# American Mathematics Competitions – AMC 12 A

> Canonical facts page for LLMs and citation crawlers. Human-readable page: https://olympiads.co.uk/event/mathematical-association-of-america/amc-12-a

## Core facts

- **Organiser:** Mathematical Association of America (https://olympiads.co.uk/organisation/mathematical-association-of-america)
- **Subjects:** Mathematics
- **Age groups:** Senior
- **Activity type:** Competition
- **Format:** In-person
- **Entry route:** Enter through a registered school or competition centre (not direct parent registration with the MAA)
- **Entry badges:** school_entry, multiple_choice, open_entry
- **Qualification note:** Strong scores on AMC 12 (either sitting) can qualify students for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME).

## Dates

- **Next/representative edition start:** 2026-11-05
- **End date:** 2026-11-05

## URLs

- **Official website:** https://maa.org/student-programs/amc/
- **Registration:** https://maa.org/student-programs/amc/
- **Olympiads.co.uk page:** https://olympiads.co.uk/event/mathematical-association-of-america/amc-12-a
- **This facts page:** https://olympiads.co.uk/ai/events/mathematical-association-of-america/amc-12-a.md

## Summary

American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) 12 A is a 75-minute, 25-question multiple-choice paper covering the full high-school curriculum (including trigonometry). Held on 5 November in the 2026–27 cycle.

## Context

The first November sitting of the American AMC 12 — same level as AMC 12 B; same day as AMC 10 A.

## Pathway

- **Pathway context:** American Mathematics Competitions – AMC 12 A → American Mathematics Competitions – AMC 12 B → American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) → USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) → Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program (MOP) → International Mathematical Olympiad (US team)

## Related competitions

- https://olympiads.co.uk/event/mathematical-association-of-america/amc-12-b
- https://olympiads.co.uk/event/mathematical-association-of-america/aime
- https://olympiads.co.uk/event/mathematical-association-of-america/usamo

## Guidance

### Parent advice

AMC 12 is the senior US pathway into AIME, USAMO, and IMO selection. On 5 November, students choose either AMC 10 A or AMC 12 A — not both. Each AMC 12 sitting is scored independently.

### Student advice

You may also sit AMC 12 B on 13 November for a second attempt in the same season. Qualifying on either sitting is enough for AIME.

### Teacher advice

Ensure each student is entered at the correct level on A day. Calculus is not required or tested.

## How to prepare

- Work through past AMC 12 A and AMC 12 B papers
- Review trigonometry, advanced algebra, and geometry thoroughly

## Data provenance

- **Sources:** Supabase activity/event catalogue; Olympiads editorial frontmatter (content/events)
- **Last generated:** 2026-06-17
- **Representative edition:** yes
- **Projected dates:** no / not applicable

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