MAA American Mathematics Competitions

2016 AMC 8
TEACHER’S MANUAL
A guide for administering a successful and rewarding AMC 8 Competition

COMPETITION DATE: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2016

Mathematical Association of America

PO Box 471 Annapolis Junction, MD 20701
800-527-3690 • amc.maa.org
Introduction to American Mathematics Competition 8

WELCOME TO THE 32ND

AMC 8
COMPETITION
11.15.2016
Students all over the
country will compete!

What is the AMC Program? • The AMC 8 provides an opportunity for middle
The Mathematical Association of America’s American school students to develop positive attitudes
Mathematics Competitions program leads the nation in towards analytical thinking and mathematics that
strengthening the mathematical capabilities of the next can assist in future careers by applying classroom
generation of problem-solvers. Through classroom learned skills to unique problem-solving challenges
resources and friendly competition, the MAA AMC in a low-stress and friendly environment.
program helps America’s educators identify talent and • 1 million additional STEM graduates will be needed
foster a love of mathematics. The MAA AMC program by 2022 to fill the demands of the labor market.
positively impacts the analytical skills needed for The AMC 8 can help your students identify an interest
future careers in an innovative society. in and prepare for STEM careers that will challenge
The American Mathematics Competitions are a series and fulfill them.

a +b =c
2 2 2
of examinations and curriculum materials that build
problem-solving skills and mathematical knowledge in
middle and high school students.

What is the AMC 8?

The AMC 8 is a 25-question, 40-minute, multiple choice
examination in middle school mathematics designed to
promote the development and enhancement of problem-
solving skills.

When is the AMC 8?

1 MILLION ADDITIONAL
This competition is administered around the country on
Nov. 15, 2016. Registrations are accepted until Nov. 1, 2016 STEM GRADUATES
Why host the AMC 8?
• Help your middle school students discover their love
WILL BE NEEDED BY 2022
of problem-solving by preparing them for the AMC 8.
By the time many students are in high school, they
TO FILL THE DEMANDS
have solidified their perceptions of themselves as
mathematics students without fully exploring their
OF THE LABOR MARKET.
potential as analytical thinkers and problem-solvers.

2 | 2016 AMC 8 Teacher’s Manual

Pre-Exam Preparation
How do you prepare students for the AMC 8? Pre-exam checklist for AMC 8:
Discuss questions and solutions from previous AMC 8 • Complete and collect the answer forms for redistri-
competitions so that students will know what type of bution on the competition date.
questions to expect when they take the AMC 8 on Nov. • Please review all answer forms to ensure that
15, 2016. they have been marked correctly!
• Students must use their full legal name, no nick-
Who is eligible to participate in the AMC 8? names or abbreviations. Have them pay special
Students with a passion for problem-solving who are in attention to marking their name and address
grade 8 or below and under 14.5 years of age on the accurately. Remind them that student names
day of the contest are eligible to participate. listed on the AMC website come from this form.
Benefits for Teachers The AMC program office will not do any editing
The Mathematical Association of America provides of the information provided on the answer form.
classroom prep materials to educators free of charge. • Ensure that students complete the following sections
Registering as a competition manager gives you a of the answer form. Failure to do so will forfeit their
membership to the MAA as a K-12 Teacher member. results or cause delays in scoring. The most common
Explore the benefits for you and your classroom: errors are filling in more than one circle in a column
• The MAA Curriculum Inspirations project provides or not completely filling in the circles. View correct
free video and print materials, based on past AMC examples on the AMC 8 information page.
questions to help teachers and students develop • (1) Last Name (2) First Name (3) Middle Initial
high-level mathematical skills. All Curriculum (4) Section Letter (if applicable) (5) Age/date of
Inspirations videos and materials are cross-referenced birth, grade, and gender
to the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics
• Reserve a quiet room for at least 70 minutes on
and designed to capture your students’ interest in
Nov. 15, to allow time for pre- and post-examination
creative problem-solving while complementing
activities.
your Common Core-based lesson plans.
• Review the rules that are included with the AMC 8
• Competition managers receive Math Messenger
printed test bundles.
throughout the year, a monthly email with AMC
updates, sample problems, mathematics news and • Tips for first-time participants. Encourage partic-
the latest classroom tips. ipation by students who have not taken these
competitions before. Help them prepare and make
• Complimentary subscription to Math Horizons, a
sure they know what to expect. For new students,
digital magazine that brings you articles, problems,
getting even a few questions correct is an accom-
contests, REU profiles, career ideas, and book
plishment. Make sure they set appropriate goals for
reviews each quarter.
themselves, so that the competition is a positive
• Complimentary subscription to MAA Focus, a digital experience for every student.
news magazine full of ideas in mathematics and
• The day before the competition, remind students of
mathematics education every other month.
the time and place of the AMC 8.
• Enroll your students in AMC Advantage, an on-
• Make arrangements to mail the AMC 8 Report
demand, self-paced online prep course for students
Envelopes with a mail service that offers tracking.
of all levels. AMC Advantage offers skill-building
problem sets on key AMC topics as well as full- • Obtain a supply of #2 pencils with good erasers,
length mock tests and their solutions. and unmarked scratch paper. Inform students that
no aids are permitted other than scratch paper,
graph paper, rulers, protractors, and erasers.
NO CALCULATORS OR ELECTRONIC DEVICES
OF ANY KIND ARE ALLOWED. No AMC 8 ques-
tions require the use of a calculator.

