Official AIME Discussion Thread

Test Preparation
21

<p>hey texas137- im a sophmore who took the amc 12, would i just need to get the the floor score or do i need 220 to get into USAMO???</p>

22

<p>I think I got a 5, maybe even a 6 if I'm lucky. That test was really fun though.</p>

23

<p>4 is a very good score, especially considering the average is generally 2</p>

24

<p>oh really?
sweet
not that it matters
I still need another 6-7 to get 220</p>

25

<p>Actually, the way the scoring works, is that about the top 150-200 students or so, that took the amc12, are selected, the floor score works out to around 210 or so. (meaning if you got 150 on amc12, you would still need a 6 on the aime) Then, among those students who took the amc10, whoever scored higher than the lowest "floor score" among those who took the amc12 would also get into the USAMO. i.e if a person scored 150 on the amc12, and got 6 on the aime, they would most likely get in, but have the aime score among those that made it. Then, anyone who took the amc10 and scored higher than a six on the aime would also get into the USAMO</p>

26

<p>"The lowest USAMO cutoff I've seen is a 213; the highest a 226."</p>

<p>Thats really only true in recent times - last year was 210.5 specifically. They year before, indeed the highest was 226, but in previous years it was much lower. Before 2000, it wasn't uncommon for students to qualify with indices of 200 or lower (this was before the floor system was in place, and preference was given to younger students by "groups." Thus, younger students could get in with AIME scores of 5 or even 4. Don't expect that this year!)</p>

27

<p>darn it, i thot i had a 4 but made a stupid adding mistake and now i hope to get 3</p>

28

<p>whats AIME? sorry if its a stupid question.</p>

29

<p>aznsnake: you'll just need the AIME floor (6-8)</p>

<p>CMU: AIME = "American Invitational Exam" <a href="http://www.unl.edu/amc%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.unl.edu/amc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

30

<p>well i got 10,11,or 12 not sure for 2 questions. So my index is 230 at the lowest That should be enough for the cutoff. What did you guys get for #10 and 11? I'm hoping i got them both.</p>

31

<p>
[quote]
What did you guys get for #10 and 11?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>please do not discuss specific questions until noon on Thursday. (and congratulations!)</p>

32

<p>was the highest index in 2003? i remember it was like 226 about in 03 has it ever been higher</p>

33

<p>
[quote]
was the highest index in 2003? i remember it was like 226 about in 03 has it ever been higher

[/quote]
</p>

<p>tetrahedron is right, the system was completely different in the past. They used to take the top 120 or so, then the next 20 in grades 11 and below, next 20 in grades 10 and below, next 20 in grades 9 and below. There were a lot of changes around 2001 or so when the AHSME was changed to the AMC10 and 12, and then some tweaking over a couple of years to get the current system.</p>

<p>In 2003 the AIME floor was 8, so an index of 226 sounds right. That was unusually high. Generally, a junior or senior can probably figure an index of 220 will be enough. In 2002, I think the AIME floor was 6, so index was 210. And in 2004 I think it was AIME floor 7. Tetrahedron says the index was 210.5, which also sounds about right. It was definitely less than 220.</p>

<p>Just take these numbers as a general idea. There isn't a set cut-off for anything until they actually score all the AIMEs and see what they have. They don't committ themselves in advance, and have been known to jiggle the USAMO selection process after the AIME is done in order to get the results they want.</p>

34

<p>yeah same here
DUMB mistake
3 not 4.</p>

35

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36

<p>Anyone willing to PM to compare answers? If so PM me.</p>

37

<p>Worked through 14. Thought I had 10 right, but looks like dumb mistakes lowered me down to around 3! I really am in shock. Mistake after mistake after mistake....... I am no longer a-USAMO dreaming. It was harder than previous years, but still....
Thankfully, I am a senior.</p>

38

<p>I did 10 or so, but I'm afraid I made some really stupid mistakes on some of them. Anyone who wants to compare answers can PM me, too! I'm getting pretty anxious.</p>

39

<p>I thought that I had 10 right, but upon further examination it appears that I made an incredibly stupid mistake on one of them. Now, the best possible is 9; I don't think that it will be much lower than that. Still, ouch... I'm right on the borderline for USAMO.</p>

40

<p>what is your amc score random?</p>