IMO training thoughts!

Hey guys! This is the first of my notes on Brilliant. How do you guys train for national/international olympiads, and what would you recommend to other, less experienced Olympiad enthusiasts?

Note by Elliott Macneil
4 years, 3 months ago

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I would hardly call myself an olympiad frequenter, but I think I can help. I would do this.

Do a single problem from a previous olympiad. Work on it for as long as it takes you to get the solution/proof, and then work on it again. Spend days. Then, read the solution. Find a key technique in the proof, and find other problems that use those. PERFECT just that one technique, and then leave it alone for awhile. Then REDO the original problem and apply the technique. The only real purpose of the original problem is to find a technique worth learning VERY WELL, so it's okay if you already have one in mind. This works particularly well with Geometry and NT since there are so many bizarre and cool formulas and theorems.

Good luck! :D

- 4 years, 3 months ago

Thanks @Finn Hulse , that's awesome! :D

- 4 years, 3 months ago