The Parent Checklist for AMC 10/12 Exam Week

By exam week, nothing you do will add a new topic to your child's head. What you can still change is how much of what they already know shows up on the page. A tired, rushed or anxious student loses points on problems they could solve on any other day. This checklist is about protecting those points.

Seven Days Out: Lock In the Routine

• Confirm the details. Know the exact date, start time, room and what the school or test site requires on the day. Don't find out the morning of.
• One last full timed mock, early in the week. A full 75-minute sitting, under real conditions, no calculator. After that, review mistakes — don't cram new material.
• Move bedtime earlier, not later. If the test starts in the morning, the brain needs to be sharp at that hour. Shift sleep gradually now, not the night before.
• Agree on a target with your child. Talk about a realistic number of problems to answer carefully, not a perfect score. A clear target removes a lot of pressure.

Three Days Out: Light Practice Only

• Short sets, not marathons. A handful of problems 1–15 a day keeps speed and accuracy warm without draining energy.
• Review the personal mistake list. The errors your child made on mocks are the most likely ones on test day. Reading through them is worth more than new problems.
• Practice the skip. Remind them that a blank is worth 1.5 points and a wrong answer is worth 0. Guessing without ruling out choices usually costs points.