Changes in the 2010 USAMO/ Announcing the 2010 USA Jr. MO

[AMCDirector]

This message is to announce changes in the structure and selection
process for the 2010 USAMO.

On May 18, 2009, the MAA Executive COmmittee formally approved the attached proposal from the Committee on the American Mathematics Competitions.

In short, the changes are:

The current USA Mathematical Olympiad administered to about 500
students in all grades will be split into two flights:

1. The USA Mathematical Olympiad administered to about 270 students
who qualify from the AMC 12 with a top USAMO index based on their AMC
12 score. (along with a few students who took only the AMC 10
and scored 11 or more on the AIME.)

2. The USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad administered to about 230
students who qualify from the AMC 10 with a top USAMO index based on
their AMC 10 score.

3. The current "floor score" system will no longer be used.


In practical terms this means:
1. For 11th and 12th graders, there is essentially no change.

2. Students who want to qualify for the USAMO should take the AMC 12,
since the AMC 12 is the gateway to the USAMO. (The exception is
students who take the AMC 10 only but score 11 or more on the AIME.
Evidence from the last few years indicates that this is typically
about 5 students. These students later excelled at all levels of the
AMC program, and so based on this evidence we have built in this
exception.)

3. Students in 10th grade and below who want a chance at the USAMO
should take the AMC 12, but may also want to hedge their chances by
taking the AMC 10. Students in 10th grade and below who take the AMC
12 will have their AMC 12-based USAMO index considered without
consideration of age or grade or AIME score. Of course this means
they are considered with 11th and 12th graders and compete for the
approximately 250-270 USAMO spots on AMC 12 index alone. Students in
10th grade and below who qualify for the USAMO are eliminated from the
pool of AMC 10 takers competing for the 230 invitations to the USA Junior
Math Olympiad.

4. The gateway for the USA Junior Math Olympiad is the AMC 10. This
automatically limits participants in the Junior Math Olympiad to
grades 10 and below.

5. The USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad would have 6 problems and be
administered over 2 days, the same as the USAMO. Problems J1,J2 on
Day 1, and Problems J4, J5 would be different from the USAMO, and
would be close in level and content to problems 13-15 on the AIME.
Problem J3 would be the same as Problem 1 (Day 1) on the USAMO,
Problem J6 would be the same as Problem 4 (Day 2) on the USAMO. All
six problems on the USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad would require
written answers, perhaps a detailed algebraic, number theoretic,
combinatoric or geometric solution rather than a proof. Problems
would be graded on the same 7 point scale (42 points total) as the
USAMO, and have the same rigorous grading.

6. Selection to "Red MOSP" will work in the following way (assuming
funding for Red MOSP continues.) Among all 9th graders taking the
USAMO and JMO, the scores on problems J3 = 1 and J6 = 4 will be
totalled and ordered. Then we will select the students with the top
25 scores on these two problems. Ties among the top scores in each
category will be broken by using the scores from the other 4 problems
on each Olympiad.

[mathemagician1729]

So if someone hypothetically qualified for both JMO and USAMO, can they choose which one to take or is it left to the guidelines?

[AMCDirector]

After discussing that issue, we decided that: No, if someone qualifies for both USAMO and USAJMO, they will be invited to the USAMO only. See the last sentence of point 3:

[Mewto55555]

Out of curiosity (and to get a vague general idea), what would it have take on the AMC 10/12 and AIME to qualify for the USAJMO and USAMO respectively this year (had this new system been in place this year)?

EDIT: Also, a question.

Clearly, if 1/4 are too hard on USAMO, they will be on USAJMO too. If students can solve problems that are of the approximate difficulty of 13-15 on the AIME, don't you think they will be able to score an 11 or higher? That is, won't the problems on the USAJMO be either too easy or too hard to everyone who qualifies?

[AMCDirector]

A quick skim of the data suggests that it would have taken an index of approximately 210 on both the
AMC10+10*AIME -> USAJMO and AMC12+10*AIME -> USAMO
this 2009 contest year.

