McLean’s top math students are beginning their preparation for the 2024 American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). The competition will be held on Feb. 1.
The AIME is a national 15-question math test for those who qualified through the American Mathematics Contest (AMC) in November of the last year. Students must score in the top 2.5% of students on the AMC 10 or the top 5% of students on the AMC 12 across the entire nation. This year, 15 students are advancing to the AIME, surpassing last year’s 12 AIME qualifiers.
“[The AIME] is insanely hard—the math is impossible,” junior Colin Park said. “You have to know all the strategies and formulas beforehand.”
Recognized as one of the most difficult math tests for high school students, preparing for the AIME requires determination and extensive practice.
“We gather together as a club once a week to solve and go over previous iterations of the test,” sophomore Daniel Kim said. “We repeat this for several weeks prior to the test to cover [a] broad range of questions to be best prepared for the exam.”
Students who receive a passing score on the AIME will be invited to compete in the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad on Mar. 19-20. Last year, two McLean students attended the competition.
“I am just happy that we have students with a passion for mathematics and enjoy challenging themselves,” math teacher Steven Walker said. “I hope the students do well, but ultimately, just the fact we have so many students taking the AMC 10 and 12 to begin with is great.”