Olympiad Maths Prep

2,000 problems · stages 3 to 10

Problems are easy to find.
Knowing which one to do next isn't.

This is one list, in one order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist. Work down it. When you get stuck, the solution is on the page.

Start at problem 1 See all 2,000

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Problems per stage

A stage-3 problem takes about ten minutes. A stage-10 problem can take an afternoon. Splitting the 2,000 evenly would mean spending most of your time on the last two stages, so the middle is where the bulk sits.


What went into the ordering

Difficulty came out of the data

Every problem has a 1–10 rating fitted against 275 problems graded by hand, and checked by having a model attempt the ones with known answers. Where the rating was shaky the problem was left out of the list rather than guessed at.

Topics rotate

Algebra, combinatorics, geometry and number theory take turns. No run of eight problems has more than three of the same kind, and all four turn up in any twenty. You don't get four hundred geometry problems in a row.

Answers give way to proofs gradually

Stages 3 to 5 want a number. From stage 6 most want an argument. Writing proofs is a separate skill from finding answers, so stage 6 opens with two dozen proof problems that are no harder than the stage before it.

Nothing without a solution

All 2,000 have a worked solution from the source that published them. Numerical answers are checked as you type. Proofs you mark yourself once you've read the official argument.

The stages

StageRoughlyProblemsProof
3 AMC 10/12, early questions 260 9% open
4 AMC 12 late, AIME early 340 12% open
5 AIME late 400 34% open
6 National olympiad, first round 400 68% open
7 National olympiad second round; IMO P1/P4 300 80% open
8 IMO Shortlist mid-range; USAMO P2/P5 180 86% open
9 IMO P2/P5; hard shortlist 80 99% open
10 Hardest shortlist tier 40 100% open

Where they came from

National olympiad booklets from 47 countries, international shortlists, and two large open datasets of competition problems. Just under 900,000 problems went in; these 2,000 came out.

Collected

897k

problems

Duplicates

8,668

groups merged

Graded

560k

given a difficulty

Kept

2,000

in the list

Sources and licences