The AMC test dates for the 2026–27 cycle are AMC 10A and AMC 12A on November 5, 2026, AMC 10B and AMC 12B on November 13, 2026, and the AMC 8 contest window is January 21–27, 2027.
- The complete 2026–27 AMC calendar
- Important rules around these dates
- When do AMC results come out?
- What the Registration Deadlines Actually Mean
- How to Register If Your School Does Not Host the AMC
- What Counts as a Good AMC Score, and the AIME Cutoff
- AMC Age and Grade Eligibility for 2026-27
- AMC Syllabus: What to Study Before November
- Why Start Practicing Now Is Not Marketing Fluff
- How AMC Timing Compares to Other Math Competitions
- Conclusion
- Related guides
AIME I and AIME II 2027 dates are still listed as TBD by the official MAA registration page, which is also where you should always confirm the latest deadlines.
AMC 10/12 is in early November, and the regular registration deadline is October 15, 2026 (with a final late deadline of October 28).
This is a dates-and-deadlines page. All times below are verified against MAA’s official site but registration policies and AIME dates can change, so please confirm on maa.org/amcreg before you write a check.
The complete 2026–27 AMC calendar
Every date in this table is verified against the official MAA AMC registration page as of June 2026.
This is the full AMC 10, AMC 12, AMC 8, and AIME schedule for the 2026-27 cycle.
| Contest | Date | Regular deadline | Late deadline |
| AMC 10 A | November 5, 2026 | October 15, 2026 | October 28, 2026 |
| AMC 12 A | November 5, 2026 | October 15, 2026 | October 28, 2026 |
| AMC 10 B | November 13, 2026 | October 15, 2026 | October 28, 2026 |
| AMC 12 B | November 13, 2026 | October 15, 2026 | October 28, 2026 |
| AMC 8 | January 21 to 27, 2027 (window) | January 5, 2027 | January 14, 2027 |
| AIME I | TBD (likely February 2027) | – | – |
| AIME II | TBD (likely February 2027) | – | – |
| USAMO / USAJMO | Spring 2027 (invitation only, date TBD) | – | – |
Verification flag: AIME I and AIME II 2027 dates are listed as TBD on the MAA registration page as of June 2026. Historically, AIME I has fallen in early February and AIME II about a week later.
The 2026 cycle was AIME I on February 5, 2026, and AIME II on February 11, 2026, a reasonable pattern to expect, but please confirm on the official MAA site when the dates are released (typically summer/early fall).
Important rules around these dates
A few rules from the MAA AMC site that catch families off guard:
- You cannot take AMC 10 and AMC 12 on the same day. A student can sit the 10A and the 12B (or vice versa), but not both on November 5 or both on November 13.
- You may take both the A and B versions of the same contest. Your higher score counts for AIME qualification. Many serious students sit both 10A and 10B (or both 12A and 12B).
- AMC 8 may only be taken once per year.
- AIME qualification is by AMC score. AIME-qualifying students are notified by MAA after AMC 10/12 scores are processed — typically in mid-to-late November or early December.
- Schools register students, not students themselves. If your child’s school doesn’t host the AMC, you’ll need to find a local competition manager. See our guide to how to register for the AMC for the full process.
When do AMC results come out?
Per the official 2025 MAA AMC 10/12 Teacher’s Manual, results timing depends on test format:
- Digital administration: score reports release to competition managers within 24 hours.
- Print & Scan administration: preliminary unofficial reports appear in the CM dashboard within 24 hours of upload; official scores are validated and finalized in the weeks after.
- Students see their own scores in the AMC student portal “a few weeks after the competition dates” — typically 3 to 4 weeks for AMC 10/12, and similar for AMC 8.
- AIME qualification notifications go out after MAA finalizes scoring — usually mid-November to early December for the November AMC 10/12 contests.
If you haven’t received a score 30 days after the contest, MAA asks that you contact your competition manager first, then the AMC office.
What the Registration Deadlines Actually Mean
Registration is handled at the school, or competition-manager, level, not by your child directly, but the deadlines still matter to you indirectly.
- Regular deadline, October 15, 2026 (AMC 10/12): the practical cutoff for a school to lock in its order at standard pricing. Schools that drift past it often delay deciding whether to host at all, leaving students scrambling for a local testing site.
- Late deadline, October 28, 2026 (AMC 10/12): the absolute last day a school can register for the November AMC 10/12. After that, there is no path to the contest until the next cycle.
- AMC 8 has a more generous calendar. Its registration runs into January 2027, with a regular deadline of January 5 and a late deadline of January 14, but spots at testing sites are limited, so do not assume you can register in mid-January.
How to Register If Your School Does Not Host the AMC
If you do not know whether your child’s school hosts the AMC, the best move is to email the math department now, well before the October deadlines, so a teacher has time to step up as competition manager if needed.
If that is not an option, look for a local independent testing center, math circle, or university outreach program that runs open AMC sessions.
Our full AMC registration guide walks through both paths step by step.
What Counts as a Good AMC Score, and the AIME Cutoff
Families often ask what score actually matters, since the AMC is scored differently from a typical school test and a passing score here means something specific: clearing the AIME qualification cutoff.
The cutoff shifts slightly every year based on how the national pool of students performs, so a score that qualified last cycle is not guaranteed to qualify this cycle.
For year-over-year context on where the AIME line typically falls, see our breakdown of average AMC math scores, and for a deeper look at what separates a solid score from an AIME-qualifying one, read what counts as a good AMC score.
AMC Age and Grade Eligibility for 2026-27
Eligibility for the AMC is based on grade and age limits set by MAA, not just the contest name.
The AMC 8 is open to students in grade 8 and below who meet the age cutoff, while the AMC 10 and AMC 12 have their own grade and age rules that determine whether a student can sit one contest, the other, or both across the A and B dates.
