Math Competitions for High Schoolers: AMC, AIME, USAMO

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Article Summary

AMC 10/12 to AIME to USAMO: who can take each, how to find a host school, the new AIME testing-center rules, 2026-27 dates, plus HMMT, PUMaC and BMT.

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For many U.S. high schoolers, competition math starts with one test: the AMC 10 or AMC 12, given at school in November. That test is also the first step of a longer path. A strong AMC score qualifies you for the AIME, a strong AIME score for the USAMO or USAJMO, and the top olympiad students are invited to the summer Mathematical Olympiad Program, the group from which the U.S. team for the International Mathematical Olympiad is chosen.

This guide walks through that path, including a big change for 2027: the AIME is moving to testing centers. It then covers the team tournaments, like HMMT, PUMaC and the Berkeley Math Tournament, where you compete with friends instead of alone. We checked every rule, fee and date against the organizers' own pages in September 2026; the MAA facts were rechecked on its pages on September 27, 2026, and each source below shows its date. Rules change between seasons, so confirm with the organizer before you commit.

The Path at a Glance

StageWho takes itFormat2026-27 date
AMC 10Grade 10 and below, under 17.5 years old25 multiple-choice questions, 75 minutesA: November 5, 2026; B: November 13, 2026
AMC 12Grade 12 and below, under 19.5 years old25 multiple-choice questions, 75 minutesA: November 5, 2026; B: November 13, 2026
AIMEAMC 10 score of 100+ or AMC 12 score of 85+, age 13 or older15 integer-answer questions in two 90-minute parts, at a Pearson testing centerFebruary 5 or 6, 2027
USAMO and USAJMOInvited, based primarily on AIME scoresThree proof problems a day, 4.5 hours each day, two daysMarch 20-21, 2027
Mathematical Olympiad Program (MOP)Top USAMO and USAJMO participantsSummer trainingSummer 2027

Step 1: The AMC 10 and AMC 12

The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) runs the American Mathematics Competitions. Both high school tests have 25 multiple-choice questions and a 75-minute limit:

  • AMC 10 is for students in grade 10 and below who are under 17.5 years old on the day of the test. It covers elementary algebra, basic geometry, area and volume, elementary number theory and probability. Trigonometry and advanced algebra and geometry are left out.
  • AMC 12 is for students in grade 12 and below who are under 19.5 on test day. It covers the full high school curriculum, including trigonometry and advanced algebra and geometry. Calculus is excluded.

Each test is offered on two dates, an A and a B version. For 2026-27, the AMC 10 A and AMC 12 A are on November 5, 2026, and the AMC 10 B and AMC 12 B are on November 13, 2026. You can't take the AMC 10 and the AMC 12 on the same day, but you can take one A exam and one B exam, so you get two tries at an AIME-qualifying score. (The AMC 8, for grade 8 and below, runs January 21-27, 2027.)

How to find a host school

You can't sign up for the AMC yourself. The MAA says students and parents don't register directly: a teacher registers an accredited school, college, math circle or learning center as a competition manager, enrolls students, proctors the test and shares scores. So the first step is to ask your math teacher whether your school is giving the AMC 10 or 12.

If it isn't, the MAA suggests checking with local colleges and universities, math circles and learning centers, and it posts a list of the higher-education institutions and learning centers that registered the year before. Or ask a teacher to become a competition manager. The 2026-27 registration deadlines for AMC 10 and 12 sites are:

  • September 30, 2026: early-bird registration, with a $55 registration fee.
  • October 15, 2026: regular registration, $75. This is the final deadline for new competition managers.
  • October 28, 2026: late registration, $115, for returning competition managers only.

On top of the registration fee, a school buys student licenses in bundles: one bundle of ten AMC 10 or AMC 12 licenses costs $30, and a student who takes both an A and a B exam needs two licenses. Extra bundles can be ordered until November 4 for the A exams and November 12 for the B exams.

