Best Math Competitions for 7th and 8th Graders
By 7th grade the menu changes: MATHCOUNTS and AMC 8 become the main events, MOEMS is Division M only, and Math Kangaroo moves to the Grades 7–8 paper. Here is each option and how to pick.
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Prep guides for grades 7–8: Math Kangaroo 7–8 MOEMS Div M AMC 8
Free practice for grades 7–8: Math Kangaroo 7–8 MOEMS Div M CML 7 CML 8 AMC 8
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The best math competitions for 7th and 8th graders start with two big ones: MATHCOUNTS and the AMC 8. Several contests your child may know from elementary school also continue, in a middle-school version: Math Kangaroo’s Grades 7–8 paper, MOEMS Division M, Noetic and CML. Here’s how they compare, and how to pick.
The short list
| Contest | Format | Who signs up | Can a parent register directly? |
|---|---|---|---|
| MATHCOUNTS | Four rounds; school, chapter, state, national levels | School team | Only if the school isn’t taking part (non-school competitor) |
| AMC 8 | 25 questions, 40 minutes, multiple choice | A school or other host site | Through a host site |
| Math Kangaroo, Grades 7–8 | 30 multiple-choice questions, 75 minutes | Parent, at a center | Yes |
| MOEMS Division M | 5 monthly contests, 5 problems, 30 minutes each | School or homeschool team | As a homeschool team |
| Noetic | 20 problems, 45 minutes, fall and spring | School team or At-Home | Yes, through At-Home (check that it covers your child’s grade) |
| CML, Grades 7–8 | 5 meets, 6 questions, 30 minutes each | School, or home school | Yes, home-school rate |
| RSM International Math Contest | One sitting in February (in person grades 1–8, online 3–8) | Parent | Yes |
| MathCON | 32 multiple-choice questions online, then finals | Parent or school | Yes |
| Math League, 7th or 8th grade | 35 multiple-choice questions, 30 minutes | School only | No |
MATHCOUNTS: the main middle-school contest
MATHCOUNTS is open to grades 6–8, and each student can compete for three years at most. It runs in four levels: a school round, then chapter competitions in February, state in March and nationals in May. Each competition has four rounds: Sprint, Target, Team and Countdown. A school can send up to 14 competitors, a team of four plus up to ten individuals.
If your school has a MATHCOUNTS coach, join that team first. Because of the three-year limit, a 7th grader who starts now gets two seasons, and an 8th grader gets one. If the school doesn’t take part at all, your child can register as a non-school competitor (NSC). That route is only open when the school is not registering and won’t support participation. Our MATHCOUNTS guide for parents walks through the rounds, scoring and how to join without a school team.
AMC 8: one 40-minute test in January
The AMC 8 is 25 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, open to students in grade 8 and below who are under 15.5 years old on competition day. MAA’s topic list includes counting and probability, estimation, proportional reasoning, elementary geometry (including the Pythagorean Theorem), spatial visualization, and reading graphs and tables.
Families can’t register with MAA directly. Your child takes the test through their school or another host site, such as a college or math circle, so ask the school first. For an 8th grader, this January is the last AMC 8. Our AMC 8 guide for parents lays out a first-year plan, the free AMC 8 practice problems show the style, and a free full-length AMC 8 practice test gives a timed run in the real format.
Math Kangaroo, Grades 7–8
Seventh and eighth graders sit the same paper: 30 multiple-choice questions in 75 minutes. A third of the questions are worth 3 points, a third 4 and a third 5, for a best score of 120. Wrong answers cost nothing, so your child should answer every question. Ranks and awards are worked out by grade, and students must register at their own grade level.
This is the easiest of the big contests to enter on your own: you register directly at a local center, or pick a proctored online format. Try the free Grades 7–8 practice problems to see the level.
MOEMS Division M
Any MOEMS team with a 7th or 8th grader must be in Division M (grades 6–8). The season has five contests, November to March, each with five problems in 30 minutes, scored 1 point per correct answer, with no calculators. Teams can have up to 35 students, and homeschools can enroll as their own team. Awards go from a patch for the top 50% up to a silver pin (top 3–10%), a gold pin (top 2%) and a medallion for a perfect score.
With six minutes per problem, MOEMS gives your child time to think a hard problem through. It suits kids who like to puzzle more than kids who like to race. The free Division M practice set and our MOEMS guide for parents explain how a season runs.
