2026 AMC 8 Answer Key and Score Cutoffs

The 2026 AMC 8 competition concluded successfully in late January. As one of the most influential middle school math competitions in the world, AMC 8 2026 answer key is highly anticipated by students, parents, and educators alike. AMC 8 is not only a “test of fire” for assessing children’s mathematical abilities but also a crucial opportunity to stimulate logical thinking and cultivate problem-solving strategies.

At WuKong Math, we immediately conducted an in-depth analysis of the official AMC 8 2026 answer key and found that this year’s test continued the trend of “emphasizing thinking over techniques.” It focused more on practical application and creative problem-solving skills.

2026 AMC 8 Score Cutoffs (China Mainland, Hong Kong and North America)

After much anticipation, the score cutoffs for the 2026 AMC 8 have finally been announced! Following the release of the North America cutoffs, the China region’s cutoff was delayed for a while due to the adoption of a separate set of exam questions. Now, the official scores have been revealed!

As is widely known, in order to ensure fairness and prevent the risk of leaks, certain Asian countries and regions, including China, Hong Kong, and South Korea, used a version of the test that was independent of the US version. Therefore, the China region has two separate score cutoffs: one based on the independent exam paper set by the China organizing committee and another based on the North American standard paper by Asidan.

China Region Organizing Committee (Independent Paper) Score Cutoffs

The 2026 AMC 8 score cutoffs for China are as follows:

• TOP 1% (HRD): 22 points
• TOP 5% (HR): 18 points
• TOP 10%: 16 points
• TOP 25%: 14 points

The Elementary School Honor Award is available for 6th grade and below candidates, with a cutoff score of ≥15 points required to receive the award.

Asidan Cutoffs

For Chinese students who registered through Asidan, the exam paper is the same as the one used in North America, so the score cutoffs are very similar to previous years:

The Asidan 2026 AMC 8 score cutoffs are as follows:

North America Score Cutoffs

2026 AMC 8 Answer Key

Problem 1

What is the value of the following expression?

1+2−3+4+5−6+7+8−9+10+11−121+2−3+4+5−6+7+8−9+10+11−12

(A) 18
(B) 21
(C) 24
(D) 27
(E) 30

Problem 2

In the array shown below, three 3s are surrounded by 2s, which are in turn surrounded by a border of 1s. What is the sum of the numbers in the array?

(A) 49
(B) 51
(C) 53
(D) 55
(E) 57

Problem 3

Haruki has a piece of wire that is 24 centimeters long. He wants to bend it to form each of the following shapes, one at a time.

• A regular hexagon with side length 5 cm.
• A square of area 36 cm².
• A right triangle whose legs are 6 and 8 cm long.
  Which of the shapes can Haruki make?

(A) Triangle only
(B) Hexagon and square only
(C) Hexagon and triangle only
(D) Square and triangle only
(E) Hexagon, triangle, and square

Problem 4

Brynn’s savings decreased by 20% in July, then increased by 50% in August. Brynn’s savings are now what percent of the original amount?

(A) 80
(B) 90
(C) 100
(D) 110
(E) 120

Problem 5

Casey went on a road trip that covered 100 miles, stopping only for a lunch break along the way. The trip took 3 hours in total and her average speed while driving was 40 miles per hour. In minutes, how long was the lunch break?

(A) 15
(B) 30
(C) 40
(D) 45
(E) 60

Problem 6

Peter lives near a rectangular field that is filled with blackberry bushes. The field is 10 meters long and 8 meters wide, and Peter can reach any blackberries that are within 1 meter of an edge of the field. The portion of the field he can reach is shaded in the figure below. What fraction of the area of the field can Peter reach?

(A) 1/6
(B) 1/4
(C) 1/3
(D) 3/8
(E) 2/5

Problem 7

Mika would like to estimate how far she can ride a new model of electric bike on a fully charged battery. She completed two trips totaling 40 miles. The first trip used 1/2 of the total battery power, while the second trip used 3/10 of the total battery power. How many miles can this electric bike go on a fully charged battery?

(A) 45
(B) 48
(C) 50
(D) 52
(E) 55

Problem 8

A poll asked a number of people if they liked solving mathematics problems. Exactly 74% answered “yes.” What is the fewest possible number of people who could have been asked the question

(A) 10
(B) 20
(C) 25
(D) 50
(E) 100

Problem 9

What is the value of this expression?

(A) 4/9
(B) 2/3
(C) 1
(D) 3/2
(E) 9/4

Problem 10

Five runners completed the grueling Xmarathon: Luke, Melina, Nico, Olympia, and Pedro.

