SOF IMO exam-day guide
SOF IMO · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admission ticket or hall ticket
Print or download the admission document issued for your registration. Confirm the exact format the provider accepts (printed vs. digital) and whether a photo is required - confirm with the provider if the instructions are unclear.
Valid photo identification
Bring the same ID type you used at registration (passport is the safest choice for an international olympiad). Check that the name spelling and photo match your registration record.
Permitted stationery only
Typically pencils, eraser, sharpener, and a ruler. Confirm with the provider which items are allowed; do not assume compasses, protractors, or coloured pens are permitted.
Approved calculator status
IMO-style papers generally do not permit calculators, but this is a provider decision. Confirm with the provider well before exam day and do not bring one unless explicitly allowed.
No phones, smartwatches, or notes
Leave these outside the exam room or switched off and stored as instructed. Possession during the test can lead to disqualification regardless of intent.
Water and a light snack
Bring a clear, label-free bottle if the venue allows it. Confirm with the provider whether food and drink are permitted in the exam room.
Venue and timing confirmed
Re-check the address, room number, and reporting time on your admission document. Plan to arrive well before the reporting time to allow for security and seating.
Travel plan and backup route
Know a second route to the venue and the local transport timetable. Aim to be at the venue at least 30–45 minutes early unless the provider states otherwise.
Rest and logistics the night before
Sleep adequately, set two alarms, and prepare clothes, ID, stationery, and the admission ticket in one bag the evening before.
Emergency contact and provider number
Save the provider's contact number in case of delay or illness. Report problems as early as possible rather than after the start time.
Plan the day
Stop learning new topics. Review your own error log and a short list of core techniques: inequalities (AM–GM, Cauchy–Schwarz, rearrangement), modular arithmetic, angle chasing, and construction strategies. Do two or three timed half-papers rather than full-length mocks so you stay fresh. Confirm travel, accommodation, and the exact venue. Check the provider's rules on stationery, calculators, and ID one last time.
Do light revision only - reread key lemmas and your personal list of common slips (sign errors, unjustified assumptions, forgetting to check equality cases). Prepare the bag: admission ticket, ID, stationery, water. Avoid intensive practice late in the evening. Eat normally, sleep at your usual time, and set alarms. Do not attempt to learn a new theorem overnight.
Eat a normal breakfast, arrive early, and use the waiting time for calm mental warm-up rather than cramming. Once seated, read all instructions on the paper before writing. Note the total time and the mark allocation so you can budget effort across problems.
Read every problem once and rank them by confidence. Start with the one you understand best to build momentum. Write down definitions and small cases for the harder problems; partial progress often earns credit.
Allocate roughly equal time to each problem and set a hard cutoff. If stuck, move on and return later. Write solutions in clear, ordered steps: state what you are proving, justify each step, and check special cases and equality conditions.
Reserve the last 10–15 minutes to review. Check that every answer is written in the required place, that no problem is left blank, and that numerical answers and constructions are verified. Tidy your working so a marker can follow it.
Rules to check
Bring and display the admission ticket and the photo ID specified by the provider. If the ID or name does not match your registration, raise it with the invigilator before the test begins; do not assume it will be resolved later.
Electronic devices - phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and any unauthorised calculator - must be switched off and stored as instructed. Confirm with the provider what counts as a permitted device.
Follow the stated reporting and seating times. Late arrival, early departure, and requests for toilet breaks are governed by provider policy; confirm with the provider in advance if you anticipate needing any of these.
Do not communicate with other candidates during the test, and do not take question papers, answer scripts, or rough work out of the room unless the provider explicitly allows it.
Scoring and partial credit are set by the provider. Write full, justified solutions rather than final answers alone, since method and reasoning are typically assessed.
If you believe a question is ambiguous or misprinted, note it clearly on your script and continue; ask the invigilator only in the manner the provider permits.
Any suspected irregularity should be reported to the invigilator immediately. Rules on misconduct, disqualification, and appeals are provider-specific - confirm with the provider rather than relying on second-hand accounts.