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Test information

Problems and test format

We have three different types of tests:

  • The "MOP tests" are administered on weekdays by class group. Each set of MOP tests will have either three or four problems, for example R2.4 ("red test 2, problem 4").

  • A two-day mock olympiad is given on Saturday or Sunday afternoons. For returning students (those who have attended MOP before), this is the "mock IMO". For new students (those who have not attended MOP before) this is the "ELMO", which has some separate instructions. The problems will be numbered 1-6.

  • The TSTST takes place towards the end of the program. It is a three-day exam taken by all students, and is used for team selection (see team selection info there).

All MOP test and Mock IMO problems are confidential until after the second day of the IMO, since many are from the IMO Shortlist, and are used by other countries up until and including the IMO. (If you don't know what the term "IMO shortlist" refers to, read https://web.evanchen.cc/faq-rules.html#CR-11.)

Permitted tools

The only allowed materials are ruler, compass, writing utensils, blank paper. Protractors and graph paper are not permitted.

Timing and location

All tests are 4.5 hours.

We plan to start the practice tests at 12:30pm. See the required activities page for classrooms.

Submission instructions

For MOP tests, you should leave a 1-inch margin, and write your name, full problem number, and page number in the upper-right hand corner. So an example of a heading would be:

Kelvin Amphibian

Problem R3.2

Page 1 of 8

The page totals are "per problem", as separate problems are graded separately.

For ELMO and TSTST, there are some separate instructions for students competing officially.

Scoring

All problems are graded olympiad-style, out of \(7\) points.

Style scores (MOP tests only)

On MOP tests, in addition to a math score (out of \(7\)) as usual, the TA's also assign a style score, from the set \(\{0.0, 0.1, \dots 1.0\}\). We write "7/0.8" to denote a math score of 7 and a style score of 0.8.

The style score1 is supposed to be a measure of the quality of the write-up and the elegance of the solution. In practice, it is mostly here for (i) cultural preservation, and (ii) the amusement of the TA's. In other words, don't take it too seriously unless your style is consistently low.

A style score of \(0.7\) is the "default" score; \(0.6\) and \(0.8\) are fairly common as well. On the high end, a style score of \(1.0\) is given only a few times a year. On the low end, you have to really upset the TA in order to get a style score less than \(0.5\).

The MOP score for a problem is the product2 of the math and style scores.

Rewrites

For MOP Tests, the grader may choose to reject a poorly written submission and ask you to rewrite it before we grade it. We do this if you think you'd benefit from trying to write a better solution. This will be notated by a math score of X on the cover sheet.

In general, the deadline for a rewrite will be by the next assembly meeting. If we don't have the rewrites by then, we'll ask you to do it after assembly ends.

Please don't intentionally trigger rejections.

Student solutions manual

For each problem on the MOP tests, we will scan one student's solution from the test, and at the end of the camp compile these scans to form a "solutions manual" for that year's camp. Treat it as a memento. If for some reason you really don't want to have your solutions in the manual, then please let the TA's know before the first test.

  1. There used to be a saying that your style score is the probability you would earn all points you deserve at the IMO before coordination. I don't believe it at all, though. ↩

  2. In particular, the style score is irrelevant for solutions with a math score of zero, and consequently it is not uncommon for TA's to jokingly assign scores of 0/1.0 or 0/0.1. ↩