https://mathsloth.com/blog/2017/08/worldtop10elementarymathsqns.html It is not clear whether the questions are meant for specially gifted children or regular kids, but the test questions from Asian countries tend to focus on interpreting patterns for young kids, rather than requiring them to solve head-on using math techniques that would/should be taught in later years. Personally, I find question 9 interestingly conceived; it is supposedly meant for preschool children trying to get admitted into the 1st grade of a Hong Kong's elementary school (!?). A quick search on the Internet reveals the answer, and it doesn't feel good on the intellectual ego to know.
Yes. I love using open ended problems and patterns. One reason why I liked Calendar Math even in 5th.
Absolutely, and with loads of drilling/practices every day. Quite a few of the questions listed ( questions 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ) in the link are, what i feel, "gifted" level maths for preschool and early elementary kids. So, i wonder if the Asian preschools/elementary schools are intentionally challenging the raw kids during the tests to sieve out the "diamonds", or they are already teaching pre-formula open-ended maths thinking, such that these questions are incremental versions of what the students are normally taught.