Eight students chose the Dark Packet. None solved a single problem fully. But four of them produced "metacognitive diaries" so brilliant—so creative in their failed approaches—that they were invited to a special research program at MIT. The Dark Packet has since become an opt-in legend. Every year, whispers circulate that the Dark Packet will return. Every year, a few brave souls raise their hands. For all its intellectual glamour, NatPlus has a darker reputation. The pressure is immense. In 2018, a finalist collapsed from exhaustion during the Synthesis round. In 2022, a survey of participants found that 68% reported clinical insomnia symptoms during contest week.
In 2015, a printing error occurred. The Day Two booklets for Section B (seats 112–145) contained a completely different set of problems—problems that, by all accounts, were impossible. One question allegedly asked: "Prove or disprove the existence of a finite number that is its own successor, using only the axioms of Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory and a haiku about entropy." natplus contest
Critics call NatPlus "academic hazing." Dr. Marcus Thorne, an education professor at Stanford, argues: "The 'Plus' is just trauma with a fancy name. We are teaching kids that self-destruction is a virtue. No problem set is worth a panic attack." Eight students chose the Dark Packet