Parth's Olympiad Journey: From 45 Marks in IOQM to RMO Preparation with PW

Parth's Olympiad journey began in Class 10, when a friend introduced him to Olympiad examinations. Having previously participated in school-level Olympiads, he was interested in the higher level of questions but had little prior exposure to them. With limited time before IOQM, he turned to free PW YouTube lectures, previous-year questions, and mock papers.

After scoring 45 marks in IOQM, Parth continued towards RMO preparation. His experience at the PW RMO training camp and increased focus on question practice gradually changed how he approached difficult problems. From spending hours on a single question to becoming less dependent on solutions, his journey reflects how persistence can influence problem-solving.

How Parth Discovered Olympiads in Class 10

Parth is a Class 10 student from Gurugram, Haryana. He first learned about Olympiads through a friend who encouraged him to enrol. Before that, he had participated in school Olympiads but was not familiar with the broader Olympiad pathway.

“Sir, class 10 mein sar mere dost ne enrol kara tha. Olympiad mein mujhe usse pehle pata nahi tha.”

The new level of questions interested him, and he began exploring Olympiad mathematics. However, he also realised that he had started later than he might have preferred.

For Parth, this meant that his initial preparation had to be focused and time-bound rather than spread over a long period.

Parth Prepared for IOQM With Free PW YouTube Lectures

When Parth started preparing for IOQM, he did not have a dedicated batch. Instead, he used PW's free YouTube lectures from 2023 and completed the playlist. He then practised previous-year questions and attempted mock papers.

“Sir mere paas batch toh tha nahi, sir. Toh maine YouTube se 2023 ke lectures the sar free YT pe. YT playlist. Haan ji sar. Toh maine wo poori playlist complete kar li thi.”

He found the lectures sufficient for covering the content he needed at that stage.

“Bilkul barabar content tha sar. Matlab bilkul crisp and clear jitna ho sakta tha sar. Sab diya tha maine YouTube pe bhi.”

Because he had only around one to two months for preparation, he did not spend much time on books. His priority was to complete the theory and practise PYQs.

Parth Scored 45 Marks in IOQM but Saw Room for Improvement

Parth scored 45 marks in IOQM. While the score marked an important stage in his Olympiad journey, he felt that some mistakes had affected his performance.

"Sir, thoda silly mistakes ho gayi thi us din ke sar ek do question mein, toh thoda +5 +10 aa sakte the.”

Looking back, he identified insufficient question practice as one of the reasons behind those mistakes.

“Sir, question practice meri sir bahut kam thi. Matlab itni question practice ho nahi paayi thi. Toh thodi question practice aur achhi hoti. Olympiad mein question practice bahut zaroori hai, sir.”

This realisation became particularly relevant as he moved towards RMO preparation.

Parth Joined PW's RMO Training Camp and Changed His Approach

After qualifying IOQM, Parth attended the RMO PDC and later joined PW's RMO training camp. The experience gave him exposure to students working at a similar level and allowed him to discuss questions with them.

He also began putting much more time into individual problems.

“Sir, RMO ki preparation maine sir pehle toh PW ne wo aaye hamare RMO training camp wo join kara. Haan toh phir maine question practice achhi kar di thi.”

According to Parth, difficult Olympiad questions cannot always be approached like routine questions. He started deliberately giving more time to each problem.

“Matlab question practice main zyada start kar raha tha kyunki bahut tough hai. Har sawaal pe sir time de raha tha, sir. Matlab time dena bahut zaroori hai, sir. Aadha aadha ghanta, ek ek ghanta.”

On some occasions, he spent even longer on a single question.

“Sar 2 ghante.”

This practice helped him develop greater patience with problems that did not have an immediate solution.

Parth Learned to Stay With Difficult Questions

One of the major changes in Parth's preparation was his willingness to continue working on a question instead of quickly checking its solution.

He described this change in a simple way:

“Toh sawaal se ladna sar matlab sikha diya sar teachers ne. Sawaal se toh ladna padega.”

This approach was especially useful in geometry. Earlier, difficult diagrams could make him uncomfortable, but continued exposure gradually reduced that fear.

“Sir ab jaise abhi pehle geometry karta tha toh diagram dekh ke dar lagta tha. Ab thoda dar kam lagne laga hai sar diagram se.”

His dependence on solutions also reduced. Earlier, he would quickly think about checking a solution when he got stuck. Now, he was more willing to give himself additional time to think.

“Ab hai ki sar 10 minute aur sar bas 10 minute aur kuch toh kar lenge 10 minute mein.”

For Parth, this change was not about immediately solving every difficult problem. It was about becoming comfortable with the process of thinking through a problem for longer.

Parth Used Discussions to Learn Different Problem-Solving Approaches

The RMO preparation environment also gave Parth opportunities to discuss questions with other students. He noticed that different students had different strengths and ways of approaching problems.

He specifically mentioned learning from friends whose combinatorics skills were stronger than his.

“Sir ki matlab unki jo expertise hai jaise meri comb bhi kharab hai toh mere doston ki comb bhi achhi hai toh unse main thoda comb aur unke tareeke seekh sakun wo kaise soch pa rahe hain itna wo sawaal approach kaise kar rahe hain.”

For him, these discussions were useful because they exposed him to approaches that he might not have considered independently.

Parth's Advice: Start Olympiad Preparation Earlier

Looking back at his own experience, Parth felt that starting earlier would have given him more time to build experience with Olympiad-level questions.

His advice to younger students was straightforward:

“Thoda pehle se start kar le padhna toh hi better hai, sir. Matlab bahut advantage milta hai.”

At the same time, he did not suggest completely separating Olympiad preparation from school studies. He believed students should manage both together.

“Sir, bas kuch nahi hai sir. Matlab thoda saath-saath leke chalne ki zarurat hai aur zyada kuch hai nahi sir.”

He also pointed out that the school syllabus alone may not develop all the logical thinking required for Olympiad-style problems.

“Sir matlab jo school ka syllabus hai bahut hi limited hai aur school mein kam hi padhate hain limited. Thoda humein khud se out of the box padhna padega; thoda logical aspect wo khud se develop hoga.”

What Parth's Olympiad Journey Teaches Aspirants

Parth's journey from discovering Olympiads in Class 10 to preparing for RMO highlights several practical lessons for students:

• Start Olympiad preparation earlier to gain more experience.

• Combine theory with consistent question practice.

• Give difficult questions enough time instead of immediately checking solutions.

• Learn different approaches by discussing problems with other students.

• Work on logical thinking beyond the school syllabus.

• Continue school studies alongside Olympiad preparation.

• Treat difficult questions as opportunities to develop problem-solving skills.

Parth's experience shows that progress in Olympiad mathematics is not only about learning more concepts. It also involves developing the patience to stay with unfamiliar problems and the confidence to keep thinking when the solution is not immediately visible. His transition from limited question practice to spending significant time on challenging problems reflects the change in approach he experienced during his preparation.