Mathematics is one of the fundamental tools for understanding the universe, nothing less than the science and study of quality, structure, space, and change. That doesn’t mean, though, that we can’t make a contest of it, especially if doing so can uncover a generation’s brightest math minds. Amy and Mike invited Vida John to explain all about the American Math Competition.  What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1.  What is the American Math Competition, and who runs it? 2.  How is the AMC scored and what is a good score?   3.  Have there been test security issues with the AMC? 4.  Who should take the AMC and why? 5.  How can students prepare for the AMC? MEET OUR GUEST Vida John is a math coach and tutor, specializing in students who are preparing for math contests and studying curriculum published by Art of Problem Solving.  Vida grew up in Iowa where she was a high school mathlete before studying at the Stanford School of Engineering and UCSF School of Medicine.  After working in Silicon Valley for a medical start-up, she homeschooled her 2 daughters with the intent of providing an excellent education, especially in math and science.   She coached homeschooled math teams for 10 years, and with both daughters now attending Stanford, she continues to help students prepare for MathCounts, AMC, and other contests while building their problem-solving skills. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and runs workshops on using math contests to prepare for college-level work.   Vida previously appeared on this podcast in episode 255 to discuss Competitive Math And Testing. Find Vida at vidajohntutoring.com. LINKS American Mathematics Competitions MATHCOUNTS Foundation Art of Problem Solving RELATED EPISODES MATHEMATICAL MATURITY & TEST SUCCESS HIGH IMPACT STRATEGIES TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED IN MATH CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.