AMC 8

2019 AMC 8

25 problems — read each, give it a real try, then peek at the hints.

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Problem 1 · 2019 AMC 8 Easy
Arithmetic & Operations division unit-rate

Ike and Mike go into a sandwich shop with a total of $30.00 to spend. Sandwiches cost $4.50 each and soft drinks cost $1.00 each. Ike and Mike plan to buy as many sandwiches as they can and use the remaining money to buy soft drinks. Counting both soft drinks and sandwiches, how many items will they buy?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Spend on sandwiches first — what's the most they can buy without going past $30?
Show hint (sharpest)
6 sandwiches cost $27, leaving $3 for sodas.
Show solution
  1. $30 ÷ $4.50 = 6 with $3 left over (a 7th sandwich would cost $31.50, too much).
  2. The $3 buys 3 sodas at $1 each.
  3. Total items: 6 + 3 = 9.
D 9 items.
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Problem 2 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Geometry & Measurement area area-decomposition
amc8-2019-02
Show hint (soft nudge)
Figure out the size of one small rectangle first — the picture forces a specific shape.
Show hint (sharpest)
Two short sides stacked on the left equal one long side on the right: so long = 2 × 5 = 10.
Show solution
  1. Each small rectangle has short side 5. From the picture, two stacked horizontals on the left have the same height as the vertical rectangle on the right — so the long side is 2 × 5 = 10.
  2. ABCD has width 10 + 5 = 15 and height 10, so its area is 15 × 10 = 150 square feet.
E 150 square feet.
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Problem 3 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Fractions, Decimals & Percents fraction-comparison
amc8-2019-03
Show hint (soft nudge)
Each fraction is just a little more than 1. By how much?
Show hint (sharpest)
Notice the numerator is always 4 more than the denominator. So each fraction = 1 + 4/(denominator).
Show solution
  1. Each fraction has numerator − denominator = 4, so write each as 1 + 4denom.
  2. Bigger denominator means smaller extra. Denominators 11, 13, 15 give extras 411 > 413 > 415.
  3. So the order from least to greatest is 1915 < 1713 < 1511 (choice E).
E 19/15 < 17/13 < 15/11.
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Problem 4 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Geometry & Measurement pythagorean-triple area
amc8-2019-04
Show hint (soft nudge)
The diagonals of a rhombus cross at right angles and cut each other in half. That makes four matching right triangles.
Show hint (sharpest)
Side = 52/4 = 13, half-diagonal = 24/2 = 12. The other half-diagonal is the missing leg of a 5-12-13 right triangle.
Show solution
  1. Side length: 52 ÷ 4 = 13. Half of AC: 24 ÷ 2 = 12.
  2. The diagonals are perpendicular bisectors, so each quarter of the rhombus is a right triangle with leg 12 and hypotenuse 13 — a 5-12-13 triple. The other half-diagonal is 5, so BD = 10.
  3. Area of a rhombus = d1 × d22 = 24 × 102 = 120 sq m.
D 120 square meters.
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Problem 5 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Ratios, Rates & Proportions distance-speed-time graph-reading
amc8-2019-05
Show hint (soft nudge)
Picture each animal's path on the distance-vs-time graph: when are they moving fast, slow, or stopped?
Show hint (sharpest)
Hare: steep → flat (nap) → steep. Tortoise: one steady slope. Tortoise reaches the finish line first.
Show solution
  1. The hare's distance line is steep at first (running), flat in the middle (napping), then steep again (finishing).
  2. The tortoise's line is one steady, gentler slope — and it reaches the finish-line height before the hare's line does.
  3. Only graph (B) shows both patterns at once.
B Graph (B).
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Problem 6 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Geometry & Measurement symmetry careful-counting
amc8-2019-06
Show hint (soft nudge)
A square has only 4 lines of symmetry — the two diagonals and the two perpendicular bisectors. Q must lie on one of those.
Show hint (sharpest)
Each line passes through 9 grid points including P. So 4 × 9 = 36, minus the 4 occurrences of P itself = 32 valid Qs out of 80.
Show solution
  1. A square has exactly 4 axes of symmetry through its center P: the two diagonals and the two perpendicular bisectors.
  2. Each axis contains 9 of the 81 grid points (including P). Counting Q across all 4: 4 × 9 = 36 spots, but P appears 4 times and Q can't equal P, so subtract 4 → 32 valid choices.
  3. Probability = 32 / 80 = 2/5.
C 2/5.
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Problem 7 · 2019 AMC 8 Easy
Arithmetic & Operations sum-constraint estimate-and-pick

