UKMT Senior Individual Maths Challenge 2016 - Preparation and Tips

Ooh, you've met the legendary Geoff Smith





I'd say you could move on to BMO2 once you're confident you can do three out of the six BMO1 questions. This is just a rough guide, but if you try BMO2 when you can only do the easier BMO1 questions you'll probably have a hard time.

I am applying for 2017 entry. The way my school does it is that we take 6 modules in the first year (maths A level), then 6 in the second (further maths A level). I am currently in my final year, and am working a lot harder than last year xd

I myself got a C in C3 and a B in C4 at the end of last year, yet my friend who got 100 UMS in C4 and 78 in C3 typically scores about 70 lower than me in these challenges. It's very different types of maths. Someone else in my year (the only other person in F maths class for Y13) got a U in C4 last year, yet is applying for Nat Sciences at Cambridge, and usually does (quite) well in these challenges - and I believe he has a very good chance of getting into Cambridge.

If you get a chance, do some past papers before it next year (if you do it). Some people find this very helpful. But going to things like Maths lectures and event days should be just as good, if not more so, than this maths challenge stuff, as they show interest rather than just talent/practise/teaching quality etc.

Tbh I'd be delighted with any Cambridge college (if you don't know, when you apply for maths you get allocated to another college, and get an interview there too. So if you don't get into your first choice, you may still get an offer from another college - and even if you get into neither, you can be 'pooled' and get an offer from yet another college!), but I pray xd...but first I need to get an interview (news should be through in a few days). Roughly 4 in 5 get an interview, and if you have solid GCSE results you should probably be fine - then even if you're unlucky, you may well get accepted somewhere else. (At open day, the guide said the only way you won't get an interview is essentially if you're applying 'as a joke' or with no hope of getting in, or if you are from far abroad and it looks like you are unlikely to get in anyway, so you get saved the journey).

Whatever happens, good luck!

I have met u too!
We were at Trinity Camp! I have left the olympiad scene now on uni maths.
I
Miss geometry.

Anyone doing STMC?

I am

Haha, I remember
Was geometry your favourite when you were doing Olympiad maths?

Can you give me any tips?
Like I don't even know where to begin for some of the questions, however I can do some of the easier ones, like 3/10. (Group Round)

So for example how would I go about doing this:
Attached

This is kind of a trial-and-error approach.

We can first list out all the primes between 20 and 99 (as 2-digit):
23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97

Pick the primes that are either next to each other, or off by a difference of 1 (as to get a consecutive sequence)

We find the possibilities with two primes to be:
29, 30, 31: 11 + 3 + 4 = 18 (so no)

41, 42, 43: 5 + 6 + 7 = 18 (so no)

59, 60, 61: 14 + 6 + 7 = 27 (so yes)

71, 72, 73: 8 + 9 + 10 = 27 (yes)

We have {59, 60, 61}; {71, 72, 73}

@SushiBunny


do you know anything else one could use to prep for BMO1, without just doing the problems on their website?

Anyone doing STMC?

Anyone got a mark yet? My head of maths marked mine last night, apparently I got 120/125;I got question 9 (the set of 5 integer one) wrong.
Could someone show me what to do for that one?

Anyone got approximate boundaries for the BMO1?

I think it will be around 100-102.

What about Gold/Senior Kangaroo?

I predict Kangaroo as around 84 and Gold as around 80.