The Student Room Group

Advice for BMO1?

I'm hopefully going to be doing the BMO1 exam in a couple of weeks (scored 95 on the SMC), but I am a little worried about it. I have looked at several past exams, and they are seem to be EXTREMELY difficult... Does anyone know the best way to go about maximising my chances? I really don't want to be sat there for that time and not be able to do a single question :p: !

Thanks,

~~Simba

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Reply 1
get the BMO prep sheet? or even better, the BMO prep book. i'd better get that tomorrow from school... alternatively, go on nrich and read the articles.
Simba
I'm hopefully going to be doing the BMO1 exam in a couple of weeks (scored 95 on the SMC), but I am a little worried about it. I have looked at several past exams, and they are seem to be EXTREMELY difficult... Does anyone know the best way to go about maximising my chances? I really don't want to be sat there for that time and not be able to do a single question :p: !

Thanks,

~~Simba

technically you shouldn't be allowed.
cos the entrance mark is 96. :wink:
Reply 3
chewwy
get the BMO prep sheet? or even better, the BMO prep book. i'd better get that tomorrow from school... alternatively, go on nrich and read the articles.


How would I go about getting these? Is there a website they are available from?

Widowmaker
technically you shouldn't be allowed.
cos the entrance mark is 96. :wink:


Ah, but the discretion mark is 90-95, so I should be ok ^_^ ... it all depends on my teacher...
Reply 4
Simba
I really don't want to be sat there for that time and not be able to do a single question :p: !

there's nothing wrong with that. :p: i did that last year! :biggrin: :biggrin:
Reply 5
Is there anything to gain from sitting the BMO? Apart from personal satisfaction etc, the SMC questions are intresting, but I do prefer to just do them in my free time. Is the qualification worth anything?

Dont take that the wrong way I am not saying whats the point of sitting the BMO i just want to know how sitting the exam can "enrich my life".
Reply 6
I'm happy to help you out with some questions from time to time. Either PM me, or just post them here.
Reply 7
Malik
Is there anything to gain from sitting the BMO? Apart from personal satisfaction etc, the SMC questions are intresting, but I do prefer to just do them in my free time. Is the qualification worth anything?

Dont take that the wrong way I am not saying whats the point of sitting the BMO i just want to know how sitting the exam can "enrich my life".

If you're very good, it can lead to a place on the British BMO team, which is pretty much a guaranteed place to study maths at Cambridge, as well as a chance to jet off to some exciting foreign country for X amount of time. It also exposes you to higher level maths than you'd normally see, and helps you practice your mathematical thinking.

It's up to you to decide whether those things enrich your life or not!
Reply 8
Cexy
If you're very good, it can lead to a place on the British BMO team, which is pretty much a guaranteed place to study maths at Cambridge, as well as a chance to jet off to some exciting foreign country for X amount of time. It also exposes you to higher level maths than you'd normally see, and helps you practice your mathematical thinking.

It's up to you to decide whether those things enrich your life or not!


That would make it worth while, I was initially under the impression that it was just a higher level of the SMC and you'd recieve a gold certificate and a 'well done' as your prize.
I got 96 in the SMC anyway so I was going to sit it either way, but now I will actually revise for it.
Reply 9
as for the bmo just being a higher level of the smc, its a much, much higher level. its not multiple choice or anything and i think you only get six questions (sorry, my memory is bad) and you have to write out full solutions for them. it can be interesting but also frustrating, dont expect to be anything like the smc really though.
I'm also doing it, I got 91 so my teacher entered me. I've got the prep book and am trying to muddle my way through.
Never heard of no prep book, prep sheet or whatever...will look over a few past questions, other than that I am just gonna wing it :wink: ...goes through both of my free periods on the Wednesday, well annoying!
Reply 12
It looks like for last year's paper you needed around 20-25 to get through BMO2: http://www.bmoc.maths.org/home/bmo1-2005-histogram.pdf Anyone have a better estimate?

For Q3. on the paper http://www.bmoc.maths.org/home/bmo1-2005.pdf I get: (in pale) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Does anyone know how to do this question properly?
Reply 13
I was trying to get started by doing question 4 on the 1993 paper.

I have found all the angles in terms of 'a', 'b', 'x' and 'y', all that remains is to prove a = b (see image).



Any help please?

Thanks,

~~Simba
Reply 14
Bump? Help please...
Reply 15
KAISER_MOLE
Never heard of no prep book, prep sheet or whatever...will look over a few past questions, other than that I am just gonna wing it :wink: ...goes through both of my free periods on the Wednesday, well annoying!


a man after my own heart :wink: :biggrin:
Reply 16
Simba
I was trying to get started by doing question 4 on the 1993 paper.

I have found all the angles in terms of 'a', 'b', 'x' and 'y', all that remains is to prove a = b (see image).



Any help please?

Thanks,

~~Simba

I think it was a bad idea to go round labelling every angle- it's time consuming and most of the angles will not help you.

What's the relationship between <MYP and <MXP?... <QXP and <MYP?

Now draw a tangent at M- this tangent is common to both circles so is bound to be useful.
Use alternate segment theorem to show <MPY=<MQR.

Now the chord QR is tangent to the smaller circle- use alternate segment theorem again to show <QPX=<PMX.

Now can look at &#8710;PQX and &#8710;PMY and deduce <PMY.
C4>07 ;

Set up a couple of rows like this, starting with 1 and 2 in one of the rows, and then putting each number following on in a row so as the equation does not hold...(consider for this one 7 must be in blue, because if in red, 1+1+7 = 9, and 3+3+3 = 9 in blue ..same consideration for 8)

Red: (1) (2) (9) (10)
Blue: (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

STOP, as (11) in either would mean the equation holds

and also , put 1 in one row and 2 in the other, doing the same thing...covers both cases. (think the same way as before when considering 4 and 5)

Red: (1) (6) (7)
Blue: (2) (3) (4) (5)

STOP, (8) being the value here

considering both situations, 11 is the lowest possible value for which, no matter what arrangement, the equation holds...so you are right, dunno if you constitute this as much of a proof though :p:

Simba, that's geometry, put it away before someone loses an eye!

Undry , Absolutely :p:
KAISER_MOLE


Simba, that's geometry, put it away before someone loses an eye!



Like it :cool:
Reply 19
KAISER_MOLE
C4>07 ;

Set up a couple of rows like this, starting with 1 and 2 in one of the rows, and then putting each number following on in a row so as the equation does not hold...(consider for this one 7 must be in blue, because if in red, 1+1+7 = 9, and 3+3+3 = 9 in blue ..same consideration for 8)

Red: (1) (2) (9) (10)
Blue: (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

STOP, as (11) in either would mean the equation holds

and also , put 1 in one row and 2 in the other, doing the same thing...covers both cases. (think the same way as before when considering 4 and 5)

Red: (1) (6) (7)
Blue: (2) (3) (4) (5)

STOP, (8) being the value here

considering both situations, 11 is the lowest possible value for which, no matter what arrangement, the equation holds...so you are right, dunno if you constitute this as much of a proof though :p:

That's basically how I approached it.
I was wondering if it was possible to set it out like a 'proof'.