AMC Advantage FAQ

General

1. What is the format of AMC Advantage?

   AMC Advantage is a self-paced, online course designed to help students of all levels prepare effectively for the AMC contests. The course consists of a collection of problem sets and mock contests that are to be solved by students in a recommended sequence. All problem sets and mock contests are auto-graded and students are presented with a comprehensive performance report with suggested areas for improvement.

   AMC Advantage is refreshed completely every calendar year (i.e., every AMC contest season) with respect to both format and problems. Students may optionally enroll in AMC Advantage courses from prior years upon payment of an additional fee.

2. What is the duration of AMC Advantage?

   AMC Advantage access is provided on a subscription basis, for a period of 5 months from the date of enrollment.

3. How is AMC Advantage expected to help students?

   The AMC Advantage practice tests and problem sets have been carefully constructed using select problems from a wide range of contests, newly authored problems, substantially modified past AMC problems, and other select sources. The AIME course contains problems that are entirely new and previously unpublished. The problem sets in the courses have been arranged in a sequence that will help every contestant achieve a graduated reinforcement of subject understanding and problem solving skills, regardless of their current skill level. Every full-length test will expose students to a range of topics, difficulty levels, and specific techniques critical to AMC contest problem solving. These tests are designed to accurately simulate the AMC contests.

4. What kind of tests and problem sets are provided in AMC Advantage?

   AMC Advantage provides separate courses for AMC 8, AMC 10, AMC 12 and AIME. The AMC courses consist of skill-builder problem sets in the key AMC topics and full-length, timed mock contests that simulate the AMC contests.

5. Are any of the tests and problem sets common to the AMC 10 and AMC 12 courses?

   As with the actual AMC competitions, there are questions common to the AMC 10 and 12 SkillBuilders as well as the AMC 10 and 12 Mock Contests. There is one unique problem set in each SkillBuilder course, and several unique problems in each Mock Contest course.

6. Are additional practice tests and supplemental problems available?

   For additional practice and deep understanding of foundational concepts, you may enroll for the Middle School and High School courses with problem sets and embedded eBooks.

7. Who are the authors of AMC Advantage?

   The AMC Advantage test courses have been designed and created under the leadership of Dr. Dave Wells, former chair of the Mathematical Association of America’s Committee on the AMC competitions.

8. Does AMC Advantage require any specific hardware or software?

   AMC Advantage is completely web-based and does not require installation of any custom software. The only requirement is a reliable internet connection on a desktop, laptop or handheld device. The recommended browser for AMC Advantage is Chrome.

Enrollment & Payment

1. What is the enrollment and payment process?

   Students may enroll individually online to get immediate access to AMC Advantage. Institutions and school districts may purchase multiple licenses to a course and then distribute the provided access code to their students.

2. What is the enrollment fee?

   The fee is $10 per student for enrollment in any AMC course, and $15 for enrollment in the AIME and combo courses.

3. Can an AMC Advantage account be shared by more than one student?

   No. AMC Advantage accounts are intended strictly for individual student or educator use and may not be shared.

Educator Access

1. Can an educator or school purchase multiple licenses for a course?

   Yes. Educators can opt to purchase multiple licenses for a course. The educator is given an access code that the students can use to enroll in the course. In addition, they will be able to manage their class of students and monitor their progress through the course.

2. Can an educator enroll in a course?

   Yes. Educators can either enroll in a student course directly, or if they have purchased multiple licenses, they can enroll using the provided access code.

Grading, Performance Analysis, & Reports

1. How are the tests taken and graded?

   AMC Advantage is completely online. Every test is self-administered at the student’s convenience, auto-graded and instantly scored on completion of the test.

2. What kind of performance report is provided after each test?

   Performance reports provide a summary score, score by problem, and summary score by subject area and identify specific areas for improvement.

3. When are the answers and solutions to the tests and problem sets made available?

   The answer key and solutions are made available online to the student immediately after completion of a mock test or problem set.

Taking the Tests

1. Are the tests timed?

   Mock contests are timed tests. Skill-builder problem sets are not timed.

2. Is there a restriction on the number of test attempts?

   Tests and problem sets may be attempted for scoring and performance analysis only once, but afterward they may be reviewed without limit.

3. Can the tests be paused or reset?

   A student may not pause or stop the clock during a timed test. In the event of legitimate interruptions (such as power outage or a software error) during a test, the student may request a reset by writing to amc@edfinity.com. Any such reset will require the student to re-start the test from the very beginning.

4. Can a student skip a question or go back to a question during the test?

   Yes, a student may freely jump ahead or go back to a question out of sequence during a test.

Support

1. Is any instructional support provided?

   No, AMC Advantage does not provide any instructional support.

2. What kind of email support is available?

   Email support is available for all technical issues and problems experienced while using the AMC Advantage website, and for any questions or clarifications related to AMC Advantage. Users may write to amc@edfinity.com.