AMC 8

Overview

The AMC 8 is a middle-school mathematics competition run by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) as part of its American Mathematics Competitions (AMC). The MAA presents it as a way to introduce younger students to problem solving beyond the usual school curriculum; students who enjoy it may go on to the AMC 10 and AMC 12 in later years. It does not lead directly to the AIME.

Who can take it

• The student must be in grade 8 or below.

• The student must be 15.5 years old or younger on the day of the competition, according to the MAA 2026-27 policies.

• Students may take the AMC 8 only once in the competition week.

• Students do not register with the MAA themselves. A school, college, math circle or learning centre registers as a competition site, and its competition manager enrols students. Minors need a parent or guardian to complete their registration.

• Outside the USA and Canada, the MAA points students to its parallel AMC International programme.

Exam pattern

Syllabus

The MAA lists these middle-school topics: counting and probability, estimation, proportional reasoning, elementary geometry (including the Pythagorean Theorem), spatial visualisation, and reading graphs and tables. Some later questions may touch beginning algebra, such as linear or quadratic functions and coordinate geometry.

Important dates

For the 2026-27 season:

• Registration opened on 2 September 2026.

• Competition week is 21 to 27 January 2027, and a site chooses its own day within that week.

• Scores are expected to be finalised in early March 2027.

Registration deadlines, set for competition sites rather than students: early bird 28 October 2026, regular 5 January 2027 (the last date for new competition managers), late 14 January 2027 (returning managers only).

Fees

Fees are paid by the competition site. For 2026-27 the site registration fee is $55 at the early deadline,$75 at the regular deadline and $115 at the late deadline. Each bundle of ten student licences costs$25. What a student pays, if anything, is decided by the host site.

How to apply

Ask your school whether it will host the AMC 8. If it will not, look at nearby colleges, math circles or learning centres; the MAA publishes a public list of registered sites each year. Students and parents do not register directly with the MAA.

Preparation tips

• Practise past AMC 8 papers in a 40-minute limit, without a calculator.

• Work on the topics listed under Syllabus, especially counting, proportions and geometry.

• Practise moving on from a problem you are stuck on and returning to it.