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Post GCSE Summer Holidays Plans- British Mathematical Olympiad Preperation

As I am currently nearing towards the end of my GCSE journey, I have started to contemplate my future plans including things as close as the summer holidays as well as even as far ahead as university. One of the main things I have decided I would like to achieve in the near future is success in the British Mathematical Olympiad, therefore I am hoping to spend the upcoming summer holidays practicing for this prestigious mathematical competition, by working through the past papers as well as some olympiad-math based books.
I was wondering what books, except the obvious ones like 'A mathematical olympiad primer', would help me in building up my mathematical competence in both providing me with the theory required for such difficult competitions as well as a wide range of problems which would help me to build up my skill in finding solutions to the problems.
n.b. I have experience in the intermediate Olympiads (I am aware it's a big step up) and have a steady knowledge of topics covered like combinatorics, number theory, geometry and algebra.

Reply 1

username2912782

In the papers I have been doing I have attained between 3-4 solutions, (only done 5 so far). I would say my strongest areas are probably geometry and algebra/inequalities, whereas I am certainly weakest with combinatorics- having managed to mess up my solution for Q2 on the Maclaurin this year, let alone any of the BMO questions. I have knowledge of number theory and have read the intro to number theory book which I can understand, yet I have mixed abilities in applying it to problems- sometimes even being able to solve Q5/6 in the BMO1 but failing to answer some Q2 worthy questions.

Reply 2

username2912782

Probably not- I would be able to follow what you are saying but not apply it to future problems. Also, I have the horrible task of being forced by my school to do four hours of revision per day... uggghhhh! I'm hoping to be able to resist looking at any more of the BMO problems till summer so that I can go through around 25 papers and through all of the A level maths/ further content, during the summer holidays, so that I can find and read up on even more maths olympiad problems before the olympiad next year and over the course of the rest of year 12.

Reply 3

username2912782

This may seem really random- but the first bmo1 problem I ever actually solved was actual the last question on the 1997 paper. It was a rather nice inequality question. I also enjoyed the second and first question on that paper. 1998- Q3 is just similar triangles, and Q2 was a modular arithmetic question- seemed a little easy but you know, oh well. Q4 I also managed to get. 1999 Q2 was a nice geo question and question 4 and 5 also got.