The AMC 12 is the senior paper in the American Mathematics Competitions, and the only route to the USA Mathematical Olympiad. It examines the full high-school curriculum short of calculus, and it is the competition that decides which students progress along the pathway that ends at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

AMC 12 2026 dates and registration deadlines

The AMC 12 runs in two sittings. A student may enter both, and only the higher score counts toward AIME qualification.

AMC 12A — Thursday 5 November 2026
AMC 12B — Friday 13 November 2026
Regular registration deadline — 15 October 2026
Late registration deadline — 28 October 2026 (returning competition managers only)
AIME — February 2027

Registration is made by schools and approved competition managers rather than by students directly, and internal school deadlines are frequently weeks earlier than the official cutoff. Confirm all dates against the Mathematical Association of America before relying on them.

Who can sit the AMC 12?

The AMC 12 is open to students in Grade 12 or below who are under 19.5 years of age on the day of the competition. There is no lower limit, so a capable Grade 9 or 10 student may sit it — though whether they should is a strategic question addressed below.

Students in Grade 11 and Grade 12 have no alternative: they are beyond the age and grade limits for the AMC 10, and the AMC 12 is their only entry to this pathway.

AMC 12 format and time limit

The examination is 25 multiple-choice questions in 75 minutes, five options per question, with no calculators permitted. The format is identical to the AMC 10; the difficulty and the content range are not.

Questions 1 to 10 are approachable for a well-prepared candidate. Questions 11 to 20 demand fluent competition technique. Questions 21 to 25 are written so that the great majority of candidates will not complete them, and attempting to is usually a mistake.

How the AMC 12 is scored

6 points for each correct answer
1.5 points for each question left blank
0 points for an incorrect answer
Maximum score: 150

Because a blank outscores a wrong answer, an unreasoned guess costs marks relative to simply leaving the question. On the AMC 12 this matters more than on the AMC 10, because the paper is harder and a typical candidate leaves more questions unattempted. Deciding which questions to abandon is a genuine examination skill, separate from mathematical ability, and it is trainable.

The practical rule: guess only after eliminating at least two of the five options. Below that threshold, the blank is worth more.

The AIME cutoff — and why it is lower than the AMC 10's

Candidates scoring above an annually set threshold are invited to the American Invitational Mathematics Examination. The cutoff is calculated separately for the AMC 10 and the AMC 12, and separately again for the A and B sittings, from the national score distribution after the papers are sat.

The AMC 12 cutoff is typically lower in absolute terms than the AMC 10 cutoff — often in the region of the mid-80s to around 100 out of 150 in recent years, against a higher figure for the AMC 10. This surprises families who read it as the AMC 12 being easier. It is not. The paper is harder, so the whole distribution shifts downward and the threshold follows it.

What this means in practice: a raw score that would fall short on the AMC 10 may clear the AMC 12 threshold. It does not mean the AMC 12 is an easier route — see the strategic section below.

AMC 12 syllabus by topic

The AMC 12 covers the complete high-school curriculum with the single exception of calculus. It includes everything examined on the AMC 10, plus a substantial body of additional content.

Algebra and functions

Polynomial equations and root relationships, Vieta's formulas, functional equations, sequences and series including arithmetic and geometric progressions, inequalities, and systems of equations.

Trigonometry — not examined on the AMC 10

Trigonometric identities and equations, the laws of sines and cosines, compound and double-angle formulae, inverse trigonometric functions, and the use of trigonometric substitution in geometry problems.

Logarithms and exponentials — not examined on the AMC 10

Logarithmic identities and change of base, exponential equations, and problems combining logarithms with sequences or number theory.

Complex numbers — not examined on the AMC 10

Cartesian and polar form, De Moivre's theorem, roots of unity, and the geometric interpretation of complex multiplication — a technique that turns certain hard geometry problems into short algebra.

Advanced geometry

Circle theorems and power of a point, conic sections, coordinate and analytic methods, three-dimensional geometry, and vector approaches.

Counting, probability and number theory

Advanced combinatorics, recursion, expected value, modular arithmetic, and the number-theoretic techniques shared with the AMC 10 but applied at greater depth.

What the AMC 12 tests that the AMC 10 does not

The four additions above — trigonometry, logarithms, complex numbers and conics — account for a meaningful share of the paper, and they are where under-prepared candidates lose ground fastest. A student transferring from AMC 10 preparation cannot simply work harder at the same material; there is genuinely new content to learn.

The complex-numbers topic deserves particular attention. It is often skipped as exotic, yet roots of unity and the geometric reading of complex multiplication convert several classes of otherwise difficult problem into routine ones. It is among the highest-return topics on the paper.

AMC 12 or AMC 10 — the strategic decision

Students in Grade 11 and 12 have no choice. For an eligible student in Grade 10 or below, the decision matters and is frequently made for the wrong reason.

The usual wrong reason is prestige. The AMC 12 sounds more impressive, so a capable Grade 10 student sits it. But the AMC 10 route is generally the more reliable path to AIME qualification for a student at that stage, because the syllabus is narrower and the cutoff, while higher in absolute terms, is measured against an easier paper.

