The American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 8 is a nationwide competition for students in grade 8 or below. The AMC is a 25 multiple-choice question, 40 minute test designed to develop and enhance problem solving skills. The contest is held in November every year; this year, the test is held on Tuesday, November 17.
![Students are taking the AMC 8, a national mathematics competition, at UC Riverside. [Source: https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/19291]](http://www.jstudentboard.com/reporter/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/11-1-amc8.jpg)
[Source: https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/19291]
Robin Hu, a three time AMC 8 participant, stated that, “AMC 8 helped me develop my problem solving skills at an early age. It’s a fun challenge that encouraged me to work harder as a thinker.”
The AMC 8 also promotes enthusiasm towards mathematics and stimulates interest in mathematics beyond school.
Hansub Kim, a four time AMC 8 participant, said, “Because classroom mathematics was direct and rote, AMC 8 competitions helped me expand my creativity and thinking in ways that school could not help me. The enjoyment I had with AMC 8 opened up into a long term interest in mathematics and made me consider the possibility of mathematics as a career.”
Students who perform well on the AMC 8 receive an award. A Certificate of Distinction is given to students who achieve a perfect score. A Distinguished Honor Roll Certificate is given to students who score in the top 1%. An Honor Roll Certificate is given to students who score in the top 5%.
If you or someone you know wants to take the AMC 8 but your school isn’t currently hosting the AMC 8, you can either talk to your math teacher about registering for the competition at https://amc-reg.maa.org or find a local host school at http://www.maa.org/math-competitions/amc-8/locations.