2016 AMC 8 Teacher’s Manual | 3

Competition Day
Administering the AMC 8 - What You Need To Know
Use these checklists to host a successful competition.

Before the exam During the exam

Note to teachers: Do not open the test bundles until just Note to teachers: The competition should be proctored
before you are ready to hand the exams to the students. continuously as you would for any important test.
• Seat students so they are separated by an empty The proctor must warn any students whose eyes
space, if possible. wander and disqualify any students caught copying
answers or collaborating. Try to provide as quiet an
• Hand out the previously completed answer forms
environment as possible. Be sure that no student has
and provide a #2 lead pencil with a good eraser for
access to a calculator or calculating device during the
each student.
competition.
• Open the test bundles, hand out the AMC 8 booklet • Announce when there are 15 minutes left and
and inform the students that they are not to open when there are 5 minutes left.
the competition booklet until instructed to do so.
• When time is up at 40 minutes, tell the students to
• Instruct students to read the entire front cover of STOP and have them sign their name in the space
the AMC 8 test. Allow 3 minutes for students to provided on the student answer form. Collect the
review the front cover. answer forms and exams as quickly as possible.
• Tell your students to be AS CERTAIN AS POSSIBLE • Collect all the students’ competition booklets
OF THEIR ANSWERS BEFORE THEY MARK THE following the administration of the competitions.
ANSWER FORM. Forms that contain stray marks As the answer forms are handed in, check that each
may not be read correctly by the scanner that student’s name is correct on the form and that it is
scores the competition. Tell your students to take bubbled in completely.
special care to mark the answer in the row that
• Inform the students that the competition and solutions
corresponds to the correct problem number.
may not be discussed with anyone outside of the
• Ask if there are any questions about examination room either orally or digitally, i.e. email, internet, or
procedures. Inform students that talking or asking social media of any type until after the competition
questions during the competition is not allowed. period is over (one week after the official competition
They must do their own work. date). The competition booklets must be collected
• When it is time to begin, tell students to unfold the from the students directly after the competition,
competition booklet to see all the problems and to but they may be returned 24 hours after the
be careful to match their answers to the correspon- competition period is over.
ding question. Remind students that there are 25
problems and that they have 40 minutes to complete
the competition. Then tell them to BEGIN.

AFTER THE FORMS ARE HANDED IN,

CHECK THAT EACH STUDENT’S NAME

IS BUBBLED IN
CORRECTLY ON THE FORM.

4 | 2016 AMC 8 Teacher’s Manual

Competition Day
Administering the AMC 8 - What You Need To Know
Use these checklists to host a successful competition.

After the exam AMC Toolkit:

• Please do not grade the answer forms. Send them Results and Resources for Competition Managers:
to the AMC for grading. The AMC office will send results in a digital report by
email as soon as the answer forms are scored. If you
• Check student answer forms for complete personal
have not received your results via email from the AMC
information (name, DOB, gender, etc.).
program within 30 days after the AMC 8 is adminis-
• Arrange the forms by section with each form facing tered, please contact [email protected] to verify that
the same direction with the same side up. REMOVE your answer forms were in fact received.
ALL PAPER CLIPS, RUBBER BANDS OR NOTE
Please retain this digital report for future reference,
PAPER ATTACHED TO ANY ANSWER FORMS.
either in your files or with the student counselor’s office.
PLEASE FAN THE FORMS TO SEPARATE ANY THAT
Many students cite these scores on applications to college
MIGHT BE STUCK TOGETHER.
and beyond. AMC cannot look up individual student
• Place no more than 200 forms in one report envelope. scores after the competition cycle has been completed.

