How many weeks to prepare for AMC 12 starting from scratch?

by Brian Y. 8 views3 replies
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Brian Y.OP
May 27, 2026

Hey everyone, I'm a junior who just found out about the AMC 12 through my math teacher and I'm kind of panicking. The exam is in November and I've basically done zero competition math before. My school's math team kids talk about it like it's this massive deal, and looking at some amc 12 problems from past years... yeah, I see why. The combinatorics and number theory stuff especially makes my head spin.

I've been doing some amc 12 practice test runs online to get a feel for the format — 30 questions, 75 minutes, no calculator. I scored around 40 on my first amc12 sample test attempt which I know is pretty rough. My goal is at least a 90, maybe 100 if things go well. I've heard the amc12 a 2025 was particularly brutal compared to previous years. Is 8-10 weeks of focused prep realistic? I can put in about 1.5 hours daily. Anyone gone from beginner to a decent score on the amc 12 in that timeframe?

I've already started working through AMC12 Combinatorics and Probability 2 practice sets since that felt like my weakest area. Any study plans or resources that actually worked for you?

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Brian Y.
May 28, 2026
8-10 weeks is doable for hitting 90-100, honestly. I went from a 48 to a 102 in about 12 weeks sophomore year. The key for me was doing themed problem sets by topic instead of just random full tests. Spent three weeks on just algebra and polynomial stuff, then moved to geometry. Don't skip the older AMC 12 problems either — 2010-2018 has some gems that show up as templates for newer problems.
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rachel_s
May 28, 2026
One thing nobody tells beginners: the scoring penalizes wrong answers (1.5 point deduction), so your strategy matters as much as your knowledge. On my first real amc 12 I left 8 blanks and still outscored my friend who guessed on everything. If you're under 50% confident on a problem, skip it. Also the amc12 a 2025 cutoff for AIME qualification was around 96 I think, so your 90-100 goal is realistic but tight.
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James R.
May 28, 2026
Geometry was my biggest jump — went from consistently getting those wrong to maybe 60-70% correct after two weeks of focused drill. The practice test on AMC12 Geometry 2 here is solid for that. Also check out number theory early, it shows up more than people expect.

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