diff --git a/src/open_r1/rewards.py b/src/open_r1/rewards.py
index a6ce10c9..f7e270ef 100644
--- a/src/open_r1/rewards.py
+++ b/src/open_r1/rewards.py
@@ -162,9 +162,6 @@ def get_repetition_penalty_reward(ngram_size: int, max_penalty: float):
     if max_penalty > 0:
         raise ValueError(f"max_penalty {max_penalty} should not be positive")
 
-    if max_penalty == 0:
-        return 0
-
     def zipngram(text: str, ngram_size: int):
         words = text.lower().split()
         return zip(*[words[i:] for i in range(ngram_size)])
diff --git a/tests/test_rewards.py b/tests/test_rewards.py
index ccf41e18..0ae015d1 100644
--- a/tests/test_rewards.py
+++ b/tests/test_rewards.py
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ def test_no_repetition(self):
     def test_full_repetition(self):
         reward_fn = get_repetition_penalty_reward(ngram_size=2, max_penalty=-1.0)
         completions = [[{"content": "this this this this this"}]]
-        
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         # (1 - 1/4) * -1 = -0.75
         self.assertEqual(rewards, [-0.75])
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ def test_full_repetition(self):
     def test_partial_repetition(self):
         reward_fn = get_repetition_penalty_reward(ngram_size=2, max_penalty=-1.0)
         completions = [[{"content": "this is a this is a test"}]]
-        
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         # Unique 2-grams: (this, is), (is, a), (a, this), (a, test).  4 unique out of 6 total
         # (1 - 4/6) * -1 = -1/3 = -0.3333...
@@ -150,8 +150,8 @@ def test_multiple_completions(self):
         completions = [
             [{"content": "this is a test"}],
             [{"content": "test test test test"}],
-                       ]
-        
+        ]
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         # Completion 1:  (this, is, a), (is, a, test) -> 2 unique / 2 total -> (1 - 2/2) * -0.5 = 0
         # Completion 2: (test, test, test) -> 1 unique / 2 total -> (1 - 1/2) * -0.5 = -0.25
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ def test_empty_completion(self):
     def test_different_ngram_size(self):
         reward_fn = get_repetition_penalty_reward(ngram_size=3, max_penalty=-2.0)
         completions = [[{"content": "this is a this is a test"}]]
-        
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         self.assertAlmostEqual(rewards[0], -0.4)
 
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ def test_mixed_case(self):
             [{"content": "This is A Test"}],
             [{"content": "this IS a test"}],
         ]
-        
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         # both completions should produce the same reward, because the text gets lowercased
         self.assertAlmostEqual(rewards[0], rewards[1])
@@ -192,28 +192,28 @@ def test_one_word_completion(self):
     def test_two_word_completion(self):
         reward_fn = get_repetition_penalty_reward(ngram_size=3, max_penalty=-1.0)
         completions = [[{"content": "two words"}]]
-        
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         self.assertEqual(rewards, [0.0])
 
     def test_three_word_completion(self):
         reward_fn = get_repetition_penalty_reward(ngram_size=3, max_penalty=-1.0)
         completions = [[{"content": "three different words"}]]
-        
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         self.assertEqual(rewards, [0.0])
 
     def test_three_word_repetition_completion(self):
         reward_fn = get_repetition_penalty_reward(ngram_size=3, max_penalty=-1.0)
         completions = [[{"content": "word word word word"}]]
-        
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         self.assertEqual(rewards, [-0.5])
 
     def test_four_word_completion_with_repetition(self):
         reward_fn = get_repetition_penalty_reward(ngram_size=3, max_penalty=-1.0)
         completions = [[{"content": "one two one two"}]]
-        
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         # ngrams are (one two one) (two one two). unique is 2 and count is 2, therefore (1-1) * -1.
         self.assertEqual(rewards, [0.0])
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ def test_four_word_completion_with_repetition(self):
     def test_five_word_completion_with_repetition(self):
         reward_fn = get_repetition_penalty_reward(ngram_size=3, max_penalty=-0.5)
         completions = [[{"content": "A B C A B"}]]
-        
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         # (A B C) (B C A) (C A B). unique is 3. count is 3 (1-1) * -.5 = 0
         self.assertEqual(rