
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Several students are competing in a series of three races. A student earns $6$ points for winning a race, $4$ points for finishing second, and $2$ points for finishing third. Additionally, if a student finishes in the top three in each race, they receive a $3$ point bonus for consistency. There are no ties. What is the smallest number of points that a student must earn in the three races to be guaranteed of earning more points than any other student?
A) $17$
B) $18$
C) $19$
D) $21$
E) $22$

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
user