It is correct that there's a huge overlap between AMC 8 top 1% honor roll and middle school AIME qualifiers. I would be hesitant to place too much emphasis on the AMC 8 alone, because it is such a high speed test and covers a lot less content and more superficially so than AMC 10. Also, since there's no penalty for guessing, some kids will benefit from lucky guessing.

It's not entirely reasonable to state that AMC 8 honor rolls take fewer kids based on the "top 5%" cutoff vs "top 7%." Around 100,000 kids take AMC 8, so the top 5% is the top 5000 kids. Around 30,000 take AMC 10A, so the top 7% is the top 2100 kids. Among those top 7% are a lot of 9th and 10th graders.

In the past, when AMC 8 was in November and AMC 10 in January, FCAG would invite all of the middle schoolers who made the top 5% honor roll to take the AMC 10 with them. Any kid who is at a level where they can make AMC 8 honor roll is also at a level where taking the AMC 10 is quite reasonable.

MAA is unlikely to publish the honor rolls. They have not done so for the AMC 10, despite having a checkbox stating that you consent to having your child's information published. It's a shame for the kids to be denied this recognition.

Honor roll cutoffs will likely come out sometime in the next month. An 18 will probably make it on the top 5% honor roll, since the consensus is that the test was on the harder side this year. The AoPS forums already have discussions posted on the problems, so it's a great chance for your kids to see how to solve the problems they couldn't do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here: The scores for the top 1% on the AMC 8 have been closer to 21 or 22, it is hard to achieve. The top 5% requires an 18 or a 19.

Do they send out the honor roll lists this year?

No idea, the proctor sent his score sheet but that is all that we have received. The website does not list the cut offs so I don’t think that they have set the thresholds for the honor rolls yet.

Anonymous wrote:PP here: The scores for the top 1% on the AMC 8 have been closer to 21 or 22, it is hard to achieve. The top 5% requires an 18 or a 19.

Do they send out the honor roll lists this year?

PP here: The scores for the top 1% on the AMC 8 have been closer to 21 or 22, it is hard to achieve. The top 5% requires an 18 or a 19.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AMC8 in the 1980s was much easier, so students will get high scores if these are used as practice tests. The honor rolls from recent years are available on the MAA website if people want to get the count from northern Virginia. It is much higher than 50.

DP. MAA gives the csv files, so it's pretty easy to tabulate results. In the Jan 2022 AMC 8, 105 VA kids made at least the top 5% honor roll. Most of these kids are from NoVa. In the Nov 2021 AMC 10a, only 16 VA kids had AIME qualifying scores (6 7th graders and 10 8th graders). This would all suggest that making the AMC 8 honor roll is not that spectacular, especially if the kid is taking AoPS/RSM classes or is in an AAP center middle school with a strong math club. Qualifying for AIME in middle school is still pretty rare for NoVa kids.

There are 3 honor rolls (1 for 6th graders and under, 2 for 8th graders and under.

The high honor roll (top 1% of test takers) is almost the same as the AMC10 AIME qualifiers, based on kids I know, and also the stats showing about 750 middle schoolers on the AMC8 1% honor roll and the same number taking the AIME.

The AMC8 high honor roll is extremely hard, because of extreme time pressure (20 of 25 questions, in 40 minutes). (It has to be, because it has a content cap and is artificially limited to 1%, so everyone near the top studying more doesn't help; it's a rat race / treadmill race).

The AMC10-taking AIME qualifiers only need to solve half the test (~15 out of 25 questions, in 75minutes), so, though it is a bit harder and expects Algebra and Geometry class, there is minimal time pressure. And it admits a larger group (~7% of test takers).

The AMC 8 High Honor roll, top 5%, ranges from 18-20 to be included. We checked only because DS is in 6th grade and knows his score on this years test, 18, and might have a shot at the top 5% based on the history of the scoring. Two years ago 18 was the cut off, last year it was 19. The proctor for his test sent out the score sheet the day after the testing window closed. We know he made the 6th grade honor roll and are pleased with his score as it stands but it would be kind of cool the be top 5%.