Son did better then he expected on AMC, is it worth sending an update to his EA schools (GT, UMD and UMass) and REA (Harvard)? He scored an 84 which according to him is borderline for qualifying for the next round. He also said it’s better than his 790 SAT. Thanks.
Yes, I wouldn’t hesitate to drop a quick note to the AOs, and he should also put that update in the portals, if that’s possible. Good luck to your S.
1 Like
@hebegebe knows this better. Never hurts to report positive news. I don’t think the score is at a level to be determinative though.
2 Likes
In terms of AMCs, the first notable accomplishment is qualifying for AIME. The next level is getting Distinguished Honor Roll, and the big one is qualifying for USAMO.
Unless this score actually does qualify for AIME, I would skip the update for Harvard and GA Tech. Ok to send to UMD and UMASS.
3 Likes
Just to fill in, this is a solid score, but probably not AIME qualifying. That’s normally around 100. (They take the Top 2.5%) Scores do vary year by tyear, so this may be closer than it looks if this test was particularly tough.
It certainly measures different things than the SAT, so “better” is hared to assess. The number of AIME qualifiers is roughly comparable to the number of SAT 800s (several thousand) so an “almost AIME” and an “almost 800” are confirming each other more than providing new information.
I don’t think it will hurt much, but I don’t think it will help much either.
1 Like
AMC12 cutoff for the 12A is estimated to be low 90s. 84 would likely not qualify.
Art of Problem Solving estimates the AIME cutoff this year for AMC 12A to be between 84 and 90, so it’s possible that the OP will make AIME. The cutoff is top 2.5% for AMC 10, but top 5% for AMC 12.
Does anyone know when the cutoff will be announced?
Thanks.
You’re right. 2.5% and 5%.
The OP’s kid might squeak in (but likely won’t) and an AIME qualifier is a different kettle of fish than an “almost AIME qualifier”. Just like “almost admitted” is different than “admitted”.
1 Like
Go ahead and send it, it’s certainly not going to hurt. Worst case, it’s almost certainly top 20%.
Fwiw, the average qualifying 12 cutoff has been 89 over the last 4 years, and hasn’t been over 100 since 2016 (at 100.5)
And they abandon the actual 2.5% and 5% cutoffs several years ago, with lower participation. They now aim for a number of participants, not a percentage. Last Fall’s percentages were 6.8% and 13.4%.
Seems like only yesterday. 
I think a lot of us are saying much the same thing - nobody has said “yes, an almost-qualifying/barely-qualifying will substantially move the needle, especially at the more competitive schools.” Can’t hurt, but this isn’t a golden ticket either.
The AIME has such beautiful problems, if it were up to me, I’d let anybody take it, just to appreciate them.
1 Like
He sent it to Harvard, is holding off on the others. He realizes it’s not a Golden ticket, very few things are. It’s not the strongest part of his application, but he was very excited to see personal improvement.
1 Like
You are right. Nowadays very few things are Golden tickets. As others said, it’s not going to hurt.