to AMC and beyond

<p>What have y'all gathered about normal ranges of AMC or AIME scores for admits? Is there a quartile report out there, like collegeboard has for SATs? I haven't been able to find it. The most recent AMC was more difficult than those of the recent past, from what my upperer classman friends have told me, and it's got me a little worried about my score and where it'll stand.</p>

<p>There's no formal report. On a typical AMC, 3 and below is points for trying (still much better than nothing), 3-6 is reasonably impressive, 7-10 is quite impressive, 11+ typically results in open mouths. Just as a rough guide.</p>

<p>wait...what about the AMC (not the AIME)? and i'm glad that i'm not the only one who thought it was harder this year.</p>

<p>erm, right, sorry, I was giving AIME guidelines. In a typical year, below 110 is points for trying 110-120 is good, 120-130 is very good, 130-140 is excellent, and 140+ is open mouths. But it depends on what the other scores that year look like, obviously.</p>

<p>Obiously these are very rough approximations and in general what's important is the information provided by the scores within the context of your application. For example, a 110 or 120 from someone at a school with little enrichment available, etc. would be as impressive as a 140 for someone who has clearly spent a lifetime training for the AMC. So do well, but don't go crazy over the little things, since we take into account what you had to work with.</p>

<p>How have y'all prepared for AMC's past? Are old ones availible, online or otherwise somewhere? Any advice would be 'preciated.</p>

<p>The math team coach gave me old AMCs for practice.</p>

<p>The AMC12</a> Archives should be a good site to explore; You can also order past
exams from UNL (they are about a buck each and totally worth it).</p>

<p>You may find the</a> AoPS forum and the books from AoPS to be helpful :)</p>

<p>I've never even taken AMC...so there...</p>

<p>i got a 91.5....sigh</p>

<p>i got 120 on amc 12 at a school with "VERY little enrichment" (i was the youngest person in the district to make AIME - as a sophomore). haha. Ben's post gives me some hope about my chances into caltech.</p>

<p>While we're on the topic of needlessly posting our AMC scores, I got to the AIME in 7th grade. I think that was the height of my career in taking math contests.</p>

<p>Note to any potential Caltech frosh:
1) Most people here do not approve of comparing scores. You're here to learn and stretch yourself, not to compete...
2) Most likely there are people here that scored much higher than you anyway. Although Neapol1s could have gone about it in a nicer way, he made a point that you are going to realize if you come here--you could be the smartest kid in your school, or your district, or your state, or whatever. Caltech is the home of some of the smartest people in the WORLD. You will almost definitely not be the smartest person here.</p>

<p>Edit: I should note that I find this to be a greatly positive thing. One of the things I enjoy most about Caltech is that there are smarter people than me--people who can stretch me and help me grow.</p>

<p>A few months ago I was knocking on a friend who goes to Caltech because Caltech seems to never do well on the Putnam anymore. (I was actually kidding; I think the Putnam, as well as any test, is incapable of measuring intelligence to a great degree.)</p>

<p>I got the response, "That's because, firstly, Caltech students are surprisingly non-competitive. Secondly, we're more concerned with finding solutions to serious problems than studying up for a silly contest that isn't going to do anyone any good."</p>

<p>That's one of the reasons I applied to Caltech, actually. In my high school especially, there's just so much competition, and it gets tiring after a while... competition often brings up the goal of winning instead of acquiring knowledge and it's often malignant to a student body's intelligence and personality.</p>

<p>A senior math major told me that a lot of people don't prepare for the Putnam because they don't want to be tools.</p>