Began: 1972
Number of Questions: 6
Time Allowed: 6 hours
Type of Exam: Essay / proof
Date Offered: Six weeks after the AIME
Scored: Centrally, at the office of the AMC, Lincoln, Nebraska approximately one week after the exam.
Grading: Seven points for each correct solution; partial credit is given.
Maximum Score: 42 points
Purpose: To discover and challenge secondary school students with outstanding mathematical talent - a combination of superior ingenuity, knowledge, and computational expertise.
Registration: Not Applicable.
Cost of Participation: None
Eligibility: Reference detailed explanation below.

The USAMO provides a means of identifying and encouraging the most creative secondary mathematics students in the country. It serves to indicate the talent of those who may become leaders in the mathematical sciences of the next generation. The USAMO is part of a worldwide system of national mathematics competitions, a movement in which both educators and research mathematicians are engaged in recognizing and celebrating the imagination and resourcefulness of our youth. The top six scorers on the USAMO comprise the United States team that competes in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The IMO began in 1959; the USA has participated since 1974.

The USAMO is a six question 6 hour essay/proof examination. All problems can be solved with pre-calculus methods. Approximately 180 of the top scoring AMC participants (based on a weighted average) are invited to take the USAMO. Participation on the USAMO will be limited to American citizens or permanent residents in other words, those seeking citizenship and currently possessing a U.S.A. Immigration "green card".

The method of selection of USAMO participants is based on the student's index which is a combination of the AMC and AIME scores. Specific criteria for selection to participate in the USAMO is as follows:
 

First Group:	The top 120 students.
Second Group:	The next 10 students in grades 11 and below.
Third Group:	The next 10 students in grades 10 or below.
Fourth Group:	The next 10 students in grades 9 or below.
Fifth Group:	One student from each state, one student from the combined U.S.A. Territories, and one student from the APO/FPO schools- if not represented in the first four groups.

Thus, for USAMO invitation, students should do the best they can on both the AMC->10 or AMC->12 and the AIME.

A report of the results of the USAMO will appear in the AMC National Summary of results including a list of the highest ranking individuals and the Honorable Mention list. Information concerning the Olympiad Awards Ceremony, Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP) and International Mathematical Olympiad will also be presented.

USAMO Awards

The eight top scoring USAMO contestants are invited to a two day Olympiad Awards Ceremony in Wahington DC. sponsored by the MAA, the Microsoft Corporation and the Matilda Wilson Foundation.