AMC vs AIMO · Years 3–12

AMC vs AIMO: Which Maths Competition Suits Your Child?

Last updated 6 July 2026

Format, eligibility, difficulty and 2026 dates compared — plus the pathway from AMC to AIMO and how to tell when your child is ready to step up.

Quick answer: The AMC is a 30-question, mostly multiple-choice competition open to Years 3–12 — the natural starting point for almost every child. The AIMO is a four-hour, 10-question olympiad for Years 7–10 pitched at Year 10 level. Start with the AMC; move to AIMO once your child is comfortably earning top-band AMC awards.

Parents often hear both names in the same breath and assume they're rival competitions. They're not — both are run by the Australian Maths Trust (AMT), and they sit at different rungs of the same ladder. The real question isn't "which one?" but "which one now?"

The two competitions side by side

All facts below are from the Australian Maths Trust (amt.edu.au); 2026 dates and fees are as published by AMT.

AMC (Australian Mathematics Competition)AIMO (Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad)
Who can enterYears 3–12, in five divisions (Middle Primary, Upper Primary, Junior, Intermediate, Senior)Years 7–10
Pitched atEach division pitched at its own year levels; questions ramp from accessible to very hardYear 10 level — but open to motivated Years 7–9 students
Format30 questions: 25 multiple-choice + 5 integer-answer10 questions: 8 integer-answer + 2 requiring full written solutions (proofs)
Marks135 total; no penalty for wrong answers35 total (plus 4 bonus marks for investigation)
Duration60 min (primary) / 75 min (secondary)4 hours
2026 dateTue 4 – Thu 6 August 2026Thu 10 September 2026
2026 feeAUD $9.30 per studentAUD $25.90 per student
EntryThrough schools via the AMT portalThrough schools via the AMT portal
What it leads toAwards; identifies talent for harder competitionsAccording to AMT, results can identify students for AMT's Olympiad pathway

The difficulty gap is bigger than the table suggests. The AMC gives an average student 30 questions in about an hour, starting gently. The AIMO gives a strong student 10 questions in four hours — some requiring written mathematical proofs, a skill most school students have never practised. They're different sports.

Who should do the AMC

Almost everyone. The AMC is deliberately built so that every student can engage with the early questions while the final five stretch the strongest in the country. It suits:

  • Years 5–6 students meeting competition maths for the first time (Upper Primary division)
  • Years 7–8 students (Junior division) building problem-solving beyond the school syllabus
  • Any child whose parents want an external benchmark — AMC awards are percentile-based against the whole state cohort, which school reports can't give you
  • Students who may never want olympiad maths but enjoy a challenge once a year

There is no downside to entering: at AUD $9.30 (2026) with no penalty for wrong answers, it's the lowest-stakes serious maths credential in the country.

Who should do the AIMO

A much smaller group. The AIMO suits students who:

  • Are in Years 7–10 and consistently reach the top award bands in the AMC
  • Enjoy sitting with one hard problem for 30–40 minutes rather than sprinting through 30
  • Are ready to learn written solutions — explaining reasoning on paper, not just circling an answer
  • Are curious about the olympiad track: according to AMT, AIMO results can be used to identify students for the Trust's Olympiad pathway

A Year 7 or 8 student entering the AIMO is competing on a paper pitched at Year 10 level. That's exactly the point for a genuinely advanced child — and demoralising for one pushed in too early.

The pathway: AMC → AIMO

The sensible sequence for a strong young mathematician:

  1. Years 5–6: AMC Upper Primary. Build speed, accuracy and exam temperament.
  2. Years 7–8: AMC Junior. Aim to push into the top award bands — this is where real problem-solving technique develops. (Not sure how to practise? See our guide to using AMC past papers properly.)
  3. Years 7–10, once AMC results are strong: add the AIMO in September. The AMC (early August) and AIMO (early September) sit about five weeks apart in 2026, so one preparation season covers both.
  4. Beyond: strong AIMO performance feeds into AMT's olympiad program — the training track towards national and international olympiads.

What AMC results suggest AIMO-readiness?

AMT doesn't publish an official AMC score that qualifies a student for AIMO — entry is open to any Year 7–10 student through their school. So this is our coaching guidance, not an AMT rule:

  • High Distinction in the AMC Junior or Intermediate division — according to AMT, the top 3% of the student's year and region — is a clear green light. These students are ready for AIMO problems now.
  • Distinction (top 20% per AMT) with strong performance on the later questions (Q21–30) suggests readiness with a term of targeted preparation, particularly on written solutions.
  • Below Distinction, the child gains more from another AMC cycle than from a four-hour paper pitched above their level.

One nuance worth checking in your child's AMC feedback: where the marks came from. A Distinction earned by near-perfect accuracy on Q1–20 signals speed and care; the same score earned partly from Q21–30 signals the deeper problem-solving muscle the AIMO actually tests. The second student is closer to AIMO-ready. (For what each award band means, see AMC scoring and awards explained.)

Ready for the step up to AIMO?

If your child is in Years 7–10 and pushing past the AMC, our AIMO preparation course teaches the written-solution and olympiad techniques school never covers.

Explore AIMO Preparation (Years 7–10)

FAQ

Can my child do both AMC and AIMO in the same year?

Yes. In 2026 the AMC runs 4–6 August and the AIMO on 10 September (per AMT), so many strong students sit both. The AMC also works as a warm-up and readiness check five weeks out.

Is there a qualifying score to enter the AIMO?

No. According to the AMT, the AIMO is open to Years 7–10 students, entered through their school — there's no formal AMC prerequisite. The prerequisite is practical: the paper is pitched at Year 10 level, so students should be genuinely strong before entering.

My child is in Year 5 — is AIMO an option?

The AMT lists AIMO eligibility as Years 7–10, so not yet. Years 5–6 students should focus on the AMC Upper Primary division and build towards Junior division success in Years 7–8.

How different are the questions really?

Structurally different. Most AMC questions are multiple-choice with an answer on the page in front of you; the AIMO has no multiple choice at all — 8 integer-answer questions plus 2 requiring full written proofs, per AMT. Proof-writing is usually the biggest jump for new AIMO students.

Which one matters more for scholarships?

For most families the AMC matters first, simply because its award bands (Credit through to Prize) are widely recognised and achievable. AIMO participation signals a level of ability few students reach — but it only makes sense once AMC results are already strong.

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