AMC 10 and AMC 12: Format, Scores and How to Qualify for AIME

Last updated: November 10, 2026

The AMC 10 is a 25-question, 75-minute multiple-choice math competition from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) for students in grade 10 and below. The AMC 12 has the same format for grade 12 and below and adds trigonometry and advanced algebra. Both are the first step toward the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) and the USA Mathematical Olympiads. The 2026-27 tests are on November 5 (A) and November 13, 2026 (B). For AIME 2027, the MAA now uses fixed cutoffs: 100 on the AMC 10 or 85 on the AMC 12. Below are the format, scoring, newest official cutoffs, registration and a study plan for your score level.

Seventy-five minutes, 25 problems, and the best ones need an idea, not a formula. That same instinct is how real research starts. Send me the research starter guide →

What is the AMC 10?

AMC stands for American Mathematics Competitions. The number is the highest grade that can take the test. The MAA founded the program in 1950, and it says more than 300,000 students in 50 states and over 30 countries take the AMC.

The AMC 10 excludes trigonometry, advanced algebra and advanced geometry. The AMC 12 includes them and excludes only calculus.

AMC 10 vs AMC 12: which should you take?

In grade 10 or below, you can choose either test. Each has two dates, A and B, and you may take both. You may not take the AMC 10 and AMC 12 on the same day, but the AMC 10A plus the AMC 12B is allowed.

Two rules help you decide:

• The AMC 10 has easier topics, but a higher AIME cutoff (100 against 85 for 2027).
• The test you qualify through decides your Olympiad. Students who reach AIME through the AMC 10 are invited to the USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO). Students who reach AIME through the AMC 12 go to the USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO).

One exception protects younger students: a 9th or 10th grader who qualifies through the AMC 12 but whose AIME score reaches only the USAJMO level is invited to the USAJMO. If you know trigonometry well, try the AMC 12. If not, start with the AMC 10.

How AMC 10 and AMC 12 scoring works

Each of the 25 questions has one correct answer:

• Correct answer: 6 points
• Blank: 1.5 points
• Wrong answer: 0 points

The maximum score is 150. The MAA itself notes that it can pay to skip a question rather than guess randomly. Guess only when you can rule out answer choices.

You have 75 minutes for 25 questions, which is 3 minutes per question on average. To reach the 2027 AIME cutoff, you need 14 to 17 correct answers on the AMC 10, depending on how many you leave blank. You do not need to finish the test.

Calculators, formula sheets and graph paper are not allowed. Rulers and compasses are allowed on the AMC 10 and AMC 12.

2026-27 AMC and AIME dates

You may not discuss the B problems until 8:00 AM ET on November 17, 2026.

You will have about 3 minutes per AMC problem. A research question gives you months, and a PhD mentor who helps you go deeper each week. Show me project ideas →

How to qualify for AIME in 2027

For AIME 2027, the cutoffs are fixed numbers, not a percentage of test takers, and AIME moves to Pearson testing centers.

To qualify, you need 100 or more on the AMC 10A or 10B, or 85 or more on the AMC 12A or 12B. You must also:

• be in grade 12 or below on the day of AIME;
• be 19.5 or younger on the day of the qualifying AMC;
• be 13 or older on the day of AIME (new for 2027);
• be a full-time student at a school in the US or Canada.

What the cutoffs mean in correct answers (our calculation from MAA's scoring rules, with no wrong answers unless stated):

On the AMC 10, 15 correct and 7 blank also reach 100.5, even with 3 wrong. Accuracy on the questions you choose matters more than the number you try.

If you qualify, the MAA emails an invitation in mid-December to the address in your competition portal account, so keep it current. You then book a time at one of more than 200 Pearson centers in the US and Canada and pay the $85 fee by February 1, 2027. The MAA offers financial help with the fee, and with travel if the nearest center is far away.

Past AIME cutoffs: the newest MAA data

Before 2027, cutoffs changed with each test. These are the newest published thresholds, from MAA's own announcements:

The fixed 2027 cutoffs are below three of last year's four cutoffs. On the AMC 12, 85 is 11 points under the 2025-26 12A cutoff and 15.5 points under the 12B cutoff. On the AMC 10, 100 is 5 points under last year's 10A cutoff and 1 point above the 10B cutoff. The bigger change is certainty: you know the target before you sit the test.

What AIME is like

AIME has 15 questions, and every answer is a whole number from 0 to 999, so there are no choices to check against. For 2027 it is a computer-based test in two 90-minute parts: 8 questions, a 10-minute break, then 7 questions. You cannot go back to part 1, and the center gives you laminated graph paper and a pen. For 2027, USAMO and USAJMO invitations depend mainly on AIME scores; AMC scores no longer count.

AIME rewards students who can stay with one hard problem for twelve minutes. Imagine that focus on a question no one has answered yet. Help me choose my field →

After AIME: USAJMO, USAMO and the IMO

The MAA invites more than 400 students to the two Olympiads each year. On March 20 and 21, 2027, they write full proofs for 6 problems, 3 per day, in 4.5 hours per day, at designated sites. Each problem earns 0 to 7 points, so the maximum is 42.