• Nico finished 11 minutes behind Pedro.
• Olympia finished 2 minutes ahead of Melina, but 3 minutes behind Pedro.
• Olympia finished 6 minutes ahead of Luke.
  Which runner finished fourth?

(A) Luke
(B) Melina
(C) Nico
(D) Olympia
(E) Pedro

Problem 11

Squares of side length 1, 1, 2, 3, and 5 are arranged to form the rectangle shown below. A curve is drawn by inscribing a quarter circle in each square and joining the quarter circles in order, from shortest to longest. What is the length of the curve?

(A) 4π
(B) 6π
(C) (13/2)π
(D) 8π
(E) 13π

Problem 12

In the figure below, each circle will be filled with a digit from 1 to 6. Each digit must appear exactly once. The sum of the digits in neighboring circles is shown in the box between them. What digit must be placed in the top circle?

(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4
(D) 5
(E) it is impossible to fill the circles

Problem 13

The figure below shows a tiling of 1×1 unit squares. Each row of unit squares is shifted horizontally by half a unit relative to the row above it. A shaded square is drawn on top of the tiling. Each vertex of the shaded square is a vertex of one of the unit squares. In square units, what is the area of the shaded square?

(A) 10
(B) 21/2
(C) 32/3
(D) 11
(E) 34/3

Problem 14

Jami picked three equally spaced integer numbers on the number line. The sum of the first and the second numbers is 40, while the sum of the second and third numbers is 60. What is the sum of all three numbers?

(A) 70
(B) 75
(C) 80
(D) 85
(E) 90

Problem 15

Elijah has a large collection of identical wooden cubes which are white on 4 faces and gray on 2 faces that share an edge. He glues some cubes together face-to-face. The figure below shows 2 cubes being glued together, leaving 3 gray faces visible. What is the fewest number of cubes that he could glue together to ensure that no gray faces are visible, no matter how he rotates the figure?

(A) 4
(B) 6
(C) 8
(D) 9
(E) 27

Problem 16

Consider all positive four-digit integers consisting of only even digits. What fraction of these integers are divisible by 4?

(A) 1/4
(B) 2/5
(C) 1/2
(D) 3/5
(E) 3/4

Problem 17

Four students are seated in a row. They chat with the people sitting next to them, then rearrange themselves so that they are no longer seated next to any of the same people. How many rearrangements are possible?

(A) 2
(B) 4
(C) 9
(D) 12
(E) 24

Problem 18

In how many ways can 60 be written as the sum of two or more consecutive odd positive integers that are arranged in increasing order?

(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5

Problem 19

Miguel is walking with his dog, Luna. When they reach the entrance to a park, Miguel throws a ball straight ahead and continues to walk at a steady pace. Luna sprints toward the ball, which stops by a tree. As soon as the dog reaches the ball, she brings it back to Miguel. Luna runs 5 times faster than Miguel walks. What fraction of the distance between the entrance and the tree does Miguel cover by the time Luna brings him the ball?

(A) 1/6
(B) 1/5
(C) 1/4
(D) 1/3
(E) 2/5

Problem 20

The land of Catania uses gold coins and silver coins. Gold coins are 1 mm thick and silver coins are 3 mm thick. In how many ways can Taylor make a stack of coins that is 8 mm tall using any arrangement of gold and silver coins, assuming order matters?

(A) 3
(B) 7
(C) 10
(D) 13
(E) 16

Problem 21

Charlotte the spider is walking along a web shaped like a 5-pointed star, shown in the figure below. The web has 5 outer points and 5 inner points. Each time Charlotte reaches a point, she randomly chooses a neighboring point and moves to that point. Charlotte starts at one of the outer points and makes 3 moves (re-visiting points is allowed). What is the probability she is now at one of the outer points of the star?

(A) 1/5
(B) 1/4
(C) 2/5
(D) 1/2
(E) 3/5

Problem 22

The integers from 1 to 25 are arbitrarily separated into five groups of 5 numbers each. The median of each group is identified. Let M equal the median of the five medians. What is the least possible value of M?

(A) 9
(B) 10
(C) 12
(D) 13
(E) 14

Problem 23

Lakshmi has 5 round coins of diameter 4 centimeters. She arranges the coins in 2 rows on a table top, as shown below, and wraps an elastic band tightly around them. In centimeters, what will be the length of the band?

(A) 2π + 20
(B) (5/2)π + 20
(C) 4π + 20
(D) (9/2)π + 20
(E) 5π + 20

Problem 24

The notation n! (read “n factorial”) is defined as the product of the first n positive integers. (For example, 3! = 1·2·3 = 6.) Define the superfactorial of a positive number, denoted by n!, to be the product of the first n factorials. (For example, 3! = 1!·2!·3! = 12.) How many factors of 7 appear in the prime factorization of 51!, the superfactorial of 51?

