Get ready for the AMC 10/12: What you need to know now

1. Date November 10 and 16. (The AMC 8 is pushed back to January.) The MAA is offering paper and online formats.
2. Location Check with your school. If you are homeschooled or your school doesn’t host the AMC, check the MAA zip code search for a site near you. You’ll need to register with the local contact, not with the MAA.
3. Prep Don’t overthink this. Take old exams and study the problems you couldn’t solve.
4. Your goal Always to get to the next level. If you are new to the AMC, then your ultimate goal is to qualify for AIME. If you’re already AIME-qualified, then look to USAMO. Don’t bother with trying to get a perfect score. Move forward to more difficult problems. Each tier means greater achievement and greater prestige.
5. Strategy This isn’t the exam where with 5 minutes left you bubble in all the remaining answers. You’ll lose points you could have earned for each blank answer. Write a clean exam: all answers are correct or left blank.

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