Preparing for the Euclid Contest: A Realistic Plan

The Euclid Contest, run by the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing at the University of Waterloo, is written each April by senior secondary students, usually in Grade 12. It is ten questions over two and a half hours, scored out of one hundred, mixing final-answer questions with full-solution problems where the clarity and presentation of your reasoning is marked, not just the final number.

It matters for a specific reason. Waterloo uses Euclid performance as part of its admissions and scholarship decisions for mathematics, computer science, and engineering. A strong result will not guarantee a spot, and a weak one will not sink an otherwise good application, but for students aiming at those competitive programs it is a meaningful input worth taking seriously.

Here is the honest framing. The Euclid is hard, and it is meant to be. Many of its problems sit at or beyond the edge of the regular curriculum, and they reward creative problem-solving more than memorised technique. A student who is strong in school math but has never practised contest-style problems will find the experience unfamiliar, because the contest asks you to find an approach rather than apply a known one.

Effective preparation is mostly about exposure and reasoning, not cramming new content. The CEMC publishes years of past contests, and working through them is the single most valuable thing a student can do. The goal is to build comfort with the format, develop the patience that full-solution problems demand, and learn to write up reasoning clearly, since presentation is explicitly part of the score. Steady practice over months beats a frantic few weeks before April.

It also helps to keep perspective. The Euclid is a strong addition to an application, not a make-or-break test. Approaching it as a chance to stretch and to demonstrate problem-solving, rather than a high-stakes ordeal, tends to produce both better preparation and better results.

If your student is aiming at Waterloo or simply wants to sharpen their problem-solving through contest work, Book a free intro call and we will build a preparation plan that fits the time you have.