AMC Australia Past Papers with Answers - Practise Online

The Australian Mathematics Competition (often called AMC Australia) is an annual maths competition run by the Australian Maths Trust (AMT) for primary and secondary school students. Each student sits one 30-question paper matched to their year level, and students in many countries outside Australia take the same papers in the same testing window.

AMC Australia past papers are a popular way to build problem-solving skills, because every paper follows the same structure: questions get steadily harder, and the scoring rewards students who can push into the difficult final section. This page explains the AMC Australia levels, the exam format and scoring, when it is held, and how to prepare.

Overview

The Australian Mathematics Competition was first held in 1978. The AMT describes it as Australia's longest running, largest and best known maths competition for school students. It is organised by the Australian Maths Trust, which also runs other maths enrichment and olympiad programmes in Australia.

The competition is open to schools in Australia and to international entrants. Students outside Australia usually enter through their school or through a local partner organisation, and international registration closes earlier than Australian registration.

Despite the shared acronym, AMC Australia has nothing to do with the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC 8, AMC 10 and AMC 12) run by the Mathematical Association of America. They are separate contests with different papers, levels and scoring.

AMC Australia levels and grades

Australian "Years" correspond to grades with the same number. Students normally sit the paper for their own year level.

Rounds

AMC Australia has a single round. There is no qualifying round and no international final: each student takes one paper and receives an award based on that result. Strong performance can lead students towards other AMT programmes, but those are separate competitions.

AMC Australia exam format and scoring

Each paper from Middle Primary to Senior has 30 questions: 25 multiple-choice questions followed by 5 questions that require a whole-number answer.

• Total: 135 marks.
• Time: 60 minutes for Middle and Upper Primary, 75 minutes for Junior, Intermediate and Senior.
• Penalty: there is no deduction for wrong answers.
• Delivery: schools can choose online or printed paper format.

The Early Primary pilot uses a shorter paper: 25 questions in 50 minutes, taken online only.

Awards are given at several levels: Participation, Proficiency, Credit, Distinction and High Distinction, with Prizes and medals for the very top results. The AMT also gives special recognition for perfect scores.

When is it held

AMC Australia is held once a year in the middle of the year, in a testing window of a few days, recently around late July or early August. Schools register their students with the AMT or its local partner, and international entries close several weeks before Australian entries. The Early Primary pilot ran separately later in the year. Exact dates change each year, so check the AMT website.

How to prepare with past papers

• Know your scoring zones. Questions 1-10 are short and worth 3 marks each. Securing them without careless errors gives a solid base before you spend time on harder questions.
• Plan your time for the last five. Questions 26-30 carry 40 of the 135 marks and need a whole-number answer, so there is no option to eliminate. Leave enough time to work on at least one or two of them.
• Answer everything. Since there is no penalty, never leave a multiple-choice question blank. If you are stuck, eliminate what you can and choose.
• Practise at your level, then one level up. The final questions of your division often look like the middle questions of the next division, so working through the level above is good preparation for the hardest part of your own paper.
• Review by topic. Many AMC Australia questions are set in everyday situations such as calendars, money, shapes, patterns and puzzles. Note which kinds of question slow you down and practise more of them.

On Edupiad you can take AMC Australia past papers online with a timer, get automatic marking when you submit, and review each question afterwards. Available years and solutions depend on what has been added to the library.

Frequently asked questions

Is AMC Australia hard?

The first questions are designed to be accessible to most students at that year level, and the paper gets much harder towards the end. Very few students score full marks, so a good result does not require solving every question.

What grade is each AMC Australia level for?

Middle Primary is for Grades 3-4, Upper Primary for Grades 5-6, Junior for Grades 7-8, Intermediate for Grades 9-10 and Senior for Grades 11-12. The Early Primary pilot is for Grades 1-2.

Does AMC Australia have negative marking?

No. Wrong answers do not lose marks, so students should answer every question.

How many questions are in AMC Australia?

Each paper from Middle Primary to Senior has 30 questions: 25 multiple choice and 5 integer-answer questions, worth 135 marks in total.

Is AMC Australia the same as the American AMC?

No. AMC Australia is run by the Australian Maths Trust. The AMC 8, AMC 10 and AMC 12 are American competitions run by the Mathematical Association of America, with a different format and scoring.

Sources

• Australian Mathematics Competition - Australian Maths Trust