scoring AMC 10/12 competitors receive a by-invite only opportunity to join the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). Doing well in these competitions can strengthen your child’s USA University Degree and Master Programme applications. If you’re aiming to let your child participate in AMC 10/12 in future, AMC 8 is a good introduction to American Math competitions.

Math Olympiad Teacher Crystal’s Insights into Actual AMC 8 Exams

Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills are required to do well in the competition. Based on Math Olympiad Teacher Crystal’s analysis, here’s a breakdown of the type of questions from 2016’s competition: