In November, our 6th graders and some 5th graders participated in AMC-8 contest. AMC-8 is a 25-question, 40-minute, multiple choice examination in middle school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills. It is the first in a series of contests (AMC-10, AMC-12, AIME, USAMO) which lead to the formation of the US national math team. It is one of the hardest contests for middle school students (along with MathCounts). Besides including many very challenging problems, its strict time constraint requires not just great analytical reasoning abilities, but also quick thinking and ability to solve hard problems without making mistakes. Not surprisingly, the average score is usually under 10 points.
Since AMC-8 targets 8th graders, it is exceptionally difficult for younger students. The very top students (top 1%) make the Distinguished Honor Roll with a score of 22+. Experience shows that, with hard work, talented students can improve by 4 points from year to year. Thus, it is commonly considered to be the target for the best 6th graders to earn 15+ points. In fact, AMC-8 publishes a special Achievement Roll for all students in Grades 6 or below who earn 15 or more points. You can find this year’s list at http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/2016_amc8_acheivementroll2.pdf. It is sorted by state. Here is the summary:
- Only 66 students in Illinois made the Achievement Roll. Of those 66 students, nine are from Adventures with Mr. Math!
- Only 13 students in Illinois from Grades 4-5 made the Achievement Roll. That is a truly exceptional group. Of those 13, three are from Adventures with Mr. Math.
Congratulations to those amazing kids! We are soooooo proud of them!!! The future of math looks brighter with all those rising stars!