Step 2: The AIME, Now at Testing Centers

The American Invitational Mathematics Examination is 15 questions, each with an integer answer from 0 to 999, and it is harder than the AMC. For 2027 the MAA has changed how it runs:

  • Qualifying: students who score 100 or above on the AMC 10, or 85 or above on the AMC 12, qualify to register, as long as they meet the other eligibility rules. The thresholds are now set numbers rather than percentages.
  • Where and when: Pearson testing centers give the AIME on February 5 and 6, 2027, and you take it once in that window. It is a computer-based exam in two 90-minute parts, 8 questions and then 7, and you can't go back to the first part once the second begins. There is no AIME I and II anymore, and there are no make-up dates.
  • Age: only students aged 13 and older can take the AIME.
  • Cost: qualifiers pay a registration fee of $85, plus taxes if applicable, directly to Pearson. The MAA says financial assistance will be available for students who need it, including those who must travel a long way to a center.
  • What you can bring: nothing. Test centers provide laminated graph-paper booklets and fine-tip pens; compasses and rulers aren't allowed.

Qualifiers get an emailed invitation at the address in the MAA competition portal, which links to Pearson to find a center and book a time.

Step 3: USAMO and USAJMO

The USA Mathematical Olympiad and USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad are proof contests modeled on the International Mathematical Olympiad. On each of two days you get 4.5 hours for three problems, and a full answer means a complete proof, not just a number. The problems draw on areas including algebra, combinatorics, geometry and number theory.

The MAA invites more than 400 students to the two olympiads each year. For 2027, qualification is based primarily on AIME scores, and AMC scores are no longer a factor. The olympiads are scheduled for March 20-21, 2027, at a limited number of official testing sites; qualifiers are invited to register at a nearby site once AIME scoring is done.

Step 4: MOP and the IMO Team

The top USAMO and USAJMO participants are invited to the Mathematical Olympiad Program (MOP) the summer after the competition. Based on testing at MOP, a smaller group is invited to the Team Selection Tests, which choose the U.S. teams for the International Mathematical Olympiad and the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad. The 68th IMO will be held in Budapest, Hungary, July 16-26, 2027.

Team Contests: Compete With Friends

Team tournaments are a different experience from the AMC path. You travel with a team (or join one), take individual and team rounds, and several end with a fast-paced "guts" round. Many are run by college students, and space is limited at several of them, so the fall dates below matter now.

Tournament2026-27 dateTeam sizeRegistration
HMMTNovember 7, 2026 (Harvard); February 13, 2027 (MIT)4-6 (November), 6-8 (February)Closed September 20, 2026; spots assigned by lottery
PUMaCNovember 21, 2026 (Princeton)8, or apply as an individualRolling; closes October 11, 2026
Berkeley Math TournamentNovember 14, 2026 (UC Berkeley); online December 5, 2026Up to 6$15 per student through October 18; $25 late through November 1
CMIMCCMWMC: October 24, 2026Usually 4-6 (CMIMC), 3 (CMWMC)CMWMC registration open
ARML2027 date not yet postedTeamsNot yet posted

HMMT

The Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament runs two contests. HMMT says the November tournament ranges from mid-AMC to upper-AIME difficulty, while February ranges from mid-AIME to olympiad level and has a proof-based team round. Both are open to high school students around the world. A team can be a school, a regional club or a group of friends, led by any responsible adult as coach, and each competitor must be under 21 and enrolled in full-time primary or secondary education. Fees are $80 per team and $10 per individual, paid at check-in. Applications for this season closed on September 20, 2026, and spots were assigned by lottery; financial aid covers hotel rooms and waives the registration fee. If you missed it, the application window is typically about three weeks in September.

PUMaC

The Princeton University Mathematics Competition is on November 21, 2026. Teams have 8 students and must come from a school or a well-defined geographic region, so a group of friends from a summer camp can't form a team. Students without a team can apply as individuals. Registration is rolling and closes at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on October 11, 2026, and PUMaC says it accepts about 70 teams on site. The fee is $15 per student ($120 per team), and PUMaC asks you to email if the fee would be a hardship. Teams that can't travel can enter the Power Competition, which is the proof-based Power Round alone.

Berkeley Math Tournament

BMT is on November 14, 2026 at UC Berkeley and is open to students in grade 12 or below, including advanced middle schoolers; you don't need to live in California. Teams have up to 6 students, and you can register as a team of one. Registration costs $15 per student through October 18 and $25 from October 19 to November 1, and BMT offers fee waivers for financial hardship. BMT 2026 Online, on December 5, is the version for students who can't travel.

