Practice Papers — Sasmo
The Ultimate Guide to SASMO Practice Papers: Unlocking Excellence in Math Competitions
- Counting the number of correct answers
- Identifying areas where you struggled
- Noting any recurring mistakes or misconceptions
Creating your own practice problems
- Start by modifying past problems (change parameters or constraints).
- Combine two techniques in one problem to foster synthesis.
- Make “two-step” problems: require a lemma before main idea to practice planning.
- Arithmetic and Number Theory: Questions involving patterns in numbers, remainders, or sequences that go beyond standard multiplication tables.
- Geometry: Problems often involve calculating areas or perimeters of irregular shapes, requiring students to "cut and paste" shapes mentally (visualization).
- Combinatorics and Logic: Counting possibilities, arrangements, or logical deduction puzzles (e.g., "Who is telling the truth?").
- Non-Routine Problems: "Fermi problems" or estimations that require common sense alongside math skills.
2. Understanding Question Archetypes
SASMO questions are not standard school exam questions. They are "heuristic" problems. For example, a Grade 4 school exam might ask: "What is 15 + 8?" A SASMO question asks: "Using the digits 1, 2, 3, and 4 exactly once, what is the largest two-digit number you can make that is divisible by 7?" Practice papers familiarize the student with this "twist" in language and logic. sasmo practice papers