How to start IMO preparation in Grade 8

Grade 8 is a good moment to begin olympiad maths: old enough for abstract reasoning, young enough that there is no exam pressure yet. The goal at this stage is not medals — it is building a problem-solving habit.

Olympiad maths is not "harder school maths"

School maths asks students to apply a known method. Olympiad maths asks them to find a method that is not obvious. The skill being trained is persistence and creativity, not speed or recall.

Where to start

• Number theory basics: divisibility, primes, modular arithmetic.
• Combinatorics: careful counting, the pigeonhole principle.
• Classic inequalities and clever algebra.
• Plane geometry with proof — angles, similarity, circle facts.

A realistic weekly rhythm

Two to three hours a week is plenty in Grade 8. One genuinely hard problem that a student wrestles with for thirty minutes is worth more than twenty routine exercises. Struggle is the point, not a sign something is wrong.

Keep it enjoyable

The students who go far are the ones who still find the problems fun at Grade 11. Protect that. Celebrate elegant solutions, do not punish slow ones, and let curiosity lead.