Most students enter through their school
The most common route into AMO is through a student’s own school. Many schools act as a registered contest centre, collecting entries from interested students and administering the paper on the day. If your child’s school already participates, signing up can be as simple as letting the teacher in charge know — the school handles the logistics, and your child sits the paper in a familiar classroom.
If your school does not currently take part, it is still worth asking: schools can often arrange to become a contest centre, and a teacher’s enquiry to the organiser is usually all it takes to start that conversation.
What you will typically need
Registration is light on paperwork. In most cases you will need only the basics: the student’s name, their current grade (so they receive the correct paper), and the entry fee. Because AMO runs by grade level, getting the grade right matters — it ensures the difficulty is appropriately pitched.
The single most important detail at registration is the student’s correct grade — it determines which paper they sit.
Understanding the fee and the window
AMO charges a modest entry fee that varies slightly by region. There is a registration period each season that closes before the contest window, so the practical advice is simple: decide early. Leaving registration to the last moment is the most common avoidable mistake, because once the window closes there is usually no late entry.
Where to find the official details
Because dates, fees and the exact registration process are controlled by the official organiser and updated each season, always confirm them through the official channel rather than relying on second-hand information. As an independent guide, we are happy to point you to the correct official source and help you understand the steps — message us on WhatsApp and tell us your child’s grade, and we will help you get started on the right footing.
This site is the AMO (American Mathematics Olympiad) guide operated by Hanlin Education, an authorized registration partner for AMO. AMO is organized by SIMCC (Singapore) together with Southern Illinois University for grades 2–12, and is not the MAA’s American Mathematics Competitions (AMC). We help China-based families register the official way. Confirmed errors are corrected within 7 working days.