Shauna takes five tests, each worth a maximum of 100 points. Her scores on the first three tests are 76, 94, and 87. In order to average 81 for all five tests, what is the lowest score she could earn on one of the other two tests?

Show hint (soft nudge)
To minimize one of the two remaining scores, max out the other (= 100). Then the rest is forced.
Show hint (sharpest)
Total needed: 5 × 81 = 405. First three sum to 257. Remaining two must sum to 148, so the minimum is 148 − 100.
Show solution
  1. Total required: 5 × 81 = 405. First three tests: 76 + 94 + 87 = 257.
  2. Remaining two tests must total 405 − 257 = 148.
  3. To minimize one, set the other to 100: minimum = 148 − 100 = 48.
A 48.
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Problem 8 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Fractions, Decimals & Percents percent-multiplier

Gilda has a bag of marbles. She gives 20% of them to her friend Pedro. Then Gilda gives 10% of what is left to another friend, Ebony. Finally, Gilda gives 25% of what is now left in the bag to her brother Jimmy. What percentage of her original bag of marbles does Gilda have left for herself?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Each transfer leaves a fraction behind. Multiply the "keep" fractions together.
Show hint (sharpest)
Keeps: 0.8 × 0.9 × 0.75.
Show solution
  1. After Pedro: 80% remains. After Ebony: 90% of that. After Jimmy: 75% of what's left.
  2. 0.8 × 0.9 × 0.75 = 0.54 = 54%.
E 54%.
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Problem 9 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Geometry & Measurement area ratio

Alex and Felicia each have cats as pets. Alex buys cat food in cylindrical cans that are 6 cm in diameter and 12 cm high. Felicia buys cat food in cylindrical cans that are 12 cm in diameter and 6 cm high. What is the ratio of the volume of one of Alex's cans to the volume of one of Felicia's cans?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Cylinder volume = πr2h. Felicia's radius is doubled (so radius2 ×4) and her height is halved.
Show hint (sharpest)
Net effect on Felicia vs Alex: ×4 from radius, ×1/2 from height = ×2. So Alex : Felicia = 1 : 2.
Show solution
  1. Going from Alex (radius 3, height 12) to Felicia (radius 6, height 6): radius doubles → radius2 × 4; height halves → × 1/2.
  2. Combined: Felicia's volume = Alex's × (4 × 1/2) = 2×. So ratio Alex : Felicia = 1 : 2.
B 1:2.
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Problem 10 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Arithmetic & Operations careful-counting
amc8-2019-10
Show hint (soft nudge)
Changing Wednesday from 16 to 21 adds 5 to the total; the mean of 5 days goes up by 5/5 = 1.
Show hint (sharpest)
Recompute the sorted order. The middle value of the corrected list slides up by 1.
Show solution
  1. Wednesday changes from 16 to 21, a total increase of 5. With 5 days, the mean rises by 5/5 = 1.
  2. Original sorted days: 16, 18, 20, 22, 26 → median 20. After correction: 18, 20, 21, 22, 26 → median 21. Median rises by 1.
  3. Answer: both increase by 1.
B Mean +1, median +1.
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Problem 11 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Counting & Probability complementary-counting

The eighth grade class at Lincoln Middle School has 93 students. Each student takes a math class or a foreign language class or both. There are 70 eighth graders taking a math class, and there are 54 eighth graders taking a foreign language class. How many eighth graders take only a math class and not a foreign language class?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Use inclusion-exclusion: |M ∪ F| = |M| + |F| − |M ∩ F|. That gives the overlap count.
Show hint (sharpest)
Both = 70 + 54 − 93 = 31. Math only = 70 − 31.
Show solution
  1. |Math| + |Foreign| − |Both| = |Total| ⇒ 70 + 54 − Both = 93 ⇒ Both = 31.
  2. Math only = |Math| − Both = 70 − 31 = 39.
D 39 students.
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Problem 12 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Geometry & Measurement spatial-reasoning casework
amc8-2019-12
Show hint (soft nudge)
Two faces are opposite if they never appear together in any view.
Show hint (sharpest)
Pair up opposites: look across the three views to find which color is never adjacent to aqua.
Show solution
  1. From the three views, identify pairs of opposite faces by which never share an edge:
  2. Comparing views, white and green appear together (so they're adjacent, not opposite); brown and purple are opposite; aqua and red never share a view → opposite.
  3. Face opposite aqua = red.
A Red.
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Problem 13 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Number Theory divisibility digit-sum

A palindrome is a number that has the same value when read from left to right or from right to left. (For example, 12321 is a palindrome.) Let N be the least three-digit integer which is not a palindrome but which is the sum of three distinct two-digit palindromes. What is the sum of the digits of N?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Two-digit palindromes (11, 22, 33, …) are all multiples of 11 — so any sum of three of them is a multiple of 11.
Show hint (sharpest)
Find the smallest 3-digit multiple of 11 that isn't itself a palindrome. Can it be written as a sum of three distinct 2-digit palindromes?
Show solution
  1. Two-digit palindromes (11, 22, …, 99) are all multiples of 11; their sum is too. So N is a multiple of 11.
  2. Smallest 3-digit multiple of 11 that's NOT a palindrome: 110 (palindromes are 121, 131, … — 110 isn't one).
  3. Check: 110 = 11 + 22 + 77 ✓ (three distinct 2-digit palindromes).
  4. N = 110; digit sum = 1 + 1 + 0 = 2.
A 2.
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Problem 14 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Number Theory mod-10 divisibility

Isabella has 6 coupons that can be redeemed for free ice cream cones at Pete's Sweet Treats. In order to make the coupons last, she decides that she will redeem one every 10 days until she has used them all. She knows that Pete's is closed on Sundays, but as she circles the 6 dates on her calendar, she realizes that no circled date falls on a Sunday. On what day of the week does Isabella redeem her first coupon?

Show hint (soft nudge)
10 days ≡ 3 days mod 7. So the 6 redemption days are at day-of-week offsets 0, 3, 6, 2, 5, 1 from the starting day.
Show hint (sharpest)
Those 6 offsets cover 6 of 7 days — missing only offset 4. Sunday must be that missing day, so the start = Sunday − 4 days = Wednesday.
Show solution
  1. 10 days advances the day-of-week by 10 mod 7 = 3 days. So the six redemption days have day-of-week offsets {0, 3, 6, 2, 5, 1} mod 7 from the start.
  2. These 6 offsets cover everything except offset 4. Sunday must be that missing offset, so start day is Sunday − 4 days.
  3. Counting back from Sunday: Sat, Fri, Thu, Wed.
C Wednesday.
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Problem 15 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Fractions, Decimals & Percents proportion percent-multiplier

On a beach 50 people are wearing sunglasses and 35 people are wearing caps. Some people are wearing both sunglasses and caps. If one of the people wearing a cap is selected at random, the probability that this person is also wearing sunglasses is 25. If instead, someone wearing sunglasses is selected at random, what is the probability that this person is also wearing a cap?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Find the number wearing both first. 2/5 of cap-wearers also wear sunglasses.
Show hint (sharpest)
Both = (2/5) × 35 = 14. Then P(cap | sunglasses) = 14 / 50.
Show solution
  1. P(sunglasses | cap) = 2/5, so (people wearing both) = (2/5) × 35 = 14.
  2. P(cap | sunglasses) = 14 / 50 = 7/25.
B 7/25.
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Problem 16 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Ratios, Rates & Proportions distance-speed-time substitution

