Math Competitions in United States
The United States has the most developed math competition pipeline in the world, funneling over 300,000 students from the AMC 8/10/12 through AIME and USAMO to the IMO team. MATHCOUNTS serves as the primary middle school competition. Beyond the official pipeline, numerous university-hosted tournaments (HMMT, PUMAC, ARML) and the active Art of Problem Solving community make competition mathematics a major extracurricular activity.
IMO participant since 1974
Math Kangaroo
The world's largest mathematics competition with 6 million+ participants in 90+ countries. Multiple-choice format across 6 difficulty levels, emphasizing fun and accessible problem-solving.
AMC 8
The entry point to America's premier math competition pipeline. 25 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes for students in grades 6-8.
AMC 10
The intermediate level of America's AMC series for students in grade 10 and below. Top scorers (~5%) qualify for the AIME invitational.
AMC 12
The senior level of America's AMC series for high school students. One of the oldest math competitions in the US, dating back to 1950.
AIME
The American Invitational Mathematics Examination, by invitation for top AMC 10/12 scorers. 15 problems with integer answers in 3 hours.
USAMO
The USA Mathematical Olympiad, the final national selection stage for the US IMO team. Proof-based problems in IMO format for ~250-500 invited students.
MATHCOUNTS
The premier US middle school math competition. Free to enter, with a four-level structure from school to national. Features Sprint, Target, Team, and Countdown rounds.
MOEMS
One of the world's most popular elementary math competition programs with 120,000+ students from 40 countries. Five monthly contests from November through March.
Noetic Learning Math Contest
A popular biannual US math contest for grades 2-8 with 20 problems in 45 minutes. Accessible through schools, community groups, or parent-led teams.
Continental Math League
A long-running US math competition since 1980 for grades 2-9. Schools host 'Math Meets' where students solve 6 word problems independently.