Uncomfortable fact: look at any graded olympiad exam and you’ll see the same pattern — most lost points aren’t about not knowing the material. They’re process errors, completely avoidable.
The Top 5 (All Avoidable)
- Solving the wrong problem. We already covered this in how to read a hard problem — reading too fast makes you solve something similar, but not what was actually asked.
- Not checking the result. Under the clock, you hand in the first answer that comes out without checking whether it makes sense. Can a basket hold -3 apples? Check.
- Getting stuck on a single problem. If a problem is beating you, insisting for 20 more minutes while the rest of the exam stays blank is the most expensive way to lose points.
- Transcription errors. You copied a number wrong going from one line to the next, and an otherwise correct argument goes straight in the trash because of it.
- Not showing your reasoning. Most olympiad formats award partial credit for the reasoning. If you only write the final answer, you’re giving away points.
Why Is This Good News?
Because unlike “I didn’t know the topic” (which requires studying), this gets fixed with practice under real pressure, not more theory.
“The difference between someone who masters the content and someone who also performs well on exam day isn’t how much they know. It’s how well they controlled the process.”
How to Train This
- Timed mock exams, regularly, not just the week before competing.
- Review every mock exam by error type, not just whether the final answer was right or wrong.
- Plan your time per problem before you start, not on the fly.
- Reserve the last few minutes for review, as a fixed part of your strategy, not “if there’s time left over.”
None of these errors go away completely — even the most experienced competitor makes one now and then. But training them gets you a long way, just like learning to write your solutions well, which is the other spot where points get lost out of habit, not lack of knowledge.