SMO problem solving strategies for SASMO and olympiad papers
SMO problem solving strategies that transfer: clear representation, invariants, cases and rigorous checking before you commit.
Useful SMO problem solving strategies restart cleanly under time. Olympiad-style items punish vague intuition.
Method skeleton for SMO and SASMO
- Restate the claim in your own words.
- Choose a representation: diagram, cases, invariant, algebra or counting model.
- Work a small concrete case when the general step stalls.
- Verify the answer against every constraint before committing.
Short-answer discipline
When the official paper asks for a value or expression, write a candidate and test edge cases. Even on multiple-choice practice, pretend you must justify the number — that habit transfers to Round 1 short answers.
Review that sticks
For each miss, name the representation that would have unlocked it. Re-attempt a parallel item closed-book before reading another full solution.