<p>So last year I qualified for the AIME with a score of 102 on the AMC12. But I completely failed at the AIME and wasnt even close to making USAMO. </p>
<p>How should I study or what should I do to make my goal of making USAMO this year? Approx. how many hours of studying do you guys think it would take to make this goal, because I really want to make USAMO this year. </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>This type of question is very common on AOPS, so I suggest you review that first. This is not the best site to be asking about USAMO.</p>
<p>Really depends. I made the USAMO back in 2010 with quite a bit of preparation beforehand, but I can’t say how many hours a day I spent (most of my preparation was during weekends or summer/winter breaks).</p>
<p>You may want to work on the harder AMC12 problems, since you’ll likely need 11-12 to ensure USAMO qualification with a 102 score. In fact, my senior year (2012) I scored an 8 on AIME but missed the cutoff since my AMC12 score was fairly low.</p>
<p>11 aime score guarantees qualification.</p>
<p>^Is that true? Even if you have a 210.5 index and the cutoff is >210.5?</p>
<p>IF the AIME cutoff is 100 points and the USAMO cutoff is <210, then an 11 has to guarantee USAMO… (100+110=210). I’m guessing if you can score an 11 on the AIME, you’ll have a little more than a 100 on the AMC… (Unless you’re strategizing to make the cutoff, which I doubt because you’re aiming for USAMO, not AIME)</p>
<p>I’ve been reading some of the AoPS books like Volume 1 and Volume 2, but how do I get better at number theory?!?!</p>
<p>^you do problems.</p>
<p>a) AIME difficulty varies wildly, so cutoffs vary rather wildly as well - for example, in 2011 the cutoff was around a 190, while this year it was a 210. </p>
<p>b) Do lots and lots and lots of problems. There are many places to find them - AoPS is one, but also look at (for example) the Art and Craft of Problem Solving as well. </p>
<p>c) Spend a few hours a day working on problems. You have a few months to prepare for the AIME, and about a month left for the AMC 12 (two months if you also do the B test, which I would highly recommend). Topics like combinatorics, number theory, and geometry often pose a challenge to people entering mathematical problem solving from traditional school-type math, so focus on those.</p>
<p>@wcao9311
This year, had you scored a 90 on the AMC 12 and then gotten an 11 on the AIME, you wouldn’t have made USAMO. It’s pretty unlikely, I know, but I’m just pointing out that an 11 on the AIME does not have to guarantee USAMO qualification in a pathological case~</p>
<p>I’m in my own predicament. I’m below where I want to be in geometry, but a little ahead in most of the other subcategories. I am fairly confident I’ll make AIME (all practice AMC 12 scores >100), so I’m trying to decide whether I should focus my efforts on getting better at geometry or should I work on solving more complicated problems in other subcategories. This is specifically in relevance to the harder AIME (there are always a couple tough geometry problems) and the last few AMC questions.</p>