Number & structure
Divisibility, remainders, factors, consecutive integers, sequences
Competition Mathematics · AMC 8
Learn what to do when the path is not obvious.
AMC 8 Preparation is a problem-solving workshop for students who enjoy mathematics and want to become more resourceful with unfamiliar questions—not simply faster at routine exercises.
16 sessions
1 hr 45 min each
Once weekly* school year
$300* per month
*Summer terms meet twice weekly and complete the same 16-session course in eight weeks. Summer tuition is $600 per month.
Course fit
For students ready to treat mathematics as something to investigate.
This workshop is designed for students who
- enjoy puzzles, patterns, and questions that may allow several approaches
- want practice beginning a problem without being told the relevant chapter
- benefit from comparing solutions, including approaches that initially fail
- are interested in an independent route toward AMC 10 preparation
The workshop spine
Ideas become useful when labels disappear.
The exact topic map may change as the curriculum develops. The 16-session learning progression remains consistent across the AMC family.
- 01Learn the tool
Build a useful idea or representation before applying it.
- 02Focus the problem
Work through carefully selected problems that isolate the idea.
- 03Remove the label
Meet unfamiliar mixed problems without being told which tool to use.
- 04Add the clock
Practice judgment, selection, and recovery under competition conditions.
- 05Integrate
Compare approaches and carry the strongest habits into the next cycle.
Representative problem domains
A connected field, not four isolated chapters.
Counting & chance
Systematic counting, casework, probability, avoiding double-counting
Geometry & measurement
Diagrams, area, perimeter, angles, symmetry, spatial relationships
Algebraic reasoning
Patterns, equations, identities, logical elimination, efficient representation
These domains describe the intended range, not a fixed weekly syllabus. Problems increasingly combine ideas and require students to decide what matters.
Problem-solving habits
Productive struggle has a method.
- 01Begin
Translate the question and test a small example.
- 02Organize
Draw, tabulate, classify, or split into cases.
- 03Notice
Look for symmetry, invariants, and hidden constraints.
- 04Recover
Recognize a dead end and change representation.
- 05Compare
Study why one solution is clearer or more efficient.
Most of the work happens together.
The course is primarily an in-class mathematical workshop. Outside work remains light or optional so discussion, experimentation, and solution comparison stay central.
Competition pathway
An independent entry toward AMC 10.
AMC 8 can lead directly into AMC 10 Preparation. Students may also arrive at AMC 10 through Math Core II or Math Core III, depending on their mathematical background and goals.
See the complete program pathway