| Mr. cellardweller, personally, I believe that your perspective on this matter is incorrect, describing the AIME as something that "does show a certain ability for mathematical puzzle solving, not much else." is simply not accurate. The AIME itself is a very high level assessment that tests one's knowledge and problem solving abilities, and fyi, the AIME does not contain just basic Algebra and Geometry problems...It contains everything from Algebra through Trigonometry and Calculus concepts can be used to solve many of the problems. Now a score of 8 or 10 is decent, but there is always something about taking the real exam...on practice exams I scored around 11-13, but during the real test I scored around a 9-10...most people consistently score higher on the unofficial or practice AIMEs and AMCs than they do on the real deal.
HeWhoDreams, as far as college acceptance goes, the AIME score will not guarantee you a spot at a high level college such as MIT, but certainly will help. There is nothing wrong about doing well on national level tests. An USAMO qualification will further support your case, and all of the USAMO qualifiers I have known have ended up at HYPS and MIT. Furthermore, the USAMO is the most prestigious Olympiad as it begins with well over half a million of the most talented students in the country, whereas, the others (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Informatics) only have a few thousand. Although, a high GPA and SAT score are essential, an USAMO qualification would most definitely put you in contention for acceptance. |