How does a home schooler take an AMC exam???

[Hoggirl]

I was looking at their site, and I don't get it. My ds would take the AMC 8, but I would hope he would score well enough to take the AMC 10 this year. He is only in 8th grade, but he is accelerated in math.

[MBM]

I am not a homeschooler, but I found this site which might be helpful.

 

http://amc.maa.org/e-exams/e4-amc08/hsadmin8.shtml

 

The last date to register is November 10th but that would be cutting it very short. IIRC, the test is Tuesday, November 16th this year.

 

HTH. :)

 

ETA: Not sure if you're asking about registering. ?? Anyway, the test covers some algebra, geometry, number theory and counting and probability.

[Hoggirl]

I am not a homeschooler, but I found this site which might be helpful.

 

http://amc.maa.org/e-exams/e4-amc08/hsadmin8.shtml

 

The last date to register is November 10th but that would be cutting it very short. IIRC, the test is Tuesday, November 16th this year.

 

HTH. :)

 

ETA: Not sure if you're asking about registering. ?? Anyway, the test covers some algebra, geometry, number theory and counting and probability.

 

I think the test date is November 16th, but it looks like they really only want folks taking it at a public school and certain private schools???

[MBM]

Yes, I noticed it says 2009 at my first link, too, but November 16th falls on a Tuesday this year. Here is a different link that mentions it's Tuesday, November 16, 2010:

 

http://amc.maa.org/e-exams/e4-amc08/amc8.shtml

 

My son takes it at one of our local high schools. I'm not sure what homeschoolers do unfortunately. Maybe someone who's gone through the process will chime in soon.

[Mostlyamom]

Our home school group has offered the AMC8 for two years now. I think it needs to be offered in a public place, such as a library. The proctors can't be the parents of the students taking the exam.

 

I think we had the proctor mail the test the day that it was offered, but you'd need to read the rules. I may be getting it mixed up with the National Latin Exam that we also offered last year.

 

We divided the cost between students taking the exam, which I think was about $5 each for the 8-10 students. Some of our students received awards for their high score.

 

If your student is eligible for the AMC8, you should take that. In our area, the AMC10 test was offered (for free) at a local college, so our group did not offer that test separately--we didn't have enough students who were interested in it, either.

 

Also, I know of one case where we had great results with having 6th graders take the AMC8 test to prepare for higher scores at a later stage; the results proved to be very motivational for that student. The students use this website for reviewing a problem/day: http://maaminutemath.blogspot.com/

 

Oh, and if you don't have enough students to make your own group, if you don't mind paying the fee, I imagine you could just have a class of one, but just with an outside proctor.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Mostlyamom

[Belacqua]

When we've had the kid take AMCs, we've been fortunate to have a teacher friend who is willing to spend an hour after school proctoring the exam in her classroom. We've also had him take exams at the public library, and even a library in Canada (the AMC12 test date last spring fell during our trip to the Vancouver Olympics, and the area librarians were most gracious about helping us).

 

The test materials are sent to whomever you choose as a proctor (teacher, librarian; I think even a clergy person can do it), but the results go to you.

 

The person who answers e-mails at the AMC website has always been very helpful about explaining what can be a rather byzantine process.

[MBM]

Here is a bit more info from the FAQ section for AMC 8:

 

Q. AMC 8 #6. Who can proctor the contest?

 

A. The proctoring of the AMC 8 contest should be by:

1. In the first preference, a math teacher at the registered school
   
2. In the second preference, a teacher or administrator at the registered school
   
3. In the third preference, a college or university teacher of mathematics or a responsible adult not associated with or related to any of the participants who is a math club or team coach for the group of participants.
   
4. In the fourth preference, a responsible adult not associated with or related to any of the participants such as librarian, clergy, etc.
   
5. The proctoring of the contest must take place in a public building, (e.g. school, library, college or university, church).
   
6. The proctor should not be related to any of the participants.
   

I think nowadays students can just take the AMC 10, too. In the old days, didn't the younger ones need a certain score on the AMC 8 before moving on to the AMC 10?

[Belacqua]

I think nowadays students can just take the AMC 10, too. In the old days, didn't the younger ones need a certain score on the AMC 8 before moving on to the AMC 10?