Qiang drives 15 miles at an average speed of 30 miles per hour. How many additional miles will he have to drive at 55 miles per hour to average 50 miles per hour for the entire trip?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Average speed = total distance / total time. Write that equation with x = additional miles.
Show hint (sharpest)
Time so far: 15/30 = 1/2 hr. Set (15 + x)/(1/2 + x/55) = 50.
Show solution
  1. Time so far: 15/30 = 1/2 hour. After x additional miles at 55 mph, the new total is (15 + x) miles and (1/2 + x/55) hours.
  2. (15 + x) / (1/2 + x/55) = 50 ⇒ 15 + x = 25 + 10x/11.
  3. Multiply by 11: 165 + 11x = 275 + 10xx = 110.
D 110 miles.
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Problem 17 · 2019 AMC 8 Hard
Fractions, Decimals & Percents fraction-to-decimal

What is the value of the product

(1·32·2)(2·43·3)(3·54·4) … (97·9998·98)(98·10099·99) ?
Show hint (soft nudge)
Regroup. Each fraction is k(k+2)(k+1)2. Pull out a 1/2 from the first term and look for telescoping.
Show hint (sharpest)
Rewrite as (1/2)(3/2 · 2/3)(4/3 · 3/4) … (100/99) — most factors cancel.
Show solution
  1. Each factor is k(k+2)(k+1)2 = kk+1 · k+2k+1.
  2. Product across k = 1 to 98: (1/2 · 3/2)(2/3 · 4/3)…(98/99 · 100/99). Pair telescopes: the kk+1 chain → 1/99 (left telescoping); the k+2k+1 chain → 100/2 (right telescoping).
  3. Product = (1/99) · (100/2) = 50/99.
B 50/99.
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Problem 18 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Counting & Probability careful-counting casework

The faces of each of two fair dice are numbered 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8. When the two dice are tossed, what is the probability that their sum will be an even number?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Sum is even iff both rolls are odd or both are even.
Show hint (sharpest)
Faces: 4 odd (1, 3, 5, 7) and 2 even (2, 8). Compute both probabilities and add.
Show solution
  1. Odd faces: 1, 3, 5, 7 → 4 of 6. Even faces: 2, 8 → 2 of 6.
  2. Sum even = both odd (4/6 · 4/6 = 16/36) or both even (2/6 · 2/6 = 4/36).
  3. Probability = (16 + 4)/36 = 20/36 = 5/9.
C 5/9.
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Problem 19 · 2019 AMC 8 Hard
Logic & Word Problems casework sum-constraint

In a tournament there are six teams that play each other twice. A team earns 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. After all the games have been played it turns out that the top three teams earned the same number of total points. What is the greatest possible number of total points for each of the top three teams?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Maximize top 3 by having them sweep the bottom 3.
Show hint (sharpest)
Each top team plays 6 games vs the bottom 3 (3 opponents × 2 games), earning 6 × 3 = 18 points. Among themselves, balance wins.
Show solution
  1. Have each top-3 team win all 6 of its games against the bottom 3 (3 opponents × 2 games each) → 6 × 3 = 18 points per top team.
  2. Among the top 3, each pair plays twice. To tie all three, give each pair a 1-win, 1-loss split — each team in a pair gains 3 points (one win) and loses 3 points worth (one loss = 0).
  3. Each top team is in 2 pairs and wins one game in each → +3 + 3 = 6 more points.
  4. Maximum: 18 + 6 = 24.
C 24 points each.
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Problem 20 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Algebra & Patterns difference-of-squares factorization

How many different real numbers x satisfy the equation

(x2 − 5)2 = 16 ?
Show hint (soft nudge)
Take the square root of both sides: x2 − 5 = ±4. Two cases for x2.
Show hint (sharpest)
x2 = 9 gives two values; x2 = 1 gives two more.
Show solution
  1. (x2 − 5)2 = 16 ⇒ x2 − 5 = ±4.
  2. Case +4: x2 = 9 ⇒ x = ±3.
  3. Case −4: x2 = 1 ⇒ x = ±1.
  4. Total: 4 distinct real solutions.
D 4 real numbers.
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Problem 21 · 2019 AMC 8 Medium
Geometry & Measurement area

