AMC Explained: Everything You Need To Know About The Australian Maths Competition

What is the AMC?

The Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) is an annual maths competition organised by the Australian Maths Trust (AMT) for students from year 3 to 12, across Australia and international borders. Established in 1978, it is Australia’s longest-running and largest mathematics competition.

Developed by Australia’s top educators and academics, the AMC is intended to be inclusive for all students. That means you don’t have to be a maths genius to participate, simply someone looking to have fun and challenge themselves. With an emphasis on problem-solving, the questions are designed to test and stimulate mathematical thinking rather than focus on the calculations themselves. Thus, they differ significantly from traditional assessment formats and are designed to be enjoyable for the students.

How do I sign up?

You can sign up for the AMC with your school. If your school does not offer the exam, you can contact other coaching clinics and tutoring centres that may be registered with the AMT. 

Competition Structure

The AMC consists of 30 problems: 25 multiple-choice questions and 5 integer questions, designed to progressively increase in difficulty. 

The competition is divided into five divisions based on year levels:

• Middle Primary: Years 3 and 4
• Upper Primary: Years 5 and 6
• Junior: Years 7 and 8
• Intermediate: Years 9 and 10
• Senior: Years 11 and 12

Students are allocated 60 minutes for the primary divisions and 75 minutes for the secondary divisions. Calculators are not permitted for secondary students, although geometric tools like rulers and compasses are allowed. The competition can be conducted in both online and printed formats.

Topics may include:

• Basic arithmetic
• Fractions and ratios
• Algebra and pre-algebra
• Geometry
• Measurement
• Statistics and probability
• Problem-solving (including enumeration)

Scoring and Awards

Points are awarded based on the difficulty of the questions:

• Question 1-10: 3 marks each
• Questions 11-20: 4 marks each
• Questions 21-25: 5 marks each
• Questions 26-30: 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 marks respectively

There is no penalty given for incorrect answers, and therefore it is highly encouraged that students attempt all questions.

Awards are given based on performance, comprising of:

• Participation: For all participants
• Proficiency: For students meeting a pre-set score
• Credit: Top 55% of participants (60% for Seniors)
• Distinction: Top 20% of participants (25% for Seniors)
• High Distinction: Top 3% of participants (5% for Seniors)
• Medals and Prizes: For outstanding results, with specific awards for best performers in each division, each school and for perfect scores (*the cut-off scores for awards are determined by comparing the student’s results with their cohort and region, thus may vary)

You can find more information here on the Australian Maths Trust page on the AMC.

Key Dates

You can find more information here on the Australian Maths Trust page on the AMC.

FAQs

Why should I participate in the AMC?

Participating in the AMC offers numerous benefits for students. 

The AMC enhances problem-solving skills by challenging students with a variety of mathematical problems that require critical thinking and innovative problem-solving strategies. Outside of the competition, your enhanced logical reasoning and analytical skills can be beneficial in an academic and real-world setting.

Participation in the AMC can also be a noteworthy addition to a student’s academic portfolio (or those of you looking to fill out your CV!). This can help in scholarship and school applications, or even work experience/internships. 

What are the main challenges faced by students in the AMC?

Time pressure. Because students only have 60 minutes for primary divisions and 75 minutes for secondary divisions to complete the 30 questions, students need to work as quickly and efficiently to answer as many questions as possible within the time limit. Therefore, it is highly recommended that students complete at least one full practice paper beforehand as preparation.

Lack of calculator use. As secondary students are not allowed to use calculators during the AMC, their mental maths and estimation skills are challenged, especially in more complex calculations. 

Unfamiliar Question Types. The AMC aims to assess students’ problem-solving abilities rather than just their school curriculum knowledge, thus designing questions that may present familiar mathematical concepts in unfamiliar or abstract formats. Students will need to think creatively in order to answer such questions successfully. 

How do I prepare for the AMC?

The best way to prepare is to work through sample problems. Sample AMC problem sets for your year levels are available on the Australian Mathematics Trust website. Each set includes 6 problems and worked solutions drawn from previous papers. This helps develop problem-solving skills and strategies for approaching different types of questions, as well as help familiarise yourself with the format and types of questions. Additional free resources are offered in Problemo (Sandpit) for different year levels and topics. Collections of past problems are also available for purchase on the AMT’s online shop here.

On top of that, you can also attend math enrichment programs, like the AMT’s Maths Challenge and Maths Enrichment modules, for additional practice and support from experienced educators.

Want more personalized study guidance to help drastically improve your marks? A private tutor can make the biggest difference!

Written by KIS Academics Tutor for VCE English and Chemistry, Janice Mak. Janice is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Law/Commerce at UNSW. You can view Janice’s profile here and request her as a tutor.