The AMC 8 is administered in person at an authorized test center, in its January window — there is no at-home, self-proctored online version. A student takes the 25-question, 40-minute paper (no calculator) in a proctored room, and the center’s competition manager handles enrollment and results. For a China-based family, the practical job is therefore not “sign up online” but “find a center that seats my child, and register before it closes.” Confirm the current arrangement and exact date on maa.org.
In-person, in January — the two facts that shape everything
Two things about the AMC 8 drive every planning decision, and both are easy to miss if you came up during the remote-exam years:
- It is in person. The AMC 8, like the AMC 10 and 12, is sat at a verified competition site — a school, university, math circle or learning center — and proctored on-site by an authorized competition manager. There is no online home paper as an alternative.
- It is in January, in its own window, separate from the AMC 10 and 12 (which sit in November). Treat the exact January date as “confirm on maa.org,” because it is set year by year.
The consequence is that the binding constraint is a seat, not a login. If your child’s school is a registered center, that is the simplest route. If it is not, you need to find a public center that admits external candidates — and do it early, because seats and registration windows close well before exam day.
The registration timeline: why “early” is the whole game
Because the AMC 8 is a fixed-date, in-person paper, the calendar — not the syllabus — is where families most often trip. A sensible backward plan:
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Autumn (well before January) | Confirm whether the school is a center; if not, shortlist public authorized centers that admit external students. |
| Before the center’s cut-off | Enroll and pay. A seat is only secured once registration is complete — waiting risks a full room. |
| January exam window | Sit the paper in person, proctored. Confirm the exact date with your center and on maa.org. |
| After results | The competition manager shares scores and awards; use them to plan the step up to the AMC 10. |
Registration for the AMC 8 runs through the center, not through the student directly — so the moment your school confirms it is (or is not) a center is the moment your registration plan really starts. If you are registering through a public authorized center, our AMC 8 registration guide walks through the enrollment step; for building up to exam day, the study package collects practice materials.
AMC 8, then AMC 10: the same in-person model
The AMC 8 is the entry rung of the American Mathematics Competitions ladder — grade 8 and below — and it feeds naturally into the AMC 10. Both now sit under the same in-person model, so the habit you build for the AMC 8 (find a center, register early, sit a proctored paper) is exactly the habit the AMC 10 and 12 require in November. The difference to note:
- AMC 8 — 25 questions, 40 minutes, no calculator, sat in January, for grade 8 and below.
- AMC 10 / 12 — 25 questions, 75 minutes, sat in November (the 2026 dates are November 5 and November 13). For the full ladder — AMC 8 → AMC 10/12 → AIME → USA(J)MO — see our sister guide to the American Mathematics Competitions.
Framing the AMC 8 as the first step of a multi-year path — rather than a one-off test — is what turns a single score into a trajectory. A strong AMC 8 in January tells you the AMC 10 in the following November is a realistic next target.
What a strong AMC 8 looks like
The AMC 8’s top recognition is the Distinguished Honor Roll (roughly the top 1% of scores) and the Honor Roll (roughly the top 5%). Those are the markers to aim a preparation plan at. For context on what serious preparation can produce, Hanlin students in the 2025–26 cycle earned 103 Distinguished Honor Roll placements on the AMC 8 (Hanlin student data, de-identified; results vary by student and are never guaranteed). The number itself is not the lesson — the lesson is that every one of those students sat a real, proctored January paper at a center, which is exactly the model your child will be on.
Frequently asked questions
Can my child take the AMC 8 online at home in 2026?
No. The AMC 8 is sat in person at an authorized test center, proctored on-site. There is no at-home online version. Confirm on maa.org.
When is the AMC 8?
The AMC 8 sits in a January window, separate from the November AMC 10/12. Confirm the exact date on maa.org and with your center.
How do we register if our school isn’t a test center?
Find a public authorized center (a university, math circle or learning center) that admits external students; its competition manager enrolls your child. The MAA lists authorized centers.
Who can take the AMC 8?
Students in grade 8 and below (age limits are set by the MAA). Confirm current eligibility on maa.org.
This is an independent English-language guide to the AMC 8 for China-based students and families, operated by Hanlin Education. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or the official site of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), which organizes the AMC. Exam dates, format, eligibility and registration are set by the MAA and by individual authorized centers and can change — always confirm current details on maa.org and with your chosen center. Achievement figures are Hanlin student data, de-identified; results vary and are not guaranteed. Confirmed errors are corrected within 7 working days.