Accelerated 24-Week AoPS Plan for a 15-Year-Old — Tough, Precise, Uncompromising

Listen carefully: this is not casual homework. You will finish Prealgebra quickly, begin Introduction to Algebra, and study Introduction to Geometry the entire time. You will use the AoPS textbooks, Alcumus for adaptive practice, and the free AoPS videos. No excuses. Daily effort, weekly checks, and absolute attention to mistakes.

High-level timeline (24 weeks)

• Weeks 1–6: Finish Prealgebra (Rusczyk). Read sections, attempt starter problems, use Alcumus to shore up weaknesses.
• Weeks 4–24: Start and continue Introduction to Geometry concurrently. Cover core geometry topics steadily so geometric thinking grows alongside algebraic skill.
• Weeks 7–24: Complete Introduction to Algebra (Rusczyk) in an accelerated but thorough 18 weeks.

Weekly schedule (minimum expectations)

• Weekdays: 90–120 minutes/day. 30–50 minutes reading & worked examples; 60–70 minutes solving problems (AoPS book problems + Alcumus).
• Weekends: 3–4 hours/day. Deep problem sets, timed practice, video lessons for tricky sections, and review of errors.
• Daily Alcumus: 10–20 targeted problems; focus on accuracy and speed. Let Alcumus guide weak topics.

Study ritual — do this every study session

1. Attempt problems at the start of each AoPS section without hints. Struggle first; learning comes from effort.
2. Watch the corresponding AoPS video if stuck for more than 20 minutes; then re-attempt problems.
3. Read the textbook solutions only after earnest attempts. Study the solution, then re-solve the problem from memory.
4. Record every mistake in an error log: type, reason, correct approach, and a similar problem to re-do later.

Mastery metrics and assessments

• Topic mastery: 90%+ accuracy on Alcumus topic sets before moving on.
• Weekly quiz: 15 problems (mixed), 60 minutes, timed. Grade yourself strictly.
• Monthly exam: cumulative, include geometry proofs and algebraic manipulations. Treat these like contest problems.

Practice volume & resources

AoPS Prealgebra and Intro books include 1000+ problems each; solve as many as you can. Use the solutions manual only after sustained effort. Alcumus provides adaptive practice and progress reports. Watch AoPS videos for concept clarity and problem walkthroughs.

Final notes — the Tiger Mother cadence

You will be relentless. No skipped problems. No half-hearted attempts. If you fail an assessment, you redo the entire week until you reach mastery. This is accelerated, rigorous, and fair. Put in the work, measure progress, and you will outperform peers. I expect precision, discipline, and steady improvement.