The MAA honors about 6% of USAMO participants with Gold, 12% with Silver and 18% with Bronze. On the USAJMO, about 7% earn Top Honors and 13% Honors. Any other participant with 14 or more points earns Honorable Mention.

The top USAMO and USAJMO students are invited to the Mathematical Olympiad Program (MOP). Tests at MOP and later Team Selection Tests choose the US teams for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) and the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad. At the 67th IMO in July 2026, the six-member US team placed second of 117 teams, with four gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

How to register for the AMC 10 or AMC 12

You cannot register with the MAA directly. An approved competition site registers, and you sign up through that site.

1. Ask your math teacher if your school gives the AMC 10 and AMC 12. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian completes your registration through the link the site gives you.
2. If your school does not, check the MAA's public list of 2026-27 competition sites. Colleges, universities, math circles and learning centers can host the test. Contact a site near you early.
3. Want your school to host next year? A teacher can register the school as a site. For 2026-27, regular registration closed on October 15, 2026.

Home schools cannot be AMC sites, so home-schooled students test at an approved site nearby. Every AMC is given in person, with a proctor, at the site's address; remote proctoring is not allowed. Sites pay the MAA a fee, and the MAA notes that some sites charge students while others are free.

A study plan by score level

Use a past AMC under real conditions: 75 minutes, no calculator. Then find your level below.

Below 60: build the base. Work the first 10 questions of past tests until they feel routine, and fill gaps in algebra, geometry and counting. In grade 8 or below, the AMC 8 (January 21-27, 2027) is a good step.

60 to 90: win the middle of the test. A score of 100 needs at least 14 correct answers, so find the topics where you lose points. Study one topic per week, such as counting and probability, number theory or triangles. Then do timed sets of questions 11 to 20 only.

90 to the cutoff: protect your points. Accuracy now matters more than speed. Check every answer in the first 15. Practice the choice to leave a question blank. On the AMC 10, 15 correct, 7 blank and 3 wrong still qualifies.

Above the cutoff: train for AIME. Practice past AIME problems without answer choices, and write out your full reasoning. For the Olympiads, start writing complete proofs.

At every level, keep an error log: the problem, why you missed it and the idea that solves it. Review it before each test.

The error log that raises your AMC score is the same habit researchers use. Picture applying it to a question in a field you love. Show me how to start one →

From competition math to real research

Competition problems have an answer that someone already knows. Research questions do not. The skills carry over: patience with a hard problem, careful steps and the habit of asking why a method works.

An AIME qualification shows strength in problem solving. A research project shows what you do with that strength when the question is your own, from the first idea to a finished paper. A student who loves combinatorics can test a graph theory question with code. Our guides on how to get into MIT, extracurricular activities and research topics for high school students show how these pieces fit. If you have a younger sibling who loves math, our guide to MATHCOUNTS covers grades 6 to 8. For a team science competition, see Science Olympiad.

Frequently asked questions

What does AMC 10 mean?

AMC means American Mathematics Competitions, run by the MAA. The 10 means the test is for students in grade 10 and below.

What level of math is the AMC 10?

The AMC 10 uses algebra, geometry, number theory and probability up to about grade 10. The problems are built to need insight, not routine steps. Trigonometry and advanced algebra are excluded.

Is the AMC 10 harder than the AMC 8?

Yes. The AMC 10 runs 75 minutes instead of 40, covers more algebra, number theory and probability, and uses 6 / 1.5 / 0 scoring instead of 1 point per correct answer. A strong AMC 8 result is a good sign you are ready.

Is the AMC 10 harder than the SAT?

They test different things. The SAT measures readiness for college work. The AMC 10 is a problem-solving competition, and the MAA's 2027 AIME cutoff of 100 out of 150 needs at least 14 correct answers. For the SAT, see what is a good SAT score.

Can an 8th grader take the AMC 10?

Yes. The AMC 10 is open to grade 10 and below. Note that for 2027, you must be 13 or older on the AIME date to take AIME.

Can you take both the AMC 10A and AMC 10B?

Yes. You may take both. If either score reaches the cutoff, you qualify for AIME, but you may take AIME only once.

Sources

• MAA, American Mathematics Competitions
• MAA, AMC Official Rules and Policies 2026-2027 (PDF)
• MAA, AMC Registration and Information
• MAA, Invitational Competitions
• MAA, AIME Official Rules and Policies 2027 (PDF)
• MAA, USAMO and USAJMO Official Rules and Policies 2026-2027 (PDF)
• MAA, 2025-26 AIME Thresholds Are Now Available
• MAA, 2024-25 AIME Thresholds Are Available
• MAA, Official Testing Centers for the 2027 AIME
• MAA, Team USA Takes Second Place at 67th IMO

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