Test Strategy — 60-Minute Playbook

By the end of this chapter you will:

1. Apply the 2-point blank rule as a strategic floor, not an afterthought
2. Pace yourself across Part $\frac{A}{B}$ / C with a realistic clock
3. Use the calculator only when it actually helps
4. Recognize the four trap families that cost students 20+ points

10.0 The scoring math you must internalize

Implication: if you cannot eliminate any answers, blanking is strictly better than random-guessing.

• Random guess on a 5-choice: expected value $= (1/5) \cdot 5 = 1$ point (Part A)
• Blank: $+2$ points

Even on Part C (+8), random guess = $8/5 = 1.6$ < $2$. Blank wins until you can eliminate at least 2 choices.

🔑 The 4-blank floor: lock in 4 blanks on the four Part-C questions you can't solve. That's +8 in your pocket before you guess at anything.

10.1 Pacing — A → B → C

Total: $60$ minutes.

Decision points:

• If you're at minute $14$ and still on Part A → speed up. Don't crash here.
• If a Part B question burns 4 minutes with no progress → flag and skip. Come back if time allows.
• If you start Part C with $< 15$ minutes → triage hard: read all 5, attempt the 2 that look closest to topics you know.

10.2 Calculator — when it helps and when it doesn't

🔑 The calculator is a speed tool, not a thinking tool. If you don't know what to compute, the calculator won't tell you.

10.3 The four Gauss trap families

Trap 1 — "Different" / "distinct"

When the problem says "different integers", the values are strictly distinct. Easy to miss; appears in almost every paper.

2024 Q19: "Five different integers …" — if you accidentally allow $a_3 = a_4$, your answer is wrong.

Trap 2 — Average speed ≠ average of speeds

If the average speed of a round trip is what's asked, use $\dfrac{\text{total distance}}{\text{total time}}$. The arithmetic mean of the two speeds is the WRONG answer.

Trap 3 — Off-by-one in patterns / positions

The 23rd term in a repeating pattern uses position $23 \bmod 5 = 3$ (since $20 = 5 \cdot 4$). If you get $23 \bmod 5 = 4$ or $0$, recount.

Trap 4 — Diagrams not to scale

The instructions explicitly state: "Diagrams are not drawn to scale." Trust the labeled angles and lengths, not the visual proportions.

10.4 The pre-test 3-minute routine

When you open the booklet:

1. Read the entire test for 60 seconds — note which Part C looks hardest.
2. Flag your 4 planned blanks in pencil — usually 4 of the 5 Part-C questions, or some hard Part B (this is your $+8$ point floor).
3. Start Part A at minute $1$. Don't pause to flex.

10.5 The last-minute checklist

With 3 minutes left:

1. Make sure every Part A and B answer is bubbled. No bubble = no points.
2. For your 4–6 planned blanks, do NOT bubble — they're worth $+2$ each only if left blank.
3. Walked through scratch work? Any glaring miscount or carry error?

10.6 Trap Alerts ⚠️ (meta)

1. Don't fall in love with a hard problem. If you've spent 5 minutes with no progress, move on. The 6 points are not worth losing 4 easier 6-pointers.
2. Don't pre-eliminate "obviously wrong" choices without checking them — Gauss occasionally lists a "looks-right-but-isn't" trap.
3. Bubble sheet errors are real. Bubble after each section, not at the end.
4. Anchor on Part A. $10 \times 5 = 50$ points is your foundation; never sacrifice Part A accuracy chasing Part C.

10.7 Mnemonic

"Floor with blanks, sprint Part A, manage Part B, triage Part C — and read every word."

• Floor: 4 strategic blanks = +8 guaranteed
• Sprint: Part A is fluency — 12 minutes flat
• Manage: Part B is your scoring zone — 25 min, flag what stalls
• Triage: Part C is bonus — pick 2 to attack
• Read: "different", "exactly one-quarter", "not divisible" — they all hide

Final Note

A student who reliably:

• Gets all of Part A correct: $50$ pts
• Gets $7$ of $10$ Part B correct: $42$ pts
• Strategically blanks $4$ of Part C: $8$ pts
• Solves $1$ Part C question: $8$ pts

…finishes at $\frac{108}{150}$ — comfortably into Certificate-of-Distinction territory (top 25% within school).

Honour Roll (~136) requires near-perfect A & B plus $2$–$3$ Part Cs. That's where chapters $1$, $4$, and $8$ become decisive.

End of curriculum. Good luck on contest day. 🍀