(A) 147
(B) 150
(C) 156
(D) 168
(E) 171

Problem 25

In an equiangular hexagon, all interior angles measure 120°. An example of such a hexagon with side lengths 2, 3, 1, 3, 2, and 2 is shown below, inscribed in equilateral triangle ABC. Consider all equiangular hexagons with positive integer side lengths that can be inscribed in △ABC, with all six vertices on the sides of the triangle. What is the total number of such hexagons? Hexagons that differ only by a rotation or a reflection are considered the same.

(A) 4
(B) 5
(C) 6
(D) 7
(E) 8

2026 AMC 8 Module Distribution and Key Topic Analysis

Geometry (6 problems) and applied problems (spanning several questions) continue to be the dominant force, aligning with the trend of “geometry and application problems leading the way.”

The number theory problems have been reduced to 4 (usually 5-6 in previous years), with a focus on mid-to-high difficulty (e.g., P8, P24), confirming the trend of “reduced weight of number theory.”

Algebra and combinatorics/probability have seen a clear increase in focus:

• Algebra is no longer confined to equations but now also integrates optimization (P22).
• Combinatorial counting covers logic reasoning (P10, P12), restricted arrangements (P17), recursive modeling (P20), and even early concepts of Markov chains (P21), showing a depth improvement.

Difficulty Gradient and Trend of Problem Types

First 10 Questions (P1–P10):

• Focus mainly on basic calculations, simple geometry, percentages, and motion problems. However, P8 (minimum number of people 74%) and P10 (sorting multiple time slots) already present a mental challenge, marking a “gentle increase” in difficulty.

Mid-section Questions (P11–P20):

• Clear distinction begins here.
• P11 (Fibonacci squares + arc), P13 (shifted grid area), P15 (cube occlusion), P17 (non-adjacent arrangement), P19 (relative motion) all represent classic medium-to-high difficulty AMC problem types requiring strong spatial imagination or modeling skills.

Last 5 Questions (P21–P25):

• All high differentiation questions:
  • P21: Probability state transitions (suitable for tree diagrams)
  • P22: Median extreme values (strategic grouping)
  • P23: Coin surrounding length (straight edges + arcs, common but prone to mistakes)
  • P24: Exponent of 7 in superfactorials (requires Legendre formula + summation techniques)
  • P25: Equiangular hexagon and triangle inscribed (geometric construction + integer solution counting)

Trend Highlights:

• Cross-module integration has become the norm (e.g., P19 combines algebra + physics modeling, P25 combines geometry + number theory).
• Visualization ability requirements have increased: many problems lack diagrams (P6, P11, P13, P15, P23, P25), requiring candidates to construct their own images.
• “Anti-pattern” designs have become more common: for example, P17, which initially seems like a simple arrangement problem, actually requires excluding all adjacent cases, with only 2 valid answers (many might mistakenly select higher numbers).

WuKong Math’s Recommendations for Future AMC 8 Candidates

• Strengthen Geometry Intuition: Focus on practicing sketching skills for diagram-less problems (e.g., region coverage, grid shapes, 3D assembly).
• Enhance Algebra-Combination Fusion Ability: Practice describing combinatorial constraints using algebraic language (e.g., P17, P22).
• Master Classic Models:
  • Relative motion (P19)
  • Coin/pipeline surrounding length (P23)
  • Prime factors in factorials (P24, Legendre formula essential)
  • Sum of consecutive integers (P18)
• Focus on Logic Reasoning Problems: Problems like P10 (time sorting) and P12 (deriving unique solutions) do not rely on formulas but are prone to easy mistakes.
• Control Mistakes in the First 15 Questions: With fewer number theory questions and cleaner basic problems, maintaining high accuracy in the early section is key to achieving HR.

Summary

This set of questions perfectly reflects the 2026 AMC 8’s direction of “stability with change, emphasizing thinking over formulas”:

• Geometry and application problems form the core structure,
• Algebra and combinatorics serve as growth areas,
• High-level reasoning acts as the dividing line.

For students aiming for Honor Roll (19+), ensuring a solid foundation and minimizing errors in the mid-level problems is essential. For those aiming for DHR (23+), tackling 3-4 questions from the last 5 and possessing strong pressure-handling and modeling skills is crucial.

James | WuKong Math Teacher

Graduated from Columbia University in the United States and has rich practical experience in mathematics competitions’ teaching, including Math Kangaroo, AMC… He teaches students the ways to flexible thinking and quick thinking in sloving math questions, and he is good at inspiring and guiding students to think about mathematical problems and find solutions.