CMIMC, ARML and Math Prize for Girls

The Carnegie Mellon Informatics and Mathematics Competition is open to high school students and younger, with no qualifications required; if you don't have a full team, you can opt into team merging. The American Regions Mathematics League brings teams from the United States, Canada, China and South Korea to several university sites, including Penn State and the University of Iowa, around the end of May, with a separate ARML Local contest in April; it hadn't posted 2027 dates when we checked. Math Prize for Girls, held at MIT on October 11, 2026, awards $100,000 in prizes, including $50,000 for first place. It selects students using official AMC and other scores: for the 2026 contest, applicants had to have taken the AMC 10 or 12 the previous November, and applications closed May 31, 2026.

A Contest You Can Do From Home: USAMTS

The USA Mathematical Talent Search is a free, proof-based contest for U.S. middle and high school students. Instead of a timed test, each round gives you over a month to write up solutions to one puzzle and four proof problems, and graders send written feedback. Participants must be citizens or residents of the United States. The 2026-27 Round 1 submission deadline is October 13, 2026, at 10 p.m. Eastern. If the olympiad path interests you, USAMTS is a low-pressure way to practice writing proofs.

How to Start This Fall

  • Right now: ask your math teacher whether your school is registered for the AMC 10 or 12. If not, the site deadline for new competition managers is October 15.
  • Before November: work through past AMC problems under a 75-minute clock, and decide whether the AMC 10 or 12 fits you better.
  • If you like working with others: PUMaC and BMT are still taking registrations, and HMMT's application window opens again next September.
  • If you like writing proofs: try USAMTS Round 1 before October 13.

On an application, a qualifying score or medal is worth listing, but what you did to get there matters too: the math circle you joined, the team you organized, the proofs you learned to write. Our guide to writing activity descriptions shows how to say that in a few words.

Where to Go Next

Browse math programs and olympiads, or read about extracurriculars for future math majors and the science olympiads. If you also code, see our guide to coding competitions. Save the contests you pick to the Activities Builder so their deadlines stay in front of you.

Sources

Facts in this article were last reviewed against these sources on . Programs change their dates and prices; confirm on the official page before you apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a freshman take the AMC 12 instead of the AMC 10?

Yes. The AMC 12 is open to students in grade 12 and below who are under 19.5 years old on the day of the competition, and the AMC 10 to students in grade 10 and below who are under 17.5. You can't take the AMC 10 and the AMC 12 on the same day, but you can take one on the A date (November 5, 2026) and one on the B date (November 13, 2026). The AMC 10 leaves out trigonometry and advanced algebra and geometry, which can make it the better first test for younger students.

My school doesn't give the AMC. How can I take it?

Students and parents can't register with the MAA directly. A teacher at an accredited school, college, math circle or learning center has to register as a competition manager. If your school won't, the MAA suggests asking local colleges, universities, math circles and learning centers, and it publishes a list of sites that registered the year before. For 2026-27, October 15, 2026 is the last day a new competition manager can register, so ask early.

What AMC score do I need to qualify for the AIME?

For the 2027 AIME, the MAA says students who score 100 or above on the AMC 10 or 85 or above on the AMC 12 qualify to register, as long as they meet the other eligibility rules. The cutoffs are now set numbers rather than percentages. You must also be at least 13 years old to take the AIME.

How much does it cost to take the AMC and the AIME?

Schools pay for the AMC: a registration fee ($55 through September 30, $75 through October 15 or $115 late) plus $30 for each bundle of ten AMC 10 or AMC 12 student licenses. The 2027 AIME is different: qualifiers pay Pearson a registration fee of $85 plus any taxes. The MAA says financial assistance will be available for students who need it, including for travel to a distant test center.

Do AMC scores still count toward USAMO and USAJMO qualification?

No. For 2027 the MAA says qualification for the USAMO and USAJMO is based primarily on AIME scores, and AMC scores are no longer a factor. The MAA invites more than 400 students to the two olympiads, which are scheduled for March 20-21, 2027.

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