How to Approach the AMC Math Competition 2023: A Practical Guide
The AMC (American Mathematics Competitions) are run by the Mathematical Association of America and serve as the first gate in the US math competition pipeline. If you score well enough, you advance to the AIME, then potentially to USAMO and the national team pipeline. The 2023 cycle followed the same structure as previous years, though there were some logistical changes worth knowing about before you register. There are three levels: AMC 8 (grades 8 and below), AMC 10 (grades 10 and below), and AMC 12 (grades 12 and below). In 2023, the AMC 10 and AMC 12 both had two administers — the "A" version on November 8 and the "B" version on November 14. You could take whichever one your school offered, or if both were available, you could take both. The AMC 8 was administered earlier, typically in February. Each exam consists of 25 multiple-choice questions, 75 minutes long, with answer choices labeled A through E. The scoring is straightforward: one point per correct answer, zero for blanks and incorrect answers. No penalty for guessing. This matters more than people realize.
In 2023, the exams shifted to a digital format for the first time. Both versions were administered on computers through a platform called Desmos. This wasn't without issues. On the first day, some students experienced login delays, screen timeouts, and problems with the built-in graphing calculator. By the B version on November 14, most of these bugs were patched, but the experience was still uneven depending on your school's setup. If you're preparing for a future cycle, expect the digital format to continue and build your familiarity with it now rather than on test day.
Registration and What You Need
Registration goes through your school. You don't register directly with MAA. Your school's math department coordinator — usually the competition math teacher or department head — is the one who submits scores and registers students. If you're not in a school that offers the AMC, you may need to contact a nearby school willing to host you or look into independent testing arrangements, which are rare but not impossible. You'll need a valid school email and an institutional code provided by your coordinator. The registration window typically opens in September and closes shortly before the exam date. Schools register as institutions first, then add students. Budget for the fee, which in 2023 was around $45 per exam per student, though some schools subsidize it.
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Preparation That Actually Works
Most people waste time on the wrong materials. The AMC doesn't test calculus. It doesn't test advanced proofs. It tests problem-solving ability with high school math — algebra, geometry, number theory, and combinatorics — at a level that's often deeper than what appears in a standard curriculum. The single most efficient prep resource is past AMC exams. They're freely available through the MAA website. Work through AMC 10 and AMC 12 problems from 2015 to 2022 at minimum. Do them under timed conditions. Don't just check your answer and move on. If you got it wrong, spend 20 minutes figuring out why. If you got it right but used a brute-force method, figure out the elegant solution too. For topic-specific gaps, the Art of Problem Solving textbooks cover the relevant material well. Volume 1 handles algebra and counting. Volume 2 covers geometry and number theory. They're dense, but they match the AMC's style. If you find AoPS too slow, their online classes are structured around the same material with more guidance.
Another thing I wish someone had told me: learn to use Desmos effectively before test day. In 2023, the digital exam included a built-in Desmos graphing calculator. Some students didn't know it was there and spent time sketching graphs by hand. Others discovered it mid-exam and immediately solved three problems they would have otherwise struggled with. Practice plotting functions, finding intersections, and visualizing systems of equations in Desmos. It's allowed and it's powerful, but only if you know how to use it quickly.
Test Day Strategy
The no-guessing-penalty rule changes everything about how you should approach the exam. Every question you leave blank is a free point you're giving away. Guess on everything you can't solve. Even a random guess gives you a 20 percent chance of a point. Over 25 questions, that adds up. Time management is where most students self-sabotage. The exam is designed so that the first 15 questions are accessible to anyone with solid algebra and geometry skills. Questions 16 through 20 get harder. Questions 21 through 25 are genuinely difficult. Don't spend more than three minutes on any single problem before the 20 mark. If you're stuck, eliminate obviously wrong answers and guess. Moving on is always better than sitting there. I remember one student in particular who spent nine minutes on AMC 12 problem 22 in 2023 — a number theory problem involving modular arithmetic and Chinese Remainder Theorem. He found a valid residue class but missed a constraint in the problem statement. Nine minutes lost. He finished with about four minutes remaining and couldn't even attempt the last problem. That pattern is far more common than you'd think.
Common Pitfalls
Students frequently misread questions. The AMC loves to word problems in ways that look simple but require careful parsing. "What is the sum of all positive integers n such that..." is not the same as "Find the largest positive integer n such that..." Read every word. Underline the actual question being asked. Another issue: students who only prepare by watching solution videos without doing the problems themselves. There's a significant difference between following someone else's solution and arriving at it on your own. If you can't solve a problem within 10 to 15 minutes of honest effort, look at the solution, close it, and redo the problem from scratch the same day. That's where the learning happens. There's also the digital transition problem. If you've only ever taken paper-based math competitions, the shift to a screen-based format with a calculator tool will slow you down initially. Practice on a computer. Use a mouse or trackpad. Get used to the interface. This alone can save you five to ten minutes during the actual exam.
When the AMC Isn't Right For You
The AMC is excellent for students who enjoy problem-solving and want to test their skills against peers nationally. It's not ideal if you're looking for a competition that tests computational speed or memorized formulas — the AMC rewards insight over calculation. It's also not the best first competition if you've never encountered proof-based or competition-style problems before. Consider starting with something like the Math League or local math circles to build comfort with the format before committing to the AMC. If you're in grade 8 or below, the AMC 8 is the entry point. It's shorter, with 30 questions in 40 minutes, and covers slightly less advanced material. It's a good confidence builder before moving to AMC 10.
After the Exam
Scores typically come out in late December for the November exams. The cutoff scores for advancing to the AIME are published around the same time. In 2023, the AMC 10A cutoff was 94.5 and the AMC 12A cutoff was 85.5, though these vary year to year depending on the difficulty of the exam. If you're curious about your own chances, check the MAA's historical cutoff tables. If you qualify for the AIME, that's a separate exam with 15 integer-answer questions, three hours long, and significantly harder. Preparing for that requires a different study approach, but that's a separate topic entirely. The AMC is your doorway. You just need to walk through it.
