Insights
News and insights
Tutor interviews, student stories and competition results from Hanlin, written for an English-reading audience.
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LSESU Economics Challenge 2027 Preparation: A 30-Hour Micro, Macro and Quantitative Sequence
A 30-hour planning baseline for 2027 LSESU Economics Challenge preparation: 10 hours microeconomics, 10 macroeconomics, 8 quantitative foundations and 2 hours of practice, plus a diagnostic-to-allocation rule for moving hours toward the errors that actually cost marks.
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IEO vs IEOC: A Route Map for Selection Pages and Preparation
IEO, IEOC, USAEBO and NZEO appear together in selection conversations, but they are not interchangeable stage names. This route map separates the international IEO final from the national selection routes described in Hanlin's 2026 notes, then shows families what to verify before preparing.
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LSESU Economics Challenge 2027: A Quantitative Diagnostic Before Topic Revision
Before choosing microeconomics or macroeconomics as the first revision block, run a short diagnostic across all three areas named in Hanlin's 2027 LSESU note: microeconomics, macroeconomics and mathematics/quantitative analysis. Score the error type, not just the total, so a missing elasticity scaling step is not mistaken for a content gap.
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BBO Past Papers: A Topic-by-Topic Error Log for Olympiad Preparation
A raw BBO past-paper score rarely says what to study next. This guide turns an attempt into a five-column topic-and-error log, with a labelled teaching illustration and a decision rule for the next two weeks.
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British Psychology Olympiad Preparation: A Case-Study Diagnostic
Prepare for the British Psychology Olympiad with a case-study diagnostic. Learn to apply mechanisms, evidence, and ethical limits to novel scenarios.
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HIR Academic Writing Contest: A Policy-Brief Structure for Drafts
Students approaching the HIR Academic Writing Contest often draft it like a school essay. This article gives a seven-part policy-brief structure — headline claim, problem definition, options, recommendation — as a labelled coaching framework for global-affairs drafts, not as an official HIR scoring guide.
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Harvard International Economics Essay Contest: A Topic-Selection Framework
A practical, source-aware framework for choosing and structuring an analytical economics essay argument for HIEEC-style writing, with a diagnostic that separates descriptive statements from mechanism-based theses.
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Junior Physics Challenge time management: How to Triage Questions in a 50-Minute Sprint
Learn tactical triage, skip decisions, and review habits to maximize correct answers under the pressure of a 60-question, 50-minute physics sprint scenario.
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IEO National Training Team selection criteria: Preparing for Published Rules Beyond Scores
Understand how IEO National Training Team selection criteria may extend beyond raw exam scores. Learn to audit published rules and build readiness for consistency, communication, and collaboration tasks.
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Economics competition preparation interest test: Try a 30-Minute Data Sprint
Use this 30-minute data analysis exercise to determine if you enjoy the research and argumentation required for writing-heavy economics competitions like John Locke.
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AP and Competition Preparation: Build a Study Plan Around Shared Skills
Discover how to align AP coursework with competition training by leveraging shared skills in mathematics, writing, and modeling. Learn practical strategies for time management, resource integration, and skill transfer to maximize academic outcomes.
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John Locke Essay Results: Turn Competition Feedback Into a Stronger Writing Portfolio
Learn how to transform your John Locke Essay Competition results into actionable portfolio improvements, with worked teaching illustrations of strong versus weak revision strategies for independent writers.