What Part A Actually Tests
Part A rewards the same instincts a well-prepared student already has: fast, accurate application of concepts across the syllabus, with numerical or short-form answers. It is closer in spirit to a well-designed school test than Part B, though still pitched above the standard curriculum.
What Part B Actually Tests
Part B is where NMTC becomes a genuine olympiad. Students must write a complete solution — every step justified, every claim proven — to a small number of harder problems. A correct final answer with an incomplete or unjustified argument earns only partial credit, sometimes very little.
Why This Split Matters for Preparation
- Part A preparation looks like disciplined, timed practice across the full syllabus — similar to preparing for any well-designed test.
- Part B preparation is a different skill entirely: constructing and writing a rigorous argument, which has to be practiced explicitly, not assumed to follow automatically from knowing the content.
- Students who only drill Part A-style questions are often surprised by how much Part B costs them — not because they don't know the material, but because they've never practiced writing a complete proof under time pressure.
A Balanced Prep Split
A realistic weekly split gives roughly equal time to Part A-style timed practice and Part B-style written solution work, with a mentor reviewing Part B attempts individually — since the gap between "the right idea" and "a complete, gap-free proof" is exactly what separates a strong Part B score from a weak one.