How to Prepare for a Maths Olympiad (A Simple Study Plan)
Every student who's asked me about Olympiad preparation has expected the answer to be "do more sums, faster." It almost never is. Olympiad questions reward patient thinking far more than quick calculation.
The students who do well have usually practised sitting with a genuinely tricky problem for a while, rather than expecting to solve everything in under a minute.
Focus on problem-solving, not speed
A normal school test rewards working quickly through familiar methods. An Olympiad question is often designed so the method isn't obvious straight away, and the real skill is figuring out which approach to try, sometimes trying more than one before finding the right path.
Learn a few key techniques
Working backwards from the answer, drawing a diagram to represent the problem, and trying small numbers first before tackling the full question are three techniques that unlock a surprising number of Olympiad-style problems.
Worked example: consecutive numbers
The sum of two consecutive numbers is 25. What are they? Call the smaller number n, so the two numbers are n and n + 1. Together, n + (n + 1) = 25, which simplifies to 2n + 1 = 25, so 2n = 24, and n = 12. The two numbers are 12 and 13. Check: 12 + 13 = 25.
Worked example: a number multiplied by itself
A number multiplied by itself gives 49. What is the number? Since 7 × 7 = 49, the number is 7.
Practice questions
- The sum of two consecutive numbers is 41. What are they? Answer: 20 and 21
- A number multiplied by itself is 64. What is the number? Answer: 8
- The sum of three consecutive numbers is 36. What are they? Answer: 11, 12, and 13
- Half of a number plus 5 equals 17. What is the number? Answer: 24
- The product of two consecutive numbers is 56. What are they? Answer: 7 and 8
Common mistakes I see in Olympiad preparation
The most common one is giving up on a question after the first attempt fails, rather than trying a different technique. Olympiad problems are often designed to resist the first obvious approach on purpose.
Another frequent mistake is rushing to write down an answer that feels roughly right without properly checking it against every condition in the question, which Olympiad questions are usually very precise about.
Tips for parents
Resist the urge to give a hint the moment your child gets stuck. Sitting with a hard problem, even in frustrated silence for a few minutes, is part of building the patience Olympiad questions actually reward.
Tips for teachers
I run a short weekly session using genuine past Olympiad papers, discussed as a group rather than marked individually. Hearing different students' approaches to the same problem shows there's rarely just one correct path to a solution.
How step-by-step learning tools help
A step-by-step maths tool can break down a tricky Olympiad-style problem into its underlying technique, showing the reasoning clearly rather than just the final answer, with unlimited fresh practice problems at a student's own pace.
Frequently asked questions
What age can students start preparing for a Maths Olympiad? Junior Olympiad competitions often welcome students from around age 9 to 10, with more advanced competitions for older secondary students.
How is Olympiad maths different from school maths? School maths usually tests a specific method that's just been taught. Olympiad maths tests whether a student can figure out which method to use, often combining ideas from several topics at once.
How much practice is needed before an Olympiad? Regular exposure to genuinely challenging problems over several months tends to help more than a short burst of intense practice right before the event.
What if a student can't finish an Olympiad paper in time? That's completely normal — many Olympiad papers are designed so that very few students finish every question, and partial working still often earns credit.
Do you need to be naturally gifted at maths to do well in an Olympiad? No — persistence and familiarity with problem-solving techniques matter far more than natural speed, and both of those improve steadily with practice.
Patience Wins More Than Speed
The biggest shift for most students preparing for an Olympiad isn't learning new maths at all — it's learning to sit with a hard problem calmly, try a few different approaches, and trust that the answer will come with patience rather than panic.