※ About The American Mathematics Competitions (AMC)
The American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) are the first of a series of competitions in high school mathematics that determine the United States team for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The selection process takes place over the course of roughly four stages. At the last stage, the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP), the United States coaches select six members to form the IMO team. The United States Math Team of 1994 is the only team ever to achieve a perfect score (all six members earned perfect marks), and is colloquially known as the “dream team".
There are three levels:
the AMC 8 is for students in grades 8 and below
the AMC 10 is for students in grades 10 and below
the AMC 12 is for students in grades 12 and below
Students who perform well on the AMC 10 or AMC 12 exams are invited to participate in the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). Students who perform well on the AIME are then invited to the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) or United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO). Students who do exceptionally well on the USAMO (typically around 30 students) are invited to go to the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP or more commonly, MOP), and six students are selected from the top twelve scorers on the USAMO (through yet another exam, the Team Selection Test (TST)) to form the United States International Math Olympiad Team.
American Mathematics Competitions is also the name of the organization, based in Washington, DC, responsible for creating, distributing and coordinating the American Mathematics Competitions contests, which include the American Mathematics Contest, AIME, and USAMO.
※ Purpose of the AMC 10/12
The main purpose of the AMC 10/12 is to spur interest in mathematics and to develop talent through the excitement of solving challenging problems in a timed multiple-choice format. The problems range from the very easy to the extremely difficult. Students who participate in the AMC 10/12 should find that most of the problems are challenging but within their grasp. The contest is intended for everyone from the average student at a typical school who enjoys mathematics to the very best student at the most special school.
A special purpose of the AMC 10/12 is to help identify those few students with truly exceptional mathematics talent. Students who are among the very best deserve some indication of how they stand relative to other students in the country and around the world. The AMC 10/12 provides one such indication, and it is the first in a series of examinations. The AMC 12 is one in a series of examinations (followed in the United States by the American Invitational Examination and the USA Mathematical Olympiad) that culminate in participation in the International Mathematical Olympiad, the most prestigious and difficult secondary mathematics examination in the world. In this way the very best young mathematicians are recognized, encouraged and developed. Another valuable comparison students can make is between their own level of achievement and their levels in previous years. In particular, they are encouraged to begin taking the contests early in their mathematics studies and to look back with pride each year on how they have learned to answer questions that they could not have answered previously.
※ An Additional Remark
The AMC 10 is a 25-question, 75-minute, multiple choice examination in secondary school mathematics containing problems which can be understood and solved with algebra and geometry concepts.
Young-Chin Wen
New Taipei Municipal Hai-Shan High School. September 03, 2016