American Mathematics Competitions

The American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) are the first of a series of competitions in secondary school mathematics that determine the United States of America's team for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The selection process takes place over the course of roughly five stages. At the last stage, the US selects six members to form the IMO team. The 1994 US IMO Team is the first of the only two teams ever to achieve a perfect score (all six members earned perfect marks), and is colloquially known as the "dream team".

There are three levels of AMCs:

• the AMC 8, for students under the age of 14.5 and in grades 8 and below
• the AMC 10, for students under the age of 17.5 and in grades 10 and below
• the AMC 12, for students under the age of 19.5 and in grades 12 and below

Students who perform well on the AMC 10 or AMC 12 competitions are invited to participate in the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). Students who perform exceptionally well on the AMC 12 and AIME are invited to the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO), while students who perform exceptionally well on the AMC 10 and AIME are invited to United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO). Students who do exceptionally well on the USAMO (typically around 45 students based on score and grade level) and USAJMO (typically around the top 15 students) are invited to attend the Mathematical Olympiad Program (MOP).

American Mathematics Competitions is also the name of the organization, based in Washington, D.C., responsible for creating, distributing and coordinating the American Mathematics Competitions contests, which include the American Mathematics Contest, AIME, and USA(J)MO. The American Mathematics Competitions organization also conducts outreach to identify talent and strengthen problem-solving in middle and high school students.