<p>How do you know if you have to take AMC 10 or AMC 12??</p>
<p>You can take both. Why do feel limited to one or the other?</p>
<p>next year ill be taking precalc... i dont think ill learn the stuff which will help me for amc12. is one easier than the other or something?</p>
<p>Most kids I know took both but for sure took the 12 prior to application to college. As to which is harder? I cannot say for one presumes you would have greater knowledge prior to taking the 12. Have you visited the website which shows you all about the exams? <a href="http://www.unl.edu/amc/%5B/url%5D">www.unl.edu/amc/</a></p>
<p>If you are in 11th or 12th grade you CANNOT take the AMC-10. If you are in 9th or 10th grade you can take either (your choice). If you are better at geometry than algebra then I think that the AMC-10 would probobly be easier. I think that they always have 15 questions in common, also. In order to qualify for the AIME, you only need 100 on the AMC (sometimes lower), but you need 120 on the AMC-10 (sometimes lower). Its really your choice which one to take if you are a freshman or sophomore.</p>
<p>You need 100 on AMC12, and top 1% on AMC10 to qualify for the invitational</p>
<p>In my opinion, AMC 12 was easier, simply because you could miss more questions.</p>
<p>I agree with iv4me - the questions on the AMC 12 are not trickier or more difficult. It's just that topics from trig and precalc are included.</p>
<p>I disagree there. The last five AMC12 questions will be harder than anything on the AMC10, and it's not just because of trig. But if you're not shooting for a perfect score and only want to make the AIME, then I agree that AMC12 is the way to go, even as a 10th grader (if you know the additional material).</p>
<p>River - you're probably right about the last 5 questions. I wasn't basing my comment on perfect, or even near perfect scores. I was basing it on having a bunch of students in grade 10 and below who have taken both exams in the same year. As long as they have had trig and pre-calc, they seem to get about the same score on both exams.</p>
<p>Take both (use the "A" day for one and the "B" day for the other, in either order) if you are young enough to be eligible for both. Take the 12 if you are a junior or a senior. Start taking them as soon as you hear about them, or as soon as you are enrolled in a geometry class at the very latest. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e5-amc10/amc10.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e5-amc10/amc10.html</a> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e6-amc12/amc12.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e6-amc12/amc12.html</a> </p>
<p>Also visit [url=<a href="http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Forum/index.php%5DAoPS%5B/url">http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Forum/index.php]AoPS[/url</a>] to learn how to do well on the tests. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>I have a serious question.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman in high school, and I'm in precalculus. What kind of math classes most of the people (especially freshmen) who qualify for USAMO take? The test says you don't need to know calculus, but I still have absolutely no idea how to do the last few problems. The material I learn in precal helps me very little with the test. I believe I scraped a 104.5 on the AMC 12A. Any help?</p>
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You need 100 on AMC12, and top 1% on AMC10 to qualify for the invitational
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<p>Yay for rule changes! Now you need 120 or top 1% on the AMC 10 to qualify, whichever is lower.</p>
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I'm a freshman in high school, and I'm in precalculus. What kind of math classes most of the people (especially freshmen) who qualify for USAMO take?
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</p>
<p>Being good at "competition" math doesn't have too much to do with high school classes. You're better off joining some sort of math club if there is one near you. Check out <a href="http://www.artofproblemsolving.com%5B/url%5D">www.artofproblemsolving.com</a> for more info as well as online classes which really help.</p>
<p>If your interest is in qualifying for the USAMO, first, get to know the complicated qualification system. You're a freshman, so you will need to simply get a certain score on the AIME test. Since you already qualified, practice the AIME.</p>
<p>Thanks. Have you had much experience with AMC, tetrahedr0n?</p>
<p>But River- you can miss the last 5 questions on the AMC12 and still qualify for AIME.</p>
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Thanks. Have you had much experience with AMC, tetrahedr0n?
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</p>
<p>More than most but less than many. I'll be taking AMC-12 B in a couple weeks. That will make it my 6th AMC-12. I've also taken 2 AMC 10s and 3 AMC 8s.</p>
<p>I'm pretty familiar with the rules, strategies, competitions, etc... But I'm not an authoritative source. Like I said before, you can get everything you need at <a href="http://www.artofproblemsolving.com%5B/url%5D">www.artofproblemsolving.com</a></p>
<p>I'm guessing you're a senior?</p>
<p>Yes. +Char</p>
<p>Let me note that this year, question #20 on the AMC-12 (which was followed by 5 considerably more difficult questions) was question #25 (the hardest) on the AMC-10. At the high end, the AMC-10 is far, far, far easier than the AMC 12. At least, I hope so, because the freshman I've been coaching just got a higher score on the 10 than I did on the 12. : )</p>
<p>^Yeah, but for freshmen, as long as one qualifies for the AIME, the AMC score is scrapped.</p>