About the AMC
About the Competition
The Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) has 25 multiple-choice questions and five questions that require whole number answers. Students may attempt as many questions as they wish. The earlier problems may use familiar mathematics while the later problems are more difficult and are intended to challenge. It is not a test on the curriculum but an opportunity for students to display or discover their problem-solving talent.
Benefits to Students
- All students receive a detailed report showing how they went on each problem, with comparisons as to wider statistics.
- All students receive a certificate or award commensurate with their performance.
- The AMC provides the student an extra opportunity for external recognition. The certificates are often kept by students for their folios. They are well understood by employers and so can be used as evidence of problem solving ability.
- Unlike formal examinations in mathematics, many of the problems are set in situations to which students can relate, indicating the relevance of mathematics in their everyday lives. Above all the competition is designed to be enjoyable, even for those students who might not have performed as well as they may have hoped. Certainly the event is intended to be conducted in a pressure-free environment (not normally affecting school assessment) and the questions are designed to be of sufficient interest to stimulate discussion at a later time, with friends, parents or in the class.
- Competitions can inspire a greater interest in the subject and a love of learning.
- Students are given an opportunity to participate in a large event attempting the same problems as students in other schools and other countries.
Benefits to Schools
In addition to the direct benefits to students, all schools which enter the AMC receive, free of charge, a confidential set of statistics which the school can use in checking its performances overall, and by topic, with statistics overall for their state or region.
Results
Results are based on the total score: Questions 1 to 10 are worth 3 points, 11 to 20 are worth 4 points and 21 to 25 are worth 5 points. Questions 26 to 30 are worth 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 points, respectively. Students with the same number of correct answers may have different scores.
Awards up to Prize are decided by comparing total scores within the country or Australian state and school year of the student. A student in a particular year in a country or Australian state will only be compared with other students in the same group. As a result there will be different cut-offs for awards in different locations.
All students will receive the highest possible of the following awards. Generally,- PRIZE is awarded to no more than one student for every 300 students within their year and region.
- HIGH DISTINCTION is awarded to a student in the top 3% (top 5% for Senior) of their year and region.
- DISTINCTION is awarded to a student in the top 20% (top 25% for Senior) of their year and region.
- CREDIT is awarded to a student in the top 55% (top 60% for Senior) of their year and region.
- PROFICIENCY is awarded to students who achieve a preset score, but have not been awarded a Credit (or higher) certificate. The score will be set no higher than 32 points.
- PARTICIPATION is awarded to all other students.
- BEST IN SCHOOL is awarded to the student with the highest AMC score in a school (after statistical calibration), based on the minimum achievement of Distinction award, and minimum AMC entries of 50 (secondary) or 30 (primary).
Scoring System
Questions 1 to 10 are worth 3 points, 11 to 20 are worth 4 points and 21 to 25 are worth 5 points. Questions 26 to 30 are worth 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 points, respectively.
No penalties apply for wrong attempts. Maximum score equals 135 points.
The first 25 questions are multiple choices with 5 choices. The last 5 question have an integer answer between 0 and 999.
Setting the Problems
The problems are set by two volunteer committee of Australia's most experienced teachers and academics. The process of setting the paper commences 18 months in advance, to allow the extensive moderation which has given the paper its reputation for mathematical and typographical accuracy over the years.
Syllabus Relationship
The first 20 questions are intended to be directly familiar to students from their classroom experience. The problems are carefully moderated by experienced teachers in each state each year to ensure that the problems are suitable for students in their respective states. The later problems are more difficult and may be in unexpected contexts, but they have been graded to ensure that the skills required are commensurate with those taught at that level.
Australian Mathematics Trust
The Australian Mathematics Trust (AMT) is a national not-for-profit organisation and its board includes representatives from the Australian Association of mathematics teachers, Australian Academy of science and Australian mathematical society. The AMT administers a number of other mathematics and informatics activities, including open events such as the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians (MCYA), the Australian Informatics Competition (AIC) and the Australian Informatics Olympiad (AIO).
