Opportunity to Compete
Shravya nalla | dec. 16, 2022 | features
In 2019, the United States team of six talented high school mathematicians won the International Olympiad Tournament for the fourth time. Aiming to win once again, high schoolers have begun the lengthy process of trying to become one of the six participants to represent their country at the International Math Olympiad competitions. The first step in this process is to take the American Mathematics Competition exam, also known as the AMC 10 or AMC 12.
The AMC 10/12 is a 25-question multiple-choice exam aimed at testing the participant’s problem-solving and mathematical skills. This test is offered to all high schoolers; students in 10th grade or below take the AMC 10 and students in 11th grade or above take the AMC 12. Despite the grade level, each student receives an equal opportunity to compete for their spot at the International Mathematics Olympiad. This school year, Stanton College Preparatory School administered the AMC 10 and AMC 12 on Nov. 16, 2022.
Although this exam is highly beneficial for students who do well, it is challenging to get a score higher than 100 points, which is the passing mark. According to a poll conducted by the Devil’s Advocate, 70 percent of Stanton students believe the AMC exam is a difficult test.
“For the AMC exams, you cannot just plug [the values] into the calculator, because your calculator cannot do most of the operations that are required on the exam,” said sophomore Aryan Kumar. “[This exam] requires a lot of preparation and time, so I have studied a little bit.”
Students who did well on the AMC exam will be presented with numerous benefits, mainly when applying for colleges. These students gain more admission opportunities to top schools, such as Stanford and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to the Ivy League Education Center, 1,200 students out of 1,400 admitted to MIT have AMC 10 scores greater than 120 points. Schools similar to MIT place great focus on AMC scores as they often request students’ AMC scores on their college applications.
The AMC exam is beneficial for students who want to compete at the IMO. However, they must also pass the American Invitational Mathematics Exam and the USA Mathematical Olympiad in order to reach their goal.
“The AMC 10/12 definitely helps you stand out if you perform well on it,” said William Li, president of Stanton’s Math Honor Society. “You may also be qualified to advance to the AIME competitions, which are even harder and merit more national attention.”
Despite this exam holding great difficulty, it is the first step to becoming a Mathematical Olympiad. It carries great benefits for students who aim to have a career involving mathematics. Stanton students hope to surpass this challenging step as they grow closer to their goal of pursuing mathematics.