What is the area of the triangle formed by the lines y = 5, y = 1 + x, and y = 1 − x?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Find the three vertices by pairwise intersection.
Show hint (sharpest)
The top side lies on y = 5. Use it as the base; the height is to the third vertex.
Show solution
  1. Intersections: y = 5 with y = 1 + x → (4, 5). With y = 1 − x → (−4, 5). And y = 1 + x meets y = 1 − x at (0, 1).
  2. Base along y = 5 from (−4, 5) to (4, 5): length 8. Height to (0, 1): 5 − 1 = 4.
  3. Area = (1/2)(8)(4) = 16.
E 16.
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Problem 22 · 2019 AMC 8 Hard
Fractions, Decimals & Percents percent-multiplier difference-of-squares

A store increased the original price of a shirt by a certain percent and then decreased the new price by the same amount. Given that the resulting price was 84% of the original price, by what percent was the price increased and decreased?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Multiplying by (1+p) then (1−p) gives 1 − p2. That equals 0.84.
Show hint (sharpest)
p2 = 0.16.
Show solution
  1. (1 + p)(1 − p) = 1 − p2 = 0.84.
  2. p2 = 0.16 ⇒ p = 0.4 = 40%.
E 40%.
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Problem 23 · 2019 AMC 8 Hard
Algebra & Patterns divisibility casework

After Euclid High School's last basketball game, it was determined that 14 of the team's points were scored by Alexa and 27 were scored by Brittany. Chelsea scored 15 points. None of the other 7 team members scored more than 2 points. What was the total number of points scored by the other 7 team members?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Let T = total. Then 1/4 and 2/7 of T are integers ⇒ T is a multiple of lcm(4,7) = 28.
Show hint (sharpest)
Others = TT/4 − 2T/7 − 15 = 13T/28 − 15. Constrained by 0 ≤ Others ≤ 7×2 = 14.
Show solution
  1. Let T be the total. Alexa has T/4, Brittany 2T/7 — both integers ⇒ T divisible by 28.
  2. Others' total: TT/4 − 2T/7 − 15 = 13T/28 − 15. Must be in [0, 14] (since 7 players, ≤ 2 each).
  3. T = 28: gives −2 (invalid). T = 56: gives 13·56/28 − 15 = 26 − 15 = 11 (valid).
  4. T = 84 would give 39 − 15 = 24, exceeding 14.
B 11 points.
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Problem 24 · 2019 AMC 8 Hard
Geometry & Measurement area-fraction ratio
amc8-2019-24
Show hint (soft nudge)
Set coordinates: A=(0,0), B=(0,1), C=(3,0). Then D, E, F follow from the ratios.
Show hint (sharpest)
Once you have F = intersection of AE and BC, use the shoelace formula on E, B, F. Compare to area of ABC.
Show solution
  1. Set A = (0,0), B = (0,1), C = (3,0). Then D divides AC with 1:2 → D = (1, 0). E = midpoint of BD = (0.5, 0.5).
  2. Line AE has slope 1: y = x. Line BC: from (0,1) to (3,0), y = 1 − x/3.
  3. Intersect: x = 1 − x/3 ⇒ x = 3/4. So F = (3/4, 3/4).
  4. Area of EBF (shoelace on (0.5, 0.5), (0, 1), (0.75, 0.75)) = 1/8. Area of ABC = 3/2. Ratio = (1/8) / (3/2) = 1/12.
  5. So area of EBF = (1/12) × 360 = 30.
B Area 30.
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Problem 25 · 2019 AMC 8 Hard
Counting & Probability careful-counting

Alice has 24 apples. In how many ways can she share them with Becky and Chris so that each of the three people has at least two apples?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Pre-give 2 apples to each — now you're distributing the remaining 18 with no constraints.
Show hint (sharpest)
Stars and bars: nonneg integer solutions to a + b + c = 18 is C(20, 2).
Show solution
  1. Give 2 apples to each person first: that uses 6, leaving 18 to distribute with no minimum (each person already has 2).
  2. Distribute 18 indistinguishable apples among 3 people with no constraint: C(18 + 2, 2) = C(20, 2) = 190.
C 190 ways.
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