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Mathematical Association of America -- American Mathematics Competitions

USAMO

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2010 Date:

For the 2009-2010 school year the dates for the USAMO will be Tuesday and Wednesday, April 28-29, 2010.

Administration on an earlier date is not possible because the USAMO will be posted on the web 15 minutes prior to the start time.
2010 Date: For the next school year the plans are to tentatively continue to offer two official dates on which the contest may be taken are April 27 & 28, 2010.
Began: 1974
Number of Questions: 6 questions, 3 per day
Time Allowed: 9 hours, over 2 days - two 4.5 hour periods with 3 questions
Type of Exam: Essay
Date: Approximately 5 weeks after the last AIME, or about the last half of April. For the 2009-2010 school year the dates for the USAMO will be Tuesday and Wednesday , April 28-29 , 2010 .
Scored: Both the construction of the examination and the subsequent grading of the papers are conducted by the USAMO committee of the AMC usually the first weekend after the exam is taken.
Grading: Essays by committee.
Maximum Score: 42 points, 7 points for each question
Purpose: 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.
Material Covered: Problems would challenge most professional mathematicians. In addition to comprehensive mathematical knowledge, success on the USAMO requires truly exceptional mathematical creativity and inventiveness.
Teachers Manual: To see more detailed information on the latest USAMO contest rules and guide lines check in the most recent edition of the USAMO Teachers' Manual. This is included with the contests, answer forms, etc., sent to the teacher. It is also available online through the USAMO Archives page.
Participation Selection:

The USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) is a two day, nine-hour, six-question,essay-proof examination. Only USA citizens or permanent residents (currently possessing a USA green card) will be invited to officially take the USAMO.

Selection for the USAMO will be made according to the following rules:

  1. The goal is to select about 500 of the top scorers from this years’s AIME and AMC 12A, AMC 12B, AMC 10A and AMC 10B contests to participate in the USAMO.
  2. Selection will be based on the USAMO index which is defined as 10 times the student’s AIME score plus the student’s score on the AMC 12 or the AMC 10.
  3. The first selection will be the approximately 330 highest USAMO indices of students taking the AMC 12A or AMC 12B contest.
  4. The lowest AIME score among those 330 first selected will determine a floor value. The second selection of approximately 160 USAMO participants will be among students in the 10th grade and below who received an AIME score at least as high as the floor value. If there are more than 160 young students with a score above the floor value, then approximately 160 students will be selected from this group by using the USAMO index.
  5. The student with the highest USAMO index from each state, territory, or U.S. possession not already represented in the selection of the first and second groups will be invited to take the USAMO.
  6. To adjust for variations in contest difficulty, the number of students selected from A & B contests will be proportional to the number of students who took the A & B Contests. This also applies to the students who tale AIME I vs. AIME II.
  7. In advising young students (in grade 10 or below) who desire to be selected for the USAMO whether to take the AMC 12 contest or the AMC 10 contest, please be aware of the following facts:
    1. In 2008, among 503 students invited to take the USAMO, 232 were in 10th grade and below. Those students had scored 6 or greater on the AIME.
    2. Among those 232 students, 69 had their AIME qualifying high score based on the AMC 12 and 163 had their AIME qualifying high score based on the AMC 10.
    3. In 2008, among 8,702 students who took the AIME, 3,039 were in grades 10 and below. Of those, 845 qualified for the AIME from the AMC 12 and 2,194 qualified from the AMC 10.
Cost of Participation: None
If you have questions regarding the USAMO please contact the American Mathematics Competitions Director.