The 2025-26 season has concluded, and results and certificates have been announced; the 2026-27 season registration and exam dates have not yet been officially announced by SIMCC, but typically registration opens around September 2026 and the exam is held in March-April of the following year.
I. First, Understand the Score Structure of Your Failure
Don't start by blaming "I'm bad at math." First, break down the 85 points: 15 points starting score, 30 points Section A, 40 points Section B. Where you lost points becomes immediately clear.
| Section | Points | Common Signal of Lost Points |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Score | 15 points | Everyone gets these; does not reflect ability |
| Section A Multiple Choice | 15 questions × 2 points = 30 points | Too many wrong guesses, mixed concepts, stuck on English terminology |
| Section B Short Answer | 10 questions × 4 points = 40 points | Many blanks, broken steps, no geometric intuition |
| Perfect Score | 85 points | Section A stable + Section B earns step marks + geometry does not collapse |
Fill in this diagnostic table first during review:
Section A: How many correct, how many wrong guesses, how many blank
Section B: How many attempted, how many earned step marks, how many completely blank
Which area are lost points concentrated in: arithmetic, logic, geometry, or word problems
Was it "didn't know how," "misread the word," "miscalculated," or "ran out of time"
How many geometry problems were stuck because "no auxiliary line was drawn"
II. What Does It Look Like When Section B Is Not Conquered?
Section B has no penalty for wrong answers, but it is the most demanding in terms of "non-routine problem solving." Many students who fail to win an award did not collapse in Section A—they left 3-4 questions blank in Section B.
Types of Point Loss in Section B
Afraid to write: Thinking "if I didn't get an integer answer, there's no credit"—but setting variables and listing relationships also has value
Weak modeling: Sum-difference-multiple, age, chicken-rabbit, periodic, and pigeonhole principle problems have not formed routines
Geometry blanks: Area dissection, equal-area transformation, symmetry, and auxiliary lines have never been practiced
Time eaten by Section A: Spent too long guessing earlier, leaving only 10 minutes for Section B
Broken expression: Knowing the approach but unable to write coherent steps of "given → derivation → conclusion"
Section B Rescue Principles
Wrong answers do not lose points; write at least three lines per question: set up, list, derive
Keep non-integer intermediate results; they may be useful later
For geometry problems, supplement the diagram first: mark midpoints, parallel lines, perpendiculars, and equal sides
For number theory/logic problems, try small examples first, then induce the pattern
In the last 5 minutes, don't switch to new problems; filling in half a step for a blank question is worth more than forcing a calculation
III. How to Judge If Geometry Auxiliary Line Practice Is Lacking
SASMO geometry does not test complex proofs, but it loves "reading the diagram and explaining it." Auxiliary lines are not mysticism—they turn hidden relationships into visible ones.
| Phenomenon | Underlying Problem | How to Fix Next Season |
|---|---|---|
| Can't move even with a diagram | Only memorizing formulas, not practicing figure relationships | Draw 5 diagrams per week, marking side and angle relationships |
| Area problems all blank | No feel for dissection, translation, rotation | Start with rectangle/triangle dissection |
| Angle problems rely on guessing | Weak on vertical angles, parallel lines, triangle angle sum | Do 20 basic angle relationship problems as foundation |
| Confused by folding/symmetry | Spatial imagination not built from 2D first | Fold paper first, then draw, then write the equivalence relation |
Auxiliary Line Training Sequence
First practice "connecting lines": midpoints, diagonals, center to chord
Then practice "drawing parallel/perpendicular": turning diagonal relationships into right angles or parallelograms
Then practice "extending": constructing similar triangles, exterior angles, completing the figure
Finally practice "dissection": converting irregular figures into rectangles + triangles
For every geometry error, redrawing the diagram once is more useful than recalculating ten times
IV. How to Set Goals for Next Season That Are Not Empty
Don't write outcome words like "win a gold award"; write process words like "fewer guesses in Section A, no blanks in Section B, how many geometry problems to practice per month."
Layered by This Result
Participation/Honorable Mention: First ensure no blind guessing in Section A, write three steps per question in Section B
Bronze Award edge: Supplement Section B modeling problems, open a separate module for geometry auxiliary lines
Silver Award edge: Increase timed training volume, control wrong answers in the first 15 questions to within 2
Gold Award edge: Practice non-routine Section B problems from past years, train "can derive even if never seen before"
Perfect Score pursuit: Train both speed and accuracy, revise short answer format according to marking standards
