Can a Sixth Grader Take the 2027 AIME? The New Age-13 Rule

A sixth grader who scores 100 or more on this November's AMC 10 will reach the AIME qualifying score, and the MAA will not let them take the AIME unless they are 13 on the exam day. The MAA's rules for 2027, updated August 26, 2026, add an age requirement: a student must be "13 years or older the day they take AIME," and the AIME runs February 5 and 6, 2027. The qualifying scores are now fixed in advance: 100 on the AMC 10, 85 on the AMC 12. A sixth grader is almost always 11 or 12 on those days. The MAA answers the question every parent asks: "students younger than 13 will not be eligible to take AIME in 2027," and it is "unable to offer alternatives for younger students at this time."

The AMC 10 itself stays open to a sixth grader. So do the AMC 8 in January, MATHCOUNTS, MOEMS, and Math Kangaroo. The rule, the birthday arithmetic, and the rest of the 2027 changes are below, with links to the MAA's own pages.

The rule, in the MAA's words

The MAA's AIME rules and policies for 2027 list the conditions a student must meet, and all of them apply at once. The score, grade, and age lines:

1. A score at or above the threshold on the AMC 10 (100) or the AMC 12 (85).
2. In grade 12 or below the day they take the AIME.
3. 19.5 years of age or younger the day they took the qualifying AMC.
4. 13 years or older the day they take the AIME.

The student must also be enrolled full-time in, and physically attending, a school in the U.S. or Canada from registration through the exam. On exam day the student must show a government-issued ID, their own or a parent's or guardian's. The rules say nothing more about how age is checked. The MAA's AIME page states the new requirement plainly: "Only students aged 13 and older will be eligible to take AIME (in addition to previous eligibility criteria about age and grade)."

The birthday arithmetic

The AIME is given on February 5 and 6, 2027. A child born on or before February 5, 2014, is 13 on the first day. A child born February 6, 2014, is 13 only on the second. A child born after February 6, 2014, cannot take the 2027 AIME, whatever the score.

For this year's sixth graders, the first AIME the rule allows comes in the February after the 13th birthday. A child born on or before February 5, 2015, reaches it in February 2028, in seventh grade. A child born later in 2015 reaches it in February 2029, in eighth grade. Both dates assume the rule stands and the AIME stays in early February.

The MAA's rules do not say what happens to a qualifying AMC 10 score earned at 11 or 12. The AMC 10 can be taken again next year. And the 2027 USA Mathematical Olympiad and USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO and USAJMO) are now reached primarily through AIME scores, which a student under 13 cannot earn in 2027.

What else changed for 2027

The MAA published the age requirement on August 26, 2026, the day it announced the move to testing centers, along with other changes for the 2027 AIME. The exam moves to Pearson testing centers across the U.S. and Canada, and students take it on a computer. It is still 15 questions, now in two 90-minute parts, eight questions and then seven, with a short break; a student cannot go back to part one during part two. There is no AIME I and AIME II. Each qualifier takes the AIME once, inside the February 5-6 window, with no make-up dates.

The qualifying scores are fixed numbers, 100 on the AMC 10 and 85 on the AMC 12, instead of cutoffs set after the fact from percentages. Registration costs $85 plus tax, with financial assistance available, and closes February 1, 2027. Invitations go out in mid-December 2026 to the email on the student's MAA competition portal account.

What a sixth grader can enter this school year

The AMC 10 is open to students in grade 10 or below who are 17.5 or younger on competition day; the rules set no minimum age. A sixth grader can take the A exam on November 5, 2026, the B exam on November 13, or both. The AMC 12, for grade 12 or below and 19.5 or younger, runs on the same two days with the AIME threshold at 85, but a student cannot take the AMC 10 and the AMC 12 on the same day. Students and parents do not register with the MAA. A competition manager at a registered site provides the registration link: ask the school first, and if it does not host, the MAA posts a public list of registered sites to try. A homeschool cannot host the test; the MAA does not register home schools as competition sites.

The AMC 8, for grade 8 and below and 15.5 or younger, runs January 21-27, 2027. Its deadlines, fees, and readiness by grade are on our AMC 8 page. Three other competitions also take a sixth grader: MATHCOUNTS, MOEMS, and Math Kangaroo.

Where Cuemath fits

Nothing on this page needs a tutor. If you want an outside read of where your child's math stands before the November AMC, the free evaluation below is a live, one-on-one session. It cannot change what the MAA accepts.

FAQs

What are the AIME qualifying scores for 2027?

100 on the AMC 10A or 10B, and 85 on the AMC 12A or 12B. For 2027 these are fixed numbers published before the AMC, not cutoffs set afterward from percentages. A student who meets the score but not the age, grade, or enrollment rules does not qualify.

When is the 2027 AIME, and where?

February 5 and 6, 2027, at Pearson testing centers in the U.S. and Canada, on a computer. The MAA says there are more than 200 Pearson Professional Centers in the two countries and that financial assistance will be available for families who must travel a long way to one. Registration closes February 1, 2027.

Can a sixth grader take the AMC 10?

Yes. The AMC 10 is for students in grade 10 or below who are 17.5 years or younger on competition day, and the rules print no minimum age. A sixth grader may take the A exam on November 5, 2026, the B exam on November 13, or both. The same student cannot take the AMC 10 and the AMC 12 on the same day.

My 12-year-old scored 100 or more. Can they take the AIME anyway?

Only if they are 13 on the day they take it, February 5 or 6, 2027. If not, no: the MAA says students younger than 13 will not be eligible in 2027 and that it is "unable to offer alternatives for younger students at this time." The rules do not say what happens to the score.

Is there still an AIME I and an AIME II?

No. Each student takes the 2027 AIME once, inside the February 5-6 window. The MAA does not say how many versions of the exam it administers during the window.

Does the age rule change the AMC 8 or the AMC 10?

No. The AMC 8 still takes students in grade 8 or below who are 15.5 or younger, and the AMC 10 takes students in grade 10 or below who are 17.5 or younger. Both have an age ceiling and no age floor. The MAA says the AMC 10 and AMC 12 run in 2026 as they did in 2025.

How much does the AIME cost, and what if my child misses the date?

$85 plus taxes where applicable, paid to Pearson at registration, with financial assistance for families who need it. The MAA will not refund or credit a missed or cancelled exam for any reason; Pearson may, in certain cases, under its own policy. There are no make-up dates.