The others in brief
- Noetic Learning Math Contest runs through grade 8: 20 problems in 45 minutes, in fall and spring. Schools enter teams; check that the At-Home edition offers your child’s grade if your school doesn’t take part.
- CML offers Grade 7 and Grade 8 contests in two divisions: Euclidean (average reading and reasoning demands) and Pythagorean (above-average). A student can’t be in both. See Euclidean vs Pythagorean and the free Grade 7 and Grade 8 sets.
- RSM International Math Contest covers grades 1–8, in person or online, in February.
- MathCON covers grades 4–12. Round 1 is a 32-question online test; top scorers go to finals in Chicago.
- Math League runs 7th and 8th grade contests of 35 questions in 30 minutes, sold to schools only.
7th grade vs 8th grade: what changes
| 7th grade | 8th grade | |
|---|---|---|
| MATHCOUNTS | 2 years left (7th and 8th); join now | Last possible year |
| AMC 8 | One more try next year | Last year of eligibility |
| Math Kangaroo | Grades 7–8 paper, as one of the younger students | Same paper, as one of the older students |
| MOEMS | Division M | Division M, last year |
| CML | Grade 7 contest | Grade 8 contest |
How to choose
- Your school runs MATHCOUNTS or MOEMS? Join that team. Regular practice with friends keeps most middle schoolers going longer than working alone.
- No school team? Register for Math Kangaroo yourself, and ask local schools, colleges or math circles which one hosts the AMC 8.
- A strong 8th grader? Make the AMC 8 the priority: it is the last chance, and it is one 40-minute sitting.
Then keep a small habit: 15 to 20 minutes, two or three times a week, on contest-style problems. Unsure where your child stands? Our readiness checklist by grade covers grades 7–8.
Dates and deadlines
As of October 2026. Confirm on each official site before you register.
| Competition | Register | Contest | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| MATHCOUNTS | Schools: Early Bird to Nov 3, regular to Dec 15, 2026; NSC registration opens Nov 5, 2026 | Chapter Feb 1–28, state Mar 1–31, national May 9–10, 2027 | Schools $42 early / $48 regular per student; NSC $75 (late: $53 / $85) |
| AMC 8 | Through a school or host site | January 21–27, 2027 | Varies by host site |
| Math Kangaroo | Open now; early rate to Dec 31, late Jan 1–Feb 1, 2027 | Thursday, March 18, 2027 | $20 early / $35 late |
| MOEMS | Open now, through the school or homeschool team | Five contests Nov 2026–Mar 2027; Contest 1 window Nov 9–30, 2026 | Team fee; see moems.org |
| Noetic, fall | By Oct 22, 2026 | School window Nov 12–25, 2026; At-Home Nov 27–Dec 4, 2026 | $129 per team / $29 At-Home |
| CML, Grades 7–8 | School, or home-school rate | Five meets in the 2026–27 season | $100 per team / $25 per home-school child |
| RSM | $15 Oct 1–31; $25 Nov 1–Dec 14, 2026 | In person Feb 2, 2027; online Feb 7, 2027 | $15 / $25 |
| MathCON | On mathcon.org | Online Jan 13–Mar 17, 2027; finals May 29, 2027 | $75 per student (individual) |
Sources: mathcounts.org, maa.org, mathkangaroo.org, moems.org, noetic-learning.com, cmleague.com, contest.rsmfoundation.org, mathcon.org, mathleague.com.
This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Math Kangaroo USA or Kangourou sans Frontières. “Math Kangaroo” is a trademark of its respective owners. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS®). “MOEMS” is a trademark of its respective owners. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Noetic Learning. “Noetic Learning Math Contest” is a trademark of its respective owners. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Continental Mathematics League. “Continental Mathematics League” is a trademark of its respective owners. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) or the American Mathematics Competitions. “AMC 8” is a trademark of its respective owners. It is also not affiliated with or endorsed by the MATHCOUNTS Foundation, the RSM Foundation, MathCON, or Math League. All competition details come from each organization’s official materials and can change.
Where to go from here
Our prep guides for this age are Math Kangaroo Grades 7–8, MOEMS Division M and AMC 8, each with a free sample. If your child is in 6th grade this year, read best math competitions for 6th graders instead. Before the first contest day, see what to expect at your child’s first math competition.