• Do not return blank forms or teacher “practice” forms. What’s New with AMC Results in 2016-2017?
• In an effort to give AMC competition managers
• Complete the Certification Form and ask your
access to results quicker than ever, score reports
Principal or person with comparable title to sign
will be emailed to competition managers as part of
the Certification Form and complete the rest of
a digital toolkit.
the form.
• The AMC Toolkit: Results and Resources for
• Place the School ID Form on top of the answer
Competition Managers will be emailed to competition
forms and insert in the report envelope.
managers. Please add [email protected] to your
• Place the Certification Form in the AMC 8 report list of approved email contacts so that you receive
envelope with the answer forms, seal the envelope important emails.
and send it by a trackable mail service within 24 • Use this digital toolkit to access your students’
hours or as soon as possible after all examinations results and find resources for problem-solving
have been administered. classroom lessons.
• Indicate the number of packages you are returning • The AMC Toolkit: Results and Resources for
in the space provided on the Report Envelope. Competition Managers is not just a listing of scores.
• Affix adequate postage to the AMC 8 report envelope. It’s also a valuable resource for your classroom!
• Check out MAA’s Top Ten Problem-Solving
• Note to teachers: The AMC 8 student answer Strategies. These videos and essays bring excite-
forms sent to the AMC office in Annapolis Junction, ment to mathematics learning and thinking.
MD for grading will not be returned.
• After you have delivered all of the answer forms
to the school office to be mailed, you may discuss THE AMC OFFICE WILL SEND RESULTS
the competition and solutions with your students. IN A DIGITAL REPORT BY EMAIL AS SOON AS
Remember that there will be schools taking the
competition in other locations at different times,
and some will be taking the competition on other THE ANSWER FORMS
ARE SCORED.
“window” dates. Hence, it is important that no
one discuss problems and solutions in any online
or public forum.

2016 AMC 8 Teacher’s Manual | 5

AMC Policies
Policy for Changes: The Committee on AMC may, from Competition Proctoring
time to time, change the program rules, regulations, • The proctoring of any AMC 8 should be by a teacher
awards and conditions of participation in whole or in (preferably a mathematics teacher) or administrator
part. Whenever possible competition managers will be at the school; a college or university teacher of math-
notified of these changes ahead of time. ematics, or a responsible adult who is a math club or
team coach, and not related to any of the participants.
Early administration is NEVER permitted and will lead to a
disqualification of the results. Such an administration would • The proctoring of the competition must take place
jeopardize the validity of all scores from other schools. in a public building, (i.e., school library, college or
university, church, etc.).
Official administration: If you are unable to give the
• All students must take the competition at the same
competition on Nov. 15, 2016 because, for example, your
time, either in one group or in separate classrooms
school is closed, has an academic conflict, the class
and be under the supervision of a proctor.
periods have been shortened due to an assembly or
other reason, or the majority of your students will be on • The proctor should not be related to any of the
a field trip, then your school may use any day in the participants. Under no circumstances may a parent
week (seven days) after the official competition date. proctor for their child.
The AMC 8 should be given officially on the first day
Questionable Scores: If it is clear to the competition
that the school has available testing time.
manager from personal observation that a student has
Please note that because the competition may be
cheated, then the competition manager must disqualify
given officially up to seven days after the official
the student. If the competition manager receives an
competition date, you must collect the students’
accusation or obtains indirect evidence of cheating,
competition booklets and instruct them not to discuss
then the manager must hold back the student’s paper
the competition questions and solutions outside of
and immediately report all the facts of the situation to
the group that took the AMC 8 together until after
the AMC Director, who in conjunction with the
the end of the competition window.
Committee on AMC, will determine what to do. UNDER
Unofficial administration: The exam can be offered NO CIRCUMSTANCES may the school decide on its own
unofficially after the official administration timeframe to accept a questionable score.
has ended. Answer sheets will be scored but results will
Refund/Credit Policy: If your school is unable to take
be considered unofficial. Be sure to mark the exceptions
the competition, please use the materials as practice
box at the bottom of the Certification Form as indicated
sets for preparation for next year or as supplemental
when submitting answer sheets. The last date to take
classroom materials. Do not return the exam materials.
the competition unofficially is December 9, 2016.
WE CANNOT GIVE REFUNDS OR CREDITS AFTER THE
Students with Accommodation Plans (e.g., for Visual COMPETITION MATERIALS ARE SHIPPED.
or Learning Disabilities): The AMC 8 time limit for
students who are visually impaired or learning disabled
is 70 minutes. A teacher or a school administrator may GOOD LUCK TO YOUR STUDENTS
read the questions to the student and mark the
answers as directed by the student. The braille and
large print exams must be ordered no later than three
ON THE MAA AMC 8!
weeks prior to the exam date. It is the responsibility of We hope they find the competition
the school and the competition manager to make
arrangements consistent with the student’s accommo- challenging and exciting and is a
dation plan. Please contact AMC at [email protected]
for more information. FIRST STEP TOWARDS
a future in analytical thinking

6 | 2016 AMC 8 Teacher’s Manual