AMC 8 2026 vs 2025: What Changed, and What to Expect in 2027
We tagged all 50 problems from the 2025 and 2026 AMC 8® and measured them against every contest since 1999. The first ten questions swung toward arithmetic and algebra, figures fell back to normal, and the cutoffs rose. Here's what changed, what didn't, and what that suggests for 2027.
Updated October 31, 2026
How we compared the two tests
We keep every official AMC 8 from 1999 to 2026 in one archive: 27 contests and 675 problems (there was no 2021 contest). Each problem is tagged with its main topic, whether solving it takes more than one topic (we call these multi-step), whether it comes with a figure, how much reading it takes, a difficulty level and time target for its position, and the mistake each wrong answer choice is built to catch. It's the same analysis Contest Math Pro's practice problems are built from.
A 25-question test is a small sample: one problem is 4% of the paper. So we call something a change only when no more than 5 of the 25 earlier pairs of back-to-back contests moved as much. We describe problems by number and topic and link to them on the Art of Problem Solving wiki; we don't reproduce them.
2025 and 2026 side by side
We sort problems into four topics. Algebra & arithmetic is the broad one: it also covers rates, word problems, and data and logic puzzles. Our guide to what's on the AMC 8 uses six: it splits algebra & arithmetic into arithmetic, algebra, and data & logic, and keeps geometry, number theory, and counting & probability. Over the last 10 contests those three come out close on both pages (number theory averages 5.0 problems a contest here and 4.5 there), but the guide was tagged separately and about 1 in 4 problems from those years landed in a different topic, so compare years within one page rather than percentages across the two.
2025
2026
Against a typical year
| Problems | 2025 | 2026 | Typical (range) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algebra & arithmetic | 9 | 11 | 11.7 (7–17) |
| Geometry | 9 | 7 | 6.4 (4–9) |
| Number theory | 4 | 5 | 4.3 (1–7) |
| Counting & probability | 3 | 2 | 2.6 (0–5) |
| Multi-step | 8 | 7 | 4.9 (1–8) |
| With a figure | 17 | 10 | 8.4 (3–17) |
| Words per problem | 60 | 52 | 42 (30–60) |
- Topics. 2025 had as much geometry as any AMC 8 in the archive (9, tied with 2000), and 2026 came back to a normal 7. The other topic totals moved by one or two problems, which is ordinary: swings that size happened in most earlier pairs of years.
- Difficulty and timing. Our tags can't show a change in difficulty. We set the difficulty level and time target by question number (about 40 seconds each for questions 1–10, 90 seconds for 11–19 and 3 minutes for 20–25, which adds up to 38 minutes of the 40), so they're the same every year by design. The honest difficulty signal is the scores, further down.
- Multi-step problems. 8 in 2025 (32%) tied the archive high, and 7 in 2026 (28%) was close behind. The typical contest has about 5, or 1 in 5.
- Figures. 2025 had a figure on 17 problems, the most in the archive (the next highest is 2024, with 14). 2026 had 10, about average for the last 10 contests.
- Reading. 2025 was the wordiest AMC 8 in our archive, at about 60 words per problem. 2026 was the third wordiest, at 52, after 2025 and 2023.
- Traps. Our trap tags come from a short list of about four per topic, so their counts simply follow the topic mix. In both years the most common were answering with a number found halfway through instead of what was asked, keeping an answer that breaks one of the problem's conditions, misusing exponents, and mixing up perimeter and area. 2026's extra algebra problems meant more algebra traps; that isn't a separate change.
What changed: five shifts, with numbers
1. The first ten questions swung toward arithmetic and algebra
In 2025, 4 of questions 1–10 were algebra & arithmetic; in 2026, 8 were. The typical contest has 6. 2025 tied the archive low, and only 2011 (9) has had more than 2026. None of the 25 earlier year-to-year changes was this large, which makes it the clearest real shift. Most of it came in questions 6–10 (from 1 to 4), and geometry in questions 1–10 fell from 4 to 2.
2. Geometry went back to normal and moved later
Geometry fell from 9 problems to 7 (typical: 6.4). A change of two is ordinary; 10 of the 25 earlier changes were as large. Where it sat is less usual: questions 11–15 had 3 geometry problems in 2026 against 1 in 2025, tying the record set in 2007. A move that size there happened in 5 of 25 earlier changes.
