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CC Resources for Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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02-01-2006, 06:18 PM
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#1 | | Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 519
| Send AMC score? And how...?
Is a 136 (my estimation) on the 12 worth sending in? It's usually a very decent score, but this year, it might be different... And if I already sent my mid-year report, how would I notify them?
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02-01-2006, 06:36 PM
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#2 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Texas
Posts: 1,943
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Excellent score. Send them an email.
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02-02-2006, 12:21 PM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,455
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hmm  what about something like 118.5? (I'm a junior) I will apply EA to MIT, so this will likely be my score that I will send. I want to go in to Math, CS:AI, and Physics, so what kind of score range on the AMC 12 is good to send?
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02-02-2006, 01:51 PM
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#4 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Texas
Posts: 1,943
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Anything over 100 is worth mentioning. That means you are an AIME qualifier, and in the top 5-10% of test takers (depending on the year). But it probably doesn't really grab anyone's attention at a place like MIT until 120 or so.
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02-02-2006, 02:19 PM
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#5 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,455
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Gargh! 1.5 points away from 120! And I figured out how to do another problem only 5 min after i finished the test.
What about at caltech? IIRC Ben Golub said only to send in really really good scores or they might hurt you.
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02-02-2006, 02:53 PM
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#6 | | Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 533
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Don't worry. The AMC will not make or break your application. A 118.5 is good, but even a 140+ is not an instant accept.
(At least that is what I read on a Caltech thread).
Last edited by OSUforME; 02-02-2006 at 02:59 PM.
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02-02-2006, 06:11 PM
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#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Texas
Posts: 1,943
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I agree with OSU - your AMC score is just not going to make or break you. It's going to be taken in the context of all the other math stuff you have. A high AMC score plus a high AIME score and qualifying for USAMO is a big deal, but even that is no guarantee of acceptance if the rest of your app is weak. The only way your AMC score would "hurt" you would be if your grades, coursework, AP, SAT etc were all solidly in the top 5% or 10% or whatever, and your AMC score was way below that (the national average for the AMC 12 is mid 70s).
Sagar - the 118.5 is good; you should list it! Just don't expect it to balance out, say, a C in calculus. I tell all my kids to report any AMC 12 score above 100, and list "AIME qualifier" as an honor. If you make a zero on the AIME (or anything else below about 4), don't list the AIME score but it's always worth saying that you qualified.
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02-02-2006, 06:37 PM
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#8 | | Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 591
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Blah, I got a 109. Would've had a 115, but didn't pay attention 1 one problem =(.
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02-04-2006, 08:59 AM
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#9 | | Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 519
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Who should I send the email to: my interviewer or an adcom like benj.?
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02-04-2006, 09:17 AM
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#10 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 244
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Some of you guys are getting a little over-excited about AMC scores. Even 144 from 10th-12th grade aren't considered very highly by either MIT or Caltech (compared to either research, advanced courses, etc. since the test is a joke).
In fact, get 144 on the AMC 12, 100 on the AIME, and qualify for USAMO, it's still not a huge accomplishment.
Only if you're really good are the American Math Competitions anything more than just a nice extracurricular. Reason being that they're trivial compared to anything you'll have to solve at either MIT or Caltech.
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02-04-2006, 10:09 AM
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#11 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,339
| Quote: |
(compared to either research, advanced courses, etc. since the test is a joke).
| The test is far from a joke. Some of these problems are quite difficult, if not on the AMC tests, then at least on the AIME.
The USAMO problems certainly compare with probably any problem (outside of a research question) you would be asked in a math class. These are tough, tough problems.
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02-04-2006, 06:46 PM
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#12 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 244
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I was clearly refering to the AMC 12 (not the AIME) being a joke relative to research or advanced courses. I stand by this statement completely.
But even with the AIME and USAMO, they don't amaze admissions unless the scores are truly very high. I have known a lot of great math competitions people with good stats elsewhere be rejected to every single prestigious college they applied to, Caltech and MIT included.
The reason is that high school math competitions have little to do with real math, and are much easier than college-level problems anyway.
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02-04-2006, 07:19 PM
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#13 | | Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 591
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Depends.
The difficulty of doing 25 hard problems in a short time period I would say is comparable to doing 1 or 2 incredibly difficult ones.
It is all relative. In college, many problems take hours to solve, whereas you have under 2 hrs for the AMC.
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02-04-2006, 09:03 PM
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#14 | | Super Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 7,781
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Asiaknight, I vote for sending an actual paper letter to the Admissions office -- sending an email will necessitate somebody having to print it off.
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02-04-2006, 10:47 PM
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#15 | | Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 563
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In fact, get 144 on the AMC 12, 100 on the AIME, and qualify for USAMO, it's still not a huge accomplishment.
| I beg to differ. A 100 on the AIME would show impressive bribery/forgery skill.
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