Posted by The 2020 AMC 8 opens on November 10th! In the five weeks before the exam there is still a lot students can do to maximize their score. For more information about the AMC 8 visit our “All You Need to Know” post here. Our 2020-21 Competition Calendar available here has important dates for STEM competitions this school year.
Practice Real Problems and Review
In the final weeks before the AMC 8, students should focus on reviewing old AMC 8 problems and strengthening the concepts and tricks from problems they struggle with.
- It is recommended students take at least one Mock AMC 8 Exam each week before the exam. Mock Exams (with random AMC 8 questions from previous years) are available on the Zoom International Math League (ZIML) site here.
- In addition to Mock Exams, students should review problems from the previous contests. Previous AMC 8 Contests are available on the ZIML site by clicking here.
- Don’t know which problems to focus on? Selected problems from previous years are covered in five ZIML AMC 8 Problem Reviews (available for purchase here). Grab the bundle to save!
- Video solutions to last year’s AMC 8 are also available in full here.
- The November Online ZIML Monthly Contest is a great final practice before exam. Division M features problems similar to the AMC 8. Registration is available by clicking here.
Five Week Plan
By October 13th (Week 1):
The main goal this week is to start becoming more comfortable with the format of the AMC 8 and what types of problems you’ll encounter. While the early AMC 8 exams are typically a little easier than more recent years, they still provide a good idea of what types of problems to expect. Suggested this week:
- Take a Mock AMC 8 Exam on the ZIML site. Click here to visit the Mock AMC 8 Page.
- Review problems from the AMC 8 from years 1999-2006. Click here for past AMC 8 problems.
- Review solutions to selected problems using the ZIML Problem Reviews (1999-2002 video available here, 2002-2006 video available here).
By October 20th (Week 2):
The main goal this week is to start focusing on concepts and problem types you have difficulty with. Review the questions you get wrong and make sure you understand multiple ways to solve them. Suggested this week:
- Take a Mock AMC 8 Exam on the ZIML site. Click here to visit the Mock AMC 8 Page.
- Review problems from the AMC 8 from years 2007-2014. Click here for past AMC 8 problems.
- Review solutions to selected problems using the ZIML Problem Reviews (2007-2010 video available here, 2011-2014 video available here).
By October 27th (Week 3):
The main goal this week is to finalize the concepts, topics, and problem types you want to review more during the next two weeks. Include notes and references for which problems you want to review and any additional resources. Suggested this week:
- Take a Mock AMC 8 Exam on the ZIML site. Click here to visit the Mock AMC 8 Page.
- Review problems from the AMC 8 from years 2015, 2016, and 2017. Click here for past AMC 8 problems.
- Review solutions to selected problems using the ZIML Problem Reviews (2015-2016 video available here).
By November 3rd (Week 4):
The main goal this week start the your final review! Use the notes and resources from before for reference on what to study. Suggested this week:
- Take a Mock AMC 8 Exam on the ZIML site. Click here to visit the Mock AMC 8 Page.
- Review problems from the AMC 8 from years 2018 and 2019. Click here for past AMC 8 problems.
- Review the full solutions to the 2019 AMC 8 (video available here).
By November 10th (Week 5):
Time for the final review! The November Online ZIML Monthly Contest is a great way to experience an online competition before the AMC 8 Exam. The November contest is open Nov. 6th-8th. Suggested this week:
- Take a final Mock AMC 8 Exam on the ZIML site. Click here to visit the Mock AMC 8 Page.
- Participate in the November ZIML Division M Competition. Click here for registration.
Most importantly, do your best on competition day! Hard work pays off and the competition is a great way to show how much you’ve improved along the way. Good luck everyone!
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