The case for a younger student sitting the AMC 12 is genuine in one situation: where the student has already covered trigonometry, logarithms and complex numbers comfortably and is targeting the USAMO rather than the USAJMO. That is a small group, and it should be a deliberate decision rather than an assumption.

Where a student is eligible for both and the timetable permits, sitting the AMC 10 in one window and the AMC 12 in the other is worth considering — the papers fall on different dates.

The path beyond the AIME — USAMO, not USAJMO

This is the distinction that most affects a serious student's planning, and it is widely misunderstood.

Students who qualify for the AIME through the AMC 12 are considered for the USAMO — the USA Mathematical Olympiad.
Students who qualify through the AMC 10 are considered for the USAJMO — the junior olympiad.

Selection uses a combined index built from the AMC score and the AIME score together, so a strong AIME performance cannot fully compensate for a weak AMC result. Both papers matter, and the AMC is sat first.

The USAMO leads toward the Mathematical Olympiad Program and, for a very small number, the International Mathematical Olympiad team. For a student whose ambition runs in that direction, the AMC 12 is the entry point. See our pages on the USAMO and USAJMO and on MOP selection.

AMC 12A or AMC 12B — which to sit?

Both, where the school offers them. They are separate registrations at comparable difficulty, and only the higher score is used for AIME qualification. Entering both removes the risk that a single poor morning decides the outcome — the cheapest improvement available to any candidate.

If only one is possible, the B paper on 13 November allows eight further days of preparation; the A paper leaves marginally more room to regroup if something goes wrong.

Sitting the AMC 12 outside the United States

The AMC is international, and students across our markets sit it annually through school or an approved external centre.

India — Hosted by many international and IB schools; CBSE and ICSE students often sit through an external approved centre. AMC 12 technique overlaps substantially with IOQM and INMO preparation, and strong candidates frequently pursue both.
United Arab Emirates — Widely available through international schools in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Particularly valuable for families whose children will apply to United States universities, where the AMC is a recognised signal.
Singapore and Malaysia — Commonly sat alongside regional olympiads. The AMC carries more weight in US admissions than most regional competitions.
United Kingdom — Sat by students also entering the Senior Mathematical Challenge and BMO Round 1. The AMC 12's trigonometry and complex-number content overlaps usefully with BMO preparation.
Australia — Frequently sat alongside the Australian Mathematics Competition and AIMO.

If your school is not a registered centre, begin looking for one before the October deadline. This is the single most common reason capable students miss the competition entirely.

A realistic preparation timeline

Six months out — A full timed past paper to establish the baseline, and an honest audit of the four AMC 12-only topics. Most students have not met complex numbers at competition depth.
Four to six months — Close the content gap first. Trigonometry, logarithms and complex numbers cannot be absorbed through mixed practice; they need direct teaching.
Two to four months — Mixed problem sets, where pattern recognition develops because the student no longer knows which technique applies.
Final two months — Full timed papers and pacing analysis. The objective shifts to accuracy and question selection rather than new content.

Where marks are most commonly lost

Skipping the AMC 12-only topics. Students who prepare as though it were an AMC 10 with harder questions are surprised in the examination hall.
Careless arithmetic on questions already solved — the most expensive and most fixable error in the competition.
Over-committing to questions 21 to 25 while questions 13 to 18 sit unattempted.
Guessing without elimination. A blank is worth 1.5 points; an unreasoned guess is worth less on average.
Practising untimed. Pacing under 75 minutes is a distinct skill from solving problems at leisure.

How we teach the AMC 12

Preparation is one-to-one and scheduled around the student's existing commitments. There is no batch, so the pace follows the student.

Diagnostic first. A full timed paper before teaching begins, so the plan targets real gaps — particularly across the four topics absent from the AMC 10.
Content gap closed before technique. Trigonometry, logarithms and complex numbers taught to competition depth rather than school depth.
Timed mock papers with pacing analytics showing where time was lost, not merely which answers were wrong.
Six-quiz reinforcement on each topic before advancing.
Past-paper archive with worked solutions written as teaching, not as answer keys.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the AMC 12?

25 multiple-choice questions in 75 minutes, with no calculator permitted.

What is the age limit for the AMC 12?

Students must be in Grade 12 or below and under 19.5 years of age on the day of the competition.

Does the AMC 12 include calculus?

No. The AMC 12 covers the high-school curriculum up to but not including calculus. It does include trigonometry, logarithms and complex numbers, none of which appear on the AMC 10.

Is the AMC 12 AIME cutoff lower than the AMC 10's?

Typically yes in absolute score, because the paper is harder and the national distribution sits lower. This does not make it an easier route to qualification.

Should a Grade 10 student sit the AMC 12 instead of the AMC 10?

Usually not. The AMC 10 is generally the more reliable route to AIME qualification at that stage. The exception is a student who has already covered trigonometry, logarithms and complex numbers and is specifically targeting the USAMO.

What is the difference between USAMO and USAJMO?

AIME qualifiers who entered through the AMC 12 are considered for the USAMO; those who qualified through the AMC 10 are considered for the USAJMO. Selection uses a combined AMC and AIME index.

Book a free strategy session

Every family begins with a free consultation before any commitment. We assess your child's current standing against the AMC 12, identify which of the AMC 12-only topics still need work, and set out a realistic plan to the November sitting.

AMC 12 Preparation Programme