 

I don't know what the rules used to be, but you're right that a student doesn't have to qualify for the AMC10 (or AMC12). As long as a kid isn't too old, he or she can take any of the exams. It isn't uncommon for a kid to take the AMC8, AMC10, and AMC12 in the same school year.

[Ailaena]

DD took the AMC 8 and 10 in 7/8 at a local public school in our previous state. I called the schools, found the person in charge of giving the test, and asked them if dd could take the test there. The teachers were nice, the kids were nice, there were no issues. They didn't even ask for $$, just welcomed her on in.

 

Last year, I did the same thing with our local high school and it was a freaking disaster. The teacher told us not to bring anything but a pencil, but would not give dd scratch paper. Worse that that, she let her kids use calculators. Worst of all, she never turned in the tests. After ignoring my emails, I showed up at her office, and she told me it was because none of her kids did well enough to matter, anyways. Loud, embarrassing words were said by me and that was that.

 

This year, I believe I will be pursuing the "responsile adult" option if dd wants to do it:D

 

No score is needed on the AMC 8 to take the 10 or the 12. HOWEVER, since the 8 is given in November and the others in February, I recommend taking the 8, seeing how he does, and if he feels comfortable, taking the 10 in the Spring. Especially if he has no experience with these types of tests. I know they say they cover x, y, z, but they really stretch the application and understanding of x, y and z to their limits. Being good at math means little on these tests, you really need coaching on how to do well on them. IMO, of course. If you start now, you can do 1-2 problems/day from back tests and get some exposure if you haven't already been doing that. In addition to what PP said, AOPS has some great resources!

 

HTH!

[Belacqua]

Last year, I did the same thing with our local high school and it was a freaking disaster. The teacher told us not to bring anything but a pencil, but would not give dd scratch paper. Worse that that, she let her kids use calculators. Worst of all, she never turned in the tests. After ignoring my emails, I showed up at her office, and she told me it was because none of her kids did well enough to matter, anyways. Loud, embarrassing words were said by me and that was that.

 

 

Buh...buh...I'm stammering! That's so horrible! And so sad that a teacher would cheat.

 

I agree with your suggestion to study old exams. And, as you said, AoPS is tremendously helpful. Their wiki has solutions to just about every AMC question ever asked.

 

For students just getting started with these exams, I recommend the book First Steps for Math Olympians by Faires. It's organized into different topics (eg. sequences and series, polygons, circle geometry, etc.) and has pretty detailed explanations and solutions.

[MBM]

The teacher told us not to bring anything but a pencil, but would not give dd scratch paper. Worse that that, she let her kids use calculators. Worst of all, she never turned in the tests. After ignoring my emails, I showed up at her office, and she told me it was because none of her kids did well enough to matter, anyways. Loud, embarrassing words were said by me and that was that.

 

Oh! My! Words fail me. Ack!

 

This year, I believe I will be pursuing the "responsile adult" option if dd wants to do it:D

 

No kidding! Just about anyone else besides that other teacher should do.

[KAR120C]

I was looking at their site, and I don't get it. My ds would take the AMC 8, but I would hope he would score well enough to take the AMC 10 this year. He is only in 8th grade, but he is accelerated in math.

It's really not a problem for homeschoolers to register - as has been mentioned you need to find a proctor to receive your test materials (so they're not sitting in the house with the kid for weeks before the test!), and of course to proctor the test, and it has to be in a public place. We've had teachers proctor (professional teachers associated with our homeschool group) -- basically as long as they're not parents of any of the test takers it's fine, but you can always call the registration people to ask if you have any doubts about a particular proctor's suitability. Then there were a bunch of signatures that had to go on a couple forms, and it had to all be mailed back, I think that same day.

 

We had an unfortunate situation with a local school too -- not as bad as the one Ailaena described. DS first took the AMC 8 when another mom had registered and arranged for a teacher at their local school to include her kid and mine with her class... but when we showed up they basically shoved us in a noisy office in a noisy corridor with a completely disinterested "proctor" who clearly had something better to do than deal with us. It wasn't a complete disaster, but it was close.

