<p>Ahh if you want how I did it
I went to the AoPS forums and did math basically for 2 hours each day between 8th and 9th grade by looking at people's posts of solutions to problems. I rarely used books (i only had AoPS 1 and 2 and those are still the ones I had)</p>
<p>Since its almost AMC time and Im pretty sure you guys have more of a life than like, you guys should just remember basic concepts.
Like look for similar triangles (most important geometry concept), patterns in number theory, algebra-solving equations, sometimes brute forcing to get ideas, probability-that one is harder, i guess you have to be very good at analyzing different cases and dont overcount.</p>
<p>and yea about that 800/5 with amc score. I got 720 in math in 8th grade, 75 on psat last year in math, 77 last year (-3, -1, -1 respectively)-stupid careless mistake especially on the latter 2 tests and i was getting 120s on AMC 10s and 90s on AMC 12s in 8th grade...yea go figure. I did get a 5 on calc BC though and am pretty confident i finally got a 800 on this Dec SAT math section.</p>
<p>My goal is to spend ~1 hr a day until February using AOPS, which I'm accomplishing so far. I'm probably going to retake the SAT in March, so this works out as math prep I suppose.</p>
<p>This year Ima go ballistic if I dont qualify for USAMO. 124.5/7 Last year, but like a true nerd, I been working on some Putnam as well as standard AoPS, so this should be better. Damn careless errors too</p>
<p>I'm taking them of course. It'd be fun to go to MOP again, but I haven't really been practicing this year since it doesn't really matter as much. I'm thinking about Putnam now. :D</p>
<p>AoPS Volumes 1 + 2 should get you through the AMC12 no problem and probably the AIME too. I'd also say Paul Zeitz's "The Art and Craft of Problem Solving" is a good AIME-level book.</p>
<p>For USAMO, I'd start with Arthur Engel's "Problem Solving Strategies."</p>
<p>I think "Geometry Revisited" is probably a great book for Olympiad-level geometry. It is, however, extremely difficult. That is, every time I try to read it, I get through the first chapter and think "Being able to solve one USAMO #6 soooooo isn't worth this" and then I stop. :p</p>
<p>I think "Geometry Revisited" is probably a great book for Olympiad-level geometry. It is, however, extremely difficult. That is, every time I try to read it, I get through the first chapter and think "Being able to solve one USAMO #6 soooooo isn't worth this" and then I stop.
<p>Any seniors planning on sending their colleges their scores in feb/march if you do a fair bit better? </p>
<p>About the USAMO number 6, the sad thing is that no one outside of HS and college admissions really cares about the high school math competitions.</p>
<p>Bumped because I'd like an idea of how everyone's coming along in preparing.</p>
<p>Currently I'm in Ch 3 of AOPS 1 (started Saturday?). I've done all the in chapter exercises up to this point. I'm doing all of the odd end of chapter problems so I can save the evens for review closer to February.</p>
<p>I FINALLY finished AoPS 1 in early December. I've started AoPS 2 and the difficulty level of the questions fluctuate a lot more it seems. It can go from easy, to uber hard, if you don't really have a strong grasp of the material. The one thing I really hate about the AMC is the time limit. It's frustrating to know that you have the skill necessary to solve every problem, but are unable to do so because of the time limit -_- Ah well. I'll just practice until my hands become sore, and hope that I can solve problems faster. In fact, does anyone know of a way to get faster at problem solving? To be able to see through the problem at a glance, from the very start?</p>
<p>Putnam = University level competition
AoPS = Art of Problem Solving (A book on problem solving)
MOP = A special camp for talented math students to train them for the IMO.</p>
<p>I just wish I'd been taught math like AoPS since elementary school. Otherwise, math is just memorize the formula, spit it out, etc. </p>
<p>Kinda reminds me of a recent math competition my school's MAO participated in. The official solutions to one of the problems expected us to know the formula for the volume of an annulus. Memorizing formulas isn't math.</p>
<p>I think the AMC 12 is pretty tough. The two times I took it, I got absymally low scores. How would you guys who have taken this before compare it to Math Level 2 and SAT math? I'm thinking my improvement since last year on SAT math may translate over?</p>
<p>I probably won't do well, and I'm seriously not going to annoy my school enough to be the one person to take it. I'll wait until junior year when I'm (hopefully) at a magnet school.</p>
<p>
[quote]
lol @ the jargon in this thread, Putnam? AoPS? MOP? Uh...</p>
<p>Eh, my school doesn't offer this I think.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>yeah... hopefully this is like a school-supported-ish thing. cause with all these people taking it, i feel ridiculously inferior for not even knowing what they're talking about. (at first i thought movies, but math, right? haha)</p>