Because these limits change slightly from cycle to cycle, check our dedicated guide on AMC age limit rules before you register, especially if your child is on the border between AMC 10 and AMC 12 eligibility.
AMC Syllabus: What to Study Before November
The AMC draws from algebra, geometry, number theory, combinatorics, and probability, with problems ordered roughly from easiest to hardest across the 25-question test.
Knowing the syllabus matters more than knowing the date, because a student who has not touched combinatorics in months will lose time on problems 20 through 25 regardless of how well they know the calendar above.
Our full AMC syllabus guide breaks down every topic area by weight, and our guide on how to prepare for AMC turns that syllabus into a week-by-week plan.
If you are still deciding whether the investment is worth it for your child, our piece on the benefits of AMC math lays out what the contest builds beyond the score itself.
Why Start Practicing Now Is Not Marketing Fluff
If you are reading this in June or July, you have roughly 4 months until AMC 10/12. That is the sweet spot for serious preparation, long enough to close topic gaps, short enough that the work stays focused.
If you are reading this in September or October, you still have 4 to 8 weeks. That is enough to take 4 to 6 timed past papers, build pacing, and finish problems 1 through 15 on autopilot, which alone can move a borderline student over the AIME cutoff.
If you are reading this in late October or early November, focus on pacing drills and review of past misses. New topics this late tend to confuse rather than help.
For the structured prep guides themselves, see our pillars on AMC 10 practice tests, AMC 12 practice tests, and AMC 8 practice tests.
How AMC Timing Compares to Other Math Competitions
FamilFamilies juggling more than one competition often want to know how the AMC calendar lines up against other contests their child is already preparing for.
Math Kangaroo, for example, runs on a different schedule and scoring model entirely, and some students use it earlier in the year as a lower-stakes way to build competition-test stamina before the AMC 10/12 in November.
If your child is weighing both, our comparison of Math Kangaroo vs AMC covers how the two differ in format, timing, and what each one signals for future competition math work.
The clock is the AMC’s hardest opponent. Gonit organizes AMC-level problems into 25- to 45-minute daily sessions across every topic on the syllabus, with pacing drills and progress tracking.
Start today, and you will have 60+ sessions logged before the November contest. The problems are everywhere; the sequence is not. Start free on iOS and Android.
Can my child take both the A and B versions of the AMC 10?
Yes. MAA permits it, and the higher of the two scores is what counts for AIME qualification. Many serious students do this. You just cannot sit two contests on the same day, so 10A on Nov 5 and 10B on Nov 13 is fine; 10A and 12A on Nov 5 is not.
When will the AIME 2027 dates be confirmed?
MAA typically announces AIME dates over the summer ahead of the cycle. As of June 2026, both AIME I and AIME II 2027 are listed as TBD on the official registration page. Check that page periodically; it’s the authoritative source.
What if my child’s school doesn’t host the AMC?
You have two options. First, ask the math department to register; many schools will host if a teacher steps up as competition manager. Second, search for a local independent testing center or math circle that hosts the AMC for students whose schools do not. Many universities, museums, and tutoring centers run open testing sessions. See our AMC registration guide for the full search process.
How long after the November AMC 10/12 will my child know if they qualified for AIME?
Typically 3 to 4 weeks. Scores are available in the student portal within a few weeks of the contest, and AIME qualification notifications go out from MAA in late November or early December, after national score processing is complete.
Is the AMC 8 harder to register for than the AMC 10 or AMC 12?
Not harder, but timed differently. AMC 8 registration opens later in the cycle and its deadlines fall in January rather than October, but the contest window itself is only one week (January 21 to 27, 2027), so testing sites can fill up even though the paperwork deadline looks generous.
Does a good AMC score guarantee AIME qualification?
No. AIME qualification depends on clearing a cutoff score set after all national AMC 10/12 scores are processed, and that cutoff moves slightly each cycle. See our guide on what counts as a good AMC score for how the cutoff has trended in recent years.
Make Preparing for Math Olympiad Simple!
Conclusion
The 2026-27 AMC calendar rewards families who move early, not families who move fast later. AMC 10A and AMC 12A land on November 5, 2026, AMC 10B and AMC 12B on November 13, 2026, and AMC 8 opens its testing window from January 21 to 27, 2027. AIME I and AIME II 2027 are still TBD, but the pattern from past cycles points to early-to-mid February.
None of that matters if your child’s school has not locked in a competition manager, so the single most useful thing you can do today is confirm registration status, not memorize dates.
Once registration is settled, the real work is the same every cycle: know the syllabus, log consistent practice, and save the last few weeks before the contest for pacing rather than new topics. The deadlines in this guide will still be here when you check back. Your child’s prep time will not.
Related guides
- How to register for the AMC
- AMC 10 practice test: past papers and prep strategy
- AMC 12 practice test: past papers and a smart prep strategy
- AMC 8 practice test: complete guide for middle schoolers
- AMC 10 vs AMC 12: which contest fits your child
- What is a good AMC score
- Average AMC math scores by year
- AMC age limit rules
- AMC syllabus by topic
- How to prepare for the AMC
- Math Kangaroo vs AMC
Mikha Piregu is a Content Writer with experience spanning educational content, including math and math olympiad topics, as well as advocacy writing, research-based articles, and SEO-driven web content. He creates high-quality blog content, web copy, and feature articles that support brand visibility, audience engagement, and long-term organic growth through data-informed storytelling. Skilled in WordPress, WooCommerce, and modern digital tools, Mikha adapts content across various platforms, including blogs, websites, campaigns, and advocacy initiatives, with clarity and purpose. You can reach out to him at [email protected].
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