What Is a Good AMC 8 Score? Honor Roll Cutoffs by Year
An AMC 8 score is a count of correct answers: one point per question, no penalty for a wrong one, and a top score of 25. The average has sat between 9.74 and 12.42 every year since 2022, so a 13 or more has beaten the average in every one of those years.
An AMC 8 score is a count of correct answers: one point per question, no penalty for a wrong one, and a top score of 25. The average has sat between 9.74 and 12.42 every year since 2022, so a 13 or more has beaten the average in every one of those years. The Honor Roll, the top 5%, has started between 17 and 21, and in January 2026 it started at 21. The Distinguished Honor Roll, the top 1%, has started between 21 and 24.
The lines are the same for every grade. The source prints one Honor Roll line per test for all grades together, not a line for 6th graders and another for 8th graders. The one award tied to a grade is the Achievement Roll: a child in grade 6 or below who scores 15 or more earns it. So a 16 beats every average since 2022 and earns the Achievement Roll for a younger child but has not reached the Honor Roll in any of these years.
The cutoffs by year, 2022 to 2026
These numbers are from the Art of Problem Solving wiki page "AMC historical results," a community-kept page, in a copy saved September 22, 2026. The MAA (the Mathematical Association of America, which runs the AMC) prints none of them on its public AMC page.
| Test | Average | Honor Roll (top 5%) | Distinguished Honor Roll (top 1%) | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12.42 | 21 | 24 | 80,975 |
| 2025 | 11.75 | 19 | 23 | 79,524 |
| 2024 | 10.75 | 18 | 22 | 80,725 |
| 2023 | 10.26 | 17 | 21 | 74,380 |
| 2022 | 9.74 | 19 | 22 | not listed |
For 2025 the source also prints a second set of lines labelled "Challenger," 17 for the top 5% and 22 for the top 1%, and does not say what that version is; the table carries the main set. The 2027 line does not exist until after the test on January 21 to 27, 2027. We will update the table when the 2027 line posts.
On the certificates, the names differ from the names above. The source says, "Since 2020 MAA documents use inconsistent terminology for the honor rolls," and that as of 2025 the printed AMC 8 certificate for the top 5% reads "Honor Roll" and the certificate for the top 1% reads "Honor Roll of Distinction for scoring in the top 1%." The Achievement Roll is "awarded to students in 6th grade or lower who score 15 points or higher on the AMC 8."
How the score reaches you
The score comes from the school. The MAA's page says a competition manager "enrolls students, proctors the AMC on the competition date(s), and shares scores and awards with participants after the competition." The page prints no release date and no window. So the person to ask is the teacher who ran the test at your child's school, or the math circle or learning center that hosted it. The MAA's site did not open from our machine; its lines on this page are from a copy saved by the Wayback Machine on November 4, 2026.
What a child does next
A child who liked it: the AMC 10 in November. The MAA's page says, "Students who enjoy the AMC 8 may want to continue with the AMC 10 and AMC 12 in later years." The AMC 10 is a 25-question, 75-minute test for grades 10 and below, held in November; the full line is in the FAQ below.
The AMC 8 alone does not reach the AIME, the American Invitational Mathematics Examination. Wikipedia's line is plain: "The AMC 8 is a standalone competition; students cannot qualify for the AIME via their AMC 8 score alone." What does reach it, and the age rule the AIME carries for 2027, are on our AIME 2027 page.
Still eligible: the AMC 8 again next January. The MAA's page says, "Students may only take the AMC 8 once each year," and lists the 2027 test as January 21 to 27, 2027. A child who is still within the grade and age rule can take it again. A 6th grader who takes it again in 7th grade is past the Achievement Roll, so next year the first line to reach is the Honor Roll. The dates, the school's registration deadlines, and readiness by grade are on our AMC 8 deadlines page. The practice sheets and the 12-week plan are on the AMC 8 practice test page.
Where Cuemath fits
Cuemath is live, one-on-one online math tutoring for grades K through 12. When a family wants it, the teacher prepares the child for the AMC 8 and the AMC 10 in class, as part of the regular program. A score is one number; it does not say which topics cost the points, and that is what the free evaluation below finds, in your child's own work.
See which topics cost the points before the next test
A free Cuemath MathFit evaluation, our skills-and-gaps check, is a live, one-on-one session that shows where your child is solid and where a gap sits, in your child's own work. No credit card, and the report is yours either way.
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FAQs
Is 16 a good AMC 8 score?
A 16 is above the average in every year from 2022 to 2026, when the averages ran from 9.74 to 12.42. For a child in grade 6 or below it earns the Achievement Roll, which starts at 15. It did not reach the Honor Roll in any of those years; that line started at 17 in 2023 and at 21 in 2026. None of the three pages this post reads prints a median or a distribution for the AMC 8, so the average and the two roll lines are the reference points.
Is 17 a good AMC 8 score?
A 17 reached the Honor Roll line in 2023, when the line was 17, and on the 2025 "Challenger" set, and missed the main line in the other years: 18 in 2024, 19 in 2022 and 2025, and 21 in 2026. It is above every average since 2022, and for a child in grade 6 or below it earns the Achievement Roll.
What is a good AMC 8 score for a 6th grader, or a 4th or 5th grader?
Fifteen or more earns the Achievement Roll, the one award tied to a grade: "students in 6th grade or lower who score 15 points or higher." The source does not print the Honor Roll and Distinguished Honor Roll lines by grade; it prints one line per test for every grade together, 21 and 24 in 2026. For a younger child who has not taken the test yet, readiness by grade is on our deadlines page.
When do AMC 8 results come out?
After the competition, from the school. The MAA's page says the competition manager "shares scores and awards with participants after the competition," and prints no release date. Ask the teacher who ran the test, or the center that hosted it, when the scores will arrive.
Is there an AMC 8 Certificate of Distinction?
The two sources disagree. The AoPS note says that, as of 2025, the printed certificates read "Certificate of Distinction" for the AMC 10 and AMC 12 and "Honor Roll" for the AMC 8. Wikipedia's older award list says, "A Certificate of Distinction is given to all students who receive a perfect score." Ask the school which certificate came with the score.
What is the difference between the AMC 8 and the AMC 10?
The AMC 10 is "a 25-question, 75-minute multiple-choice competition designed for students in grades 10 and below." It is for students under 17.5 on the day, runs in November in an A and a B version, and leaves out trigonometry, advanced algebra, and advanced geometry. The AMC 8 is for grade 8 and below and runs in January; its format and eligibility are on our deadlines page.