Steve Dunbar
MAA Director, American Mathematics Competitions

[brightzhu]

So a tenth grader who wants to try to make USAMO and MOSP most take the AMC12?

[AMCDirector]

[An0maly]

Since I'm going to be a senior next year, the same number of spots are still here, so I guess I'm really not affected by this. Just gotta hit the books now and qualify :]

[sophia]

I think this is a very thoughtful and creative approach.

The USAMO was originally designed for roughly 100+ students, of whom 8 would be designated "winners" and another 20 or so of the most promising students in 11th grade and below would be invited to the Math Olympiad Summer Program. Moreover, all qualifiers were selected from a single qualifying path (originally just the AHSME, later just a single version of the AHSME and a single version of the AIME.)

Expecting a single test with six questions to be appropriate for 500 students, some as young as 4th grade (!), selected by a combinatorial explosion of paths (10A/12A/10B/12B/USAMTS with multiplicity possible and AIME I or AIME II) is really a lot to ask! The goal of identifying this year's team and very strong prospects for teams in the next two years (i.e., black/blue MOP) require different questions than the goals of encouraging and developing the talents of younger students with much less experience.

There are no perfect solutions, but I like this idea a lot, in principle. The junior math olympiad strikes me as having great possibilities as a "stepping stone" for younger students with less experience.

[Mewto55555]

Stepping stones yes, but if students are able to do that well that young, they shouldn't be worried about having "too hard" of a USAMO. The USAMO is the most prominent competition in America (for high schoolers) for a reason, by adding a newer, easier level, I am of the opinion we give some of these younger kids a disservice. Rather than push them to work harder and master more difficult problems, we are giving them easier, AIME level problems, which they could get from elsewhere (USAMTS perhaps?)

Also, now qualification for red MOP has been reduced from 6 problems to 2. Is that a good thing?

[Mewto55555]

Also, is there still the state best rule? That is, the highest index in the state? So now will there be two of those? That is, will there be a qualifier for both USAJMO and USAMO solely based on the fact they live in a less competitive state?

[perfect628]

How will CGMO selection work? Will it be done similarly to the Red cutoff? It doesn't affect me personally, but it hasn't been addressed yet.

[Mewto55555]

[mathemonster]

this basically makes the amc10 useless

[qvc122]

I am hijacking D2 (daughter #2)'s account to post here.

[connaissance]

I have a question. Say that you take both AMC 10 and AMC 12, and qualify for AIME in both. Then, in AIME, you get an 11, but that doesn't qualify you for USAMO by your AMC 12 index score or USAJMO by your index score. Do you go to USAMO, USAJMO, or neither?

Also, if you qualify for AIME through USAMTS, how is your index score calculated? Can you get into USAMO though USAMTS?

[xpmath]

I highly doubt that a minimum of 120+110=230 index on the 10 won't qualify you for USAJMO.

Also, you'd have at worst a 100.5+110=210.5 on the 12, which is also not very likely to happen.

[Temperal]

I don't quite understand the intended format of the JMO. 1, 2, 4, 5 are short answer and 3, 6 are proofs, correct? And 3, 6 are graded on 0-7 scale and 1, 2, 4, 5 are only used as tiebreakers? How exactly is this measured against USAMO score? Does USAMO score always have precedence, or does someone getting 9 on JMO and a single tiebreaker beat out someone getting a 9 on USAMO, if it comes to that?

Additionally, on qualification, if one gets, say, a 150 AMC 10 and a 10 on AIME, I understand that one has no choice but to take the JMO? What if one has a sufficiently high index to qualify for USAMO through AMC 12 but checks the "AMC 10" bubble on the AIME form because they were worried about qualifying with the 12? Do they have to take the JMO or would they have a choice?

[abacadaea]

[not_trig]

what? has usamo suddenly become too hard for younger students or something?