Prepare for Math Contest: Tips & Tricks

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around preparing for an upcoming math contest that features essay response questions, including proofs and numerical answers. Participants share strategies and resources for effective preparation in the week leading up to the contest.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Homework-related
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests practicing with previous exam papers to familiarize oneself with the format and types of questions.
  • Another participant mentions having only one previous paper available for practice.
  • A humorous suggestion is made about staying up all night and consuming coffee to prepare.
  • Some participants recommend matching the contest questions to a relevant textbook to ensure coverage of the material.
  • There is an offer to share additional practice questions that are similar to the contest format, specifically olympiad-style questions.
  • Participants discuss the sharing of resources via email, indicating a collaborative approach to preparation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the value of practicing with previous papers and relevant textbooks, but there is no consensus on the best preparation strategy, as some suggestions are humorous or less conventional.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the exact nature of the contest questions and the availability of practice materials, indicating a reliance on shared resources and personal experience.

Who May Find This Useful

Students preparing for math contests, educators looking for resources to recommend, and individuals interested in competitive mathematics.

Atomos
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I have been invited to a math contest that will take place a week from now. Its questions are all essay response (proofs and numerical answers) and it is difficult. I have never written a contest in this format before. How do I prepare for it? And how can I ensure that I am lucid as Euclid on the morning of the exam?
 
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Well, you could begin your practise by attempting the previous papers of this exam.
 
I was only able to find one (last year's).
 
stay up all night and drink a bunch of coffee?
 
siddharth said:
Well, you could begin your practise by attempting the previous papers of this exam.

The efficacy of this method speaks volumes about standardized testing. :-p

I agree with siddharth. Also, you might want to try and match the tests to a textbook. If you can find one with a lot of overlap, then there's a good chance that most of the material on your test will be covered there as well.
 
Are the questions like the ones in the attached file because i have loads of these if you want them.
 

Attachments

rho said:
Are the questions like the ones in the attached file because i have loads of these if you want them.

Yes, they are olympiad style, so I suppose the BMOs would be good practice. You can send them in a zip or rar archive to my e-mail address
uhiggs(at)gmail.com
the placed the (at) there in place of @ so it cannot be picked up by spam bot.

Thanks in advance.
 
Did you get my email?
 
Yes, thankyou
 

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