Young learners · AMC 8
AMC 8, for families starting early.
AMC 8 is written for grade 8 and below — but strong students in grades 4 to 6 sit it too, and the organiser keeps a dedicated award for them. This page is the young-learner view: who should sit it, when, and what a younger child can realistically win. The full paper-by-paper breakdown lives on the AMC 8 competition page.
Why families start here
What AMC 8 does for a younger student.
Run by the MAA since 1985 and sat in China since 2006, across some 30 countries, 6,000-plus schools and more than 300,000 students a year.
An award built for primary students
The Achievement Roll goes to candidates in grade 6 or below who score 15 or more — a genuine, dated target for a grade 4–6 student that does not require beating the grade 8 field.
No penalty, no trick marking
One mark per correct answer, nothing lost for a wrong one, 25 marks in total. A young candidate can attempt everything without tactics getting in the way.
Bilingual in China
The China sitting provides the paper in English and Chinese, so reading level does not distort a mathematics result for younger entrants.
The first rung of a long ladder
AMC 8 leads naturally to AMC 10 and 12 and, further up, the AIME. Starting at 8 means the later papers arrive as steps rather than cliffs.
Awards and lines
What a score is worth, year by year.
Individual awards: a Perfect Score at 25, the Distinguished Honor Roll for the global top 1%, the Honor Roll for the top 5%, and the Achievement Roll for grade 6 and below at 15+. Schools earn the School Honor Roll when their top three sum to 66 or more, and the Merit Roll at 50–65.
| Year | DHR — top 1% | HR — top 5% | Achievement Roll |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 23 | 19 | 15 |
| 2024 | 22 | 18 | 15 |
| 2023 | 21 | 17 | 15 |
| 2022 | 22 | 19 | 15 |
| 2020 | 21 | 18 | 15 |
| 2019 | 23 | 19 | 15 |
The Achievement Roll line is fixed at 15; the percentile lines move with the paper. For the 2027 cycle, registration closes 12 January 2027 and the contest is Friday 22 January 2027, 17:00–17:40, with scores about four weeks later and e-certificates at six to eight weeks.
Sitting online
The online sitting, answered before you ask.
The China organiser runs both in-person and online sittings. The online rules are specific, and knowing them early saves a stressful contest morning.
Two devices
A computer for the paper itself, plus a phone or tablet running as the invigilation camera. Both are tested before the day.
The mock sitting matters
The pre-contest mock exists to rehearse the monitoring setup and the exam system. It does not affect the score - but skipping it is how contest-day problems happen.
What may be on the desk
Identity document, blank scratch paper, eraser, ruler, compasses, pen and blank graph paper. No calculator, and nothing else.
Where results appear
Awards are announced through the China organiser's official service account, and scores are checked in the registration system's results page.
The route in
How a young student gets there.
Three programmes, one ladder — each step hands into the next.
Math Explorer
Competition thinking across Kangaroo, Australian AMC, Math League and SASMO — the shared foundation.
Pre-AMC 8 and AMC 8 courses
The structured syllabus, taught in small groups from a placement test.
Sit AMC 8 through Hanlin
Hanlin is an authorised test point and handles registration, the mock and the sitting — online or in person.
Talk to an advisor
Everything Hanlin does for AMC 8, in one conversation.
Whether this is the right year, which course tier fits, and a seat at the sitting when it is.
Competition entry and planning
Registration through the authorised test point, the mock sitting, and the deadline watched for you.
Competition coaching
Pre-AMC 8 and AMC 8 courses taught by the junior mathematics team, tiered by placement test.
School-synced tutoring
School mathematics kept solid alongside the competition work.
AMC 8 past papers, free
Past papers with answer keys, the formula collection and the official error-prone problem set. No charge and no enrolment.
Scan to add an advisor
Say the student's year group and school type. Replies in Chinese or English.
Or call +86 21 6352 6630AMC 8 enquiries
Registration closes before the contest does.
Tell us the student's year group, and an advisor will confirm the current cycle's dates and whether this is the year to sit or the year to build.