SMO pacing and SASMO timing for long contest papers
SMO pacing tips for ~90-minute SASMO sits and longer SMO Round 1 papers with mixed formats.
SMO pacing depends on the band. Rehearse the clock you will actually face for SASMO or SMO Round 1.
SASMO timing (~90 minutes)
- Opening third: secure accuracy without vanity algebra.
- Middle: invest in multi-step modelling.
- Late: hard stops on stuck items; sweep flags at the end.
SMO Round 1 timing (~150 minutes)
Longer time is not permission to meander. Use quarter checkpoints, keep short-answer working neat enough to check, and reserve a final verification block for numeric answers.
Shared move-on rule
Two unproductive approaches → flag → reset breath → next stem. Practise that rule until it is automatic on both SASMO and SMO papers.