3. Fewer figures
Problems with a figure went from 17 to 10. Only 1 of the 25 earlier year-to-year changes was this large. 2026 sits right at the average for the last 10 contests (10.0). One caveat: one 2026 problem mentions a figure our archive doesn't store, so the true count may be 11.
4. A little less reading, but problems are still long
Average length fell from about 60 words per problem to 52. Over the longer run, the last 10 contests average 47 words per problem against 40 for 1999–2015, so longer problems are a trend, not a one-off.
5. Multi-step problems moved from the end toward the middle
In questions 21–25, 4 problems were multi-step in 2025 and 1 in 2026; in questions 11–15 the count went from 1 to 3. The totals barely moved (8 to 7). These counts are small and the multi-step tag is a judgment call, so treat this as a hint, not a finding.
Not a change: algebra & arithmetic overall (9 to 11), number theory (4 to 5), counting & probability (3 to 2) and the multi-step total (8 to 7) all moved by amounts seen in most earlier pairs of years. The answer letters swung too (C was the correct answer 7 times in 2025 and 3 times in 2026), but that's chance, not a pattern to guess from; see the most common AMC 8 answers.
Question by question: where the two tests differed
- Questions 1–10. 2026 opened with eight algebra & arithmetic problems; the exceptions were 2026 Problem 3 (right triangles) and 2026 Problem 6 (geometry). 2025 put three geometry problems in questions 6–10: 2025 Problems 8, 9 and 10.
- Questions 11–15. 2026's middle was geometry and number theory: geometry in Problems 11, 13 and 15, and number theory in 12 (digit sums and remainders) and 14 (divisibility). Three of the five were multi-step. 2025 had two algebra & arithmetic problems there, plus one each of counting (2025 Problem 11), geometry and number theory.
- Questions 16–20. 2026 turned back to algebra & arithmetic for Problems 17–19, including a sequence problem at 2026 Problem 18, before a counting problem at 20. 2025 had geometry at Problems 17 and 18 (2025 Problem 18 also needs number theory).
- Questions 21–25. 2025 ended with four multi-step problems in a row, Problems 22–25, mixing algebra, number theory, geometry and counting; 2025 Problem 25 combines geometry with counting. 2026's last five were counting (21), number theory (22, and 2026 Problem 24 on divisors) and geometry (23 and 25), with only 2026 Problem 23 (geometry with number theory) tagged multi-step. Geometry and counting together took 3 of the last 5 in both years.
- The longest problems. 2025 Problem 13 (number theory) was the longest in either year, at about 200 words. 2026's longest was 2026 Problem 2, at about 100.
Cutoffs and averages
| Year | Distinguished (top 1%) | Honor Roll (top 5%) | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 | 21 | 12.4 |
| 2025 | 23 | 19 | 11.7 |
| Change | +1 | +2 | +0.7 |
The average has risen every year since 2022 (from 9.7 to 12.4), and Honor Roll took 21 of 25 in 2026. A higher average doesn't prove the test got easier, because the students taking it change too. For every year since 2022 and what a good score looks like, see good AMC 8 scores and cutoffs.
Dates and rules
- Same format. Both years: 25 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, no calculator, one point per correct answer and no penalty for guessing.
- Test windows. 2025 ran January 22–28. 2026 was set for January 22–28, and the MAA extended it to January 30 because of a winter storm. The 2027 window is January 21–27; see AMC 8 2027 dates and how students sign up.
- Age limit. The MAA's 2026–27 rules set the limit at 15.5 years of age or younger on contest day, up from under 14.5 in the 2025 rules. The contest is still for students in eighth grade and below.
- Once a year. The MAA's rules say a student may take the AMC 8 only once during Competition Week.
What recent tests suggest for 2027
These are ranges from past contests, not a forecast. Each one spans the usual counts across all 27 contests and the last 10. Most years land inside, but 3 to 5 of the 27 fell outside for each topic. Both recent years were inside every range except one: 2025's 9 geometry problems, which tied the archive high.
| Topic | Usual range | Avg, all | Avg, last 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algebra & arithmetic | 8–14 | 11.7 | 10.4 |
| Geometry | 5–8 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| Number theory | 2–6 | 4.3 | 5.0 |
| Counting & probability | 2–5 | 2.6 | 3.2 |
The last 10 contests lean a little away from algebra & arithmetic and toward counting and number theory compared with 1999–2015 in this page's four-topic tags (the six-topic guide, tagged separately, finds no clear shift since 2006), and every one of them had between two and five counting & probability problems. The bigger long-run change is in format: problems have gotten longer and more often come with a figure.
For cutoffs, Honor Roll has been between 17 and 21 since 2022, moving 1 or 2 points a year (down 2 from 2022 to 2023, then up 1, 1 and 2). If 2027 moves the way recent years have, Honor Roll would most likely land within a couple of points of 21, but 2023 showed it can fall too. No one knows until the results are released.
What to practice
- Make questions 1–10 automatic. In 2026, eight of them were arithmetic and algebra. Quick, careful work there protects the cheapest points on the test.
- Expect geometry in the middle, not just at the end. 2026 put three geometry problems in questions 11–15, and geometry still took 2 of the last 5 in both years.
- Practice problems that combine two topics. Both years had 7 or 8, against about 5 in a typical contest. The most common pairings in the archive are geometry with number theory and algebra with geometry.
- Build reading stamina. The last two tests averaged 52 and 60 words per problem, well above the long-run 42, so timed practice should use full-length problems.
- Don't skip counting and probability. It's only 2 or 3 problems in most years, but every one of the last 10 contests had at least two, and in 2026 both sat at questions 20 and 21.
- For a week-by-week schedule, see the 11-week AMC 8 prep plan.
How we compared: our archive holds all 675 problems from the 27 official AMC 8 contests from 1999 to 2026 (no contest was held in 2021). Topic, multi-step and trap tags are AI-assisted, so treat any single label as approximate; algebra & arithmetic also covers rates, word problems, and data and logic puzzles. A problem counts as having a figure if one is stored with it, and words are counted in the problem text only. Difficulty levels and time targets are set by question number, so we don't use them as evidence. We call something a shift only when no more than 5 of the 25 earlier year-to-year changes were as large. Cutoffs and averages are the same reported figures as on our scores page; they're compiled from reported results, not taken from an MAA page. We count problems only; we don't reproduce any contest problem. Problem links go to the Art of Problem Solving wiki.
Sources: MAA American Mathematics Competitions pages for dates and rules, including archived copies from December 2024 to February 2026; results compiled by Art of Problem Solving for cutoffs and averages; the Art of Problem Solving wiki for the problems themselves.
See where your student stands before January
Start with Contest Math Pro's free placement test: 25 untimed questions that show your student's strongest and weakest topics. After about 40 answers in all, the placement test included, the app estimates an AMC 8 score and tracks it as they practice. Free to start.
Questions parents ask
Was the 2026 AMC 8 harder than 2025?
No one can say for sure. The average rose from 11.7 to 12.4 and the Honor Roll cutoff from 19 to 21, so scores were higher, but the students taking the test change every year too. In content, 2026 had more arithmetic and algebra in the first ten questions, fewer figures and a little less reading than 2025.
What changed on the AMC 8 between 2025 and 2026?
The format stayed the same: 25 questions in 40 minutes. Arithmetic and algebra in the first ten questions went from 4 problems to 8, geometry moved toward the middle of the test (its total, 9 to 7, was an ordinary swing), and problems with a figure dropped from 17 to 10. The other topic changes were within normal year-to-year variation.
What topics should students expect on the 2027 AMC 8?
Recent tests suggest about 8 to 14 arithmetic and algebra problems, 5 to 8 geometry, 2 to 6 number theory and 2 to 5 counting and probability, out of 25. These are ranges from past contests, not a forecast, and any single test can fall outside them.
What will the 2027 AMC 8 Honor Roll cutoff be?
No one knows until the results are released. Honor Roll has been between 17 and 21 since 2022 and has moved 1 or 2 points a year. It was 21 in 2026.
AMC 8® is a registered trademark of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). Contest Math Pro is not affiliated with or endorsed by the MAA. For official rules and dates, see the MAA American Mathematics Competitions.