 

I agree with Ailaena too about "stretching"... these are well beyond your standard math curriculum, and if you aren't actively working on that sort of problem you should at least get a copy of an old test to see what to expect. They sell a CD of several years' worth of old tests, which is well worth the $20 or $25 they charge!

[Kathy in Richmond]

You've received lots of good advice already, so I'll just share some of our experiences. Both of my kids enjoyed and were challenged by these exams. We've been involved in the various levels from AMC-8 through USAMO & MOP since 2001, and we've loved every minute of it :). My kids are done now, but I still plan to offer the exams to local homeschooled kids this year.

 

As others have said, these exams test creative mathematical problem-solving. The concepts needed won't be advanced (even the USAMO requires nothing beyond precalculus), but the way that the student needs to apply them to solve the problems requires a different kind of thinking from the usual textbook mathematics. Also, subjects like number theory, counting & probability, and advanced topics in geometry are covered in the exams, but are rarely covered in US textbook math (and they're also terribly fun to learn!)

 

Some of the resources we have lying around the house that ds & dd used to prepare are old copies of the exams (purchased from the AMC website or found free on the AoPS Resource pages), the AoPS forums, the classic AoPS volumes I and II problem-solving books, special AoPS classes based on the AMC 12 and the AIME, and the book mentioned above by Belacqua, First Steps for Math Olympians. For the higher levels, my kids have found that Problem Solving Strategies by Arthur Engels and The Art and Craft of Problem Solving by Paul Zeitz were both useful volumes.

 

That said, in case it sounds like my kids studied for hours daily in preparation, we used these materials fairly casually in the weeks leading up to the tests. The best prep, IMHO, is to study mathematics in a rigorous manner, and to take the time to really learn as you go, solving difficult problems and thinking hard.

 

Any student can sign up for the AMC-8, -10, or -12 levels, subject to age restrictions (eg, no eleventh graders can take an AMC-10). There are no prerequisites but interest. ;) Just fill out the online registration form and pay the fee.

 

As for testing venues, my kids preferred to take the AMC-8, -10, and -12 levels individually (or in a small group if we were lucky enough that year to find an interested homeschooled friend) with a proctor in a public place. Our local public schools are willing, but they are noisy and the teacher in charge of AMC testing is too disorganized for our tastes. The AMC office assigned my homeschool its own CEEB number (only good for amc testing purposes), and the results are then listed under our homeschool's name, instead of the public school's name.

 

For proctors, I've used a retired teacher friend, a church youth minister, and adult friends who aren't related to my students and have had the time to proctor. You'll need to arrange to have the testing materials sent to your proctor, so it's best to find one in advance of registering. The office will not send testing materials directly to a homeschool. Then you need to locate a public place (we've used libraries and our church) and reserve it for the specific date of the test. The proctor does need to mail in the testing packet shortly after it is given (I can't remember if it has to be the same day, but that's what we've always done). The results will be sent directly to you as the 'school principal' (you provide your email and address) after scoring.

 

There are lots of forms to fill out on the testing date, so be sure to leave a little extra time for the kids to bubble their info, and for the parent and proctor to fill in a few forms before testing begins. A hint: the test manuals are available free online, so you can see the forms beforehand and make sure you bring all the needed info and supplies. No calculators are allowed any more!

 

For AIME & higher, my kids have enjoyed testing at the public school, since the number of testing students is quite small. The school does a much better job of keeping the conditions quiet and organized then. The kids also benefit by meeting the other kids taking the tests and having fun discussing their answers when the tests are done. The AMC office has always been helpful in locating the nearest testing sites for me. When we use the public schools, I just use their proctors as my proctors, and have the testing materials sent directly to them. The results are still listed under my homeschool's name.

 

Good luck getting started with the AMC's; if you have additional questions, I'm always glad to help.

 

~Kathy

[Hoggirl]

I knew I had previously seen something about having someone proctor, but I couldn't find it anywhere on their site!

 

Looks like I have dropped the ball on this one. Perhaps we will look at the AMC 10 later. My ds doesn't really have a passion about math...he just happens to be "good" at it. Not sure he would have the umption to pursue something like this, though I think he would like it. I just find that though he is very hard-working and compliant, he lacks initiative. I guess that is typical for a 13-year-old boy, huh? :lol:

 

I do appreciate all the advice. Thank you very much.