AMC 8 in December: A Final-Weeks Plan and Contest-Week Checklist
Starting in December still leaves time for steady practice. From mid-December to the January 21–27 contest window is about five weeks: room for 20–30 minutes on most days, a few timed practice tests, and a calm contest week. This plan is for December starters and their parents.
Updated October 31, 2026
Step one: make sure your student is signed up
Check this before anything else. Families can't register with the MAA directly: students take the AMC 8® at their school or at another registered site, and sign up through it. The site shares a registration link, and a parent or guardian fills it in.
- If the school offers it: ask the math teacher or the school's AMC coordinator to confirm your student is signed up, and ask for the date, start time and room. A school's own signup can close before the MAA's deadlines, so ask now.
- If it doesn't: ask the math teacher or principal now whether the school will host, or find another registered site nearby. January 5, 2027 is the last day a new site can register. Our guide to AMC 8 2027 dates and how students sign up explains how to find one.
- If your student needs testing accommodations (for example, with an IEP or 504 plan): tell the competition manager early. The site has to send the request to the MAA by January 15, 2027.
A five-week plan for December starters
Plan on 20–30 minutes on most days. The dates below start on Sunday, December 13; if you start a few days later, slide them. Winter break can be busy, and a 15-minute day still counts.
Week 1 (Dec 13–19): Find the starting point
Take one full practice test under contest conditions: 25 questions, 40 minutes, no calculator, just a pencil, eraser, ruler and blank scratch paper. Write down which questions cost points and the topic of each. On the other days, practice the topic that cost the most.
Week 2 (Dec 20–26): The early questions first
Every question is worth one point, so the early, easier ones count as much as the hardest. Do short daily sets of easier questions, like the first 10 to 15 on the test, and check each answer. Redo every question missed in week 1 without looking at the solution.
Week 3 (Dec 27 – Jan 2): Second timed test
Take a second full timed test. Two days later, redo every missed question without looking at the solution. A mistake that comes back is the one to practice, so spend the other days on that topic.
Week 4 (Jan 3–9): Timing and skipping
Take a third timed test. Forty minutes for 25 questions is about a minute and a half each, so practice moving on: if a question has no clear way in after two minutes, mark it, skip it, and come back at the end. A question that eats five minutes can cost two easier ones.
Week 5 (Jan 10–16): Last full test, then repeat mistakes
Take the last full timed test early in the week. Spend the rest of the week only on mistakes that came back more than once. No new topics.
Last days (Jan 17 to your test day): Light and rested
Short warm-up sets, a look over your list of shortcuts (divisibility rules, common right triangles, quick ways to count), and regular sleep. Each site picks its own day between January 21 and 27, so find out yours.
Fewer or more weeks?
- About three weeks: keep weeks 1, 4 and 5. That's a test to start, a test with skipping practice, and a last test followed by repeat mistakes.
- About six weeks: after week 1, add a week on the weakest topic, then follow the plan from week 2.
- Starting in November or earlier: the 11-week AMC 8 prep plan spreads the same ideas over more weeks.
For the topics that come up and where they fall on the test, see what's on the AMC 8.
How the AMC 8 works
These rules are from the MAA's official rules for 2026–27.
- 25 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes. Each question has one correct answer.
- Scoring: one point for each correct answer. A wrong answer and a blank both score zero, so there's no penalty for guessing. For whether any letter comes up more often, see the most common AMC 8 answers.
- Paper or online, always in person. The site either prints the test and answer sheets, or students take it online in the MAA's competition portal. Either way, it's given in person at the registered site, with a proctor. It can't be taken from home. Ask your site which format it uses.
- Allowed: pencils, erasers and rulers (triangular rulers too). The site hands out blank scratch paper, not graph paper. A student learning English may use a paper, non-technical translation dictionary, handed to the competition manager 24 hours before the test, with no extra time. On the online test, the computer or tablet may have one browser tab open, to the test, and nothing else.
- Not allowed: calculators, formula sheets, phones, smartwatches, headphones, smart glasses, and any other device that can send or receive information.
- In the room: students work alone and can't talk about the questions. A restroom break doesn't stop the clock.
- Once only: a student can take the AMC 8 only once in the contest week.
Contest-week checklist
For parents
- Confirm the day, start time and room with the school or site.
- Ask whether the test is on paper or online. If it's online, ask whether your student brings a device or uses one at the site.
- Plan the trip so your student arrives early.
- If school is canceled that day (for snow, say), ask the site about a new date. The rules let the site move the test to another day in the window, but not after January 27.
- Keep the week calm: usual bedtime, no cramming.
For students
- Light review only: short warm-up sets and your shortcut list. No new topics, and no full practice test in the last two days.
- Sleep at your usual time, especially the night before.
- Pack pencils, an eraser and a ruler. Scratch paper is handed out.
- Leave the calculator, smartwatch and headphones at home. Put your phone away the way the site asks.
On contest day
- Arrive early, after a normal meal.
- Read the instructions carefully before you start.
- Protect the early questions. Go steadily and check them: each is worth as much as the hardest one.
- Keep moving. The average is about a minute and a half per question. If one is stuck, mark it and come back.
- Answer every question. In the last minute or two, fill in every blank. A wrong answer scores the same as a blank, so a guess can only help.
After the contest
Scores take a while. Under the MAA's 2026–27 rules, AMC 8 scores are usually finalized in early March. The MAA then emails the competition manager at your student's school or site, and students can see their scores in the MAA's online competition portal. The site may also hand out MAA certificates.
Until the date named in the test instructions, students shouldn't discuss or post the problems. For what the scores mean, see good AMC 8 scores and cutoffs.
Practice for the final weeks
Contest Math Pro is built for this kind of practice: timed practice tests, missed questions back with new numbers, and the trap behind each wrong answer. Free to start.
Questions parents ask
Is December too late to start preparing for the AMC 8?
No. From mid-December there are about five weeks before the January 21–27 contest window. That's time for 20–30 minutes on most days, three or four timed practice tests, and redoing the questions your student missed.
How many practice tests should my student take in the final weeks?
Three or four full timed tests, about one a week. Redo every missed question in between: going over the mistakes matters as much as taking the test.
What should my student do the night before the AMC 8?
Keep it light: a short warm-up set at most, with no new topics and no full practice test. Pack pencils, an eraser and a ruler, and go to bed at the usual time.
What can students bring to the AMC 8?
Pencils, erasers and rulers. The site hands out blank scratch paper (not graph paper). Calculators, formula sheets, phones, smartwatches, headphones and smart glasses are not allowed. A student learning English may use a paper translation dictionary, handed to the competition manager 24 hours before the test.
What if my student's school doesn't offer the AMC 8?
Ask the math teacher or principal now whether the school will host, or find another registered site, such as a university, math circle or learning center. January 5, 2027 is the last day a new site can register.
Contest rules, dates and scoring on this page are from the MAA's Official Rules and Policies for the 2026–2027 AMC 8, AMC 10 and AMC 12 (updated October 30, 2026). Rules can change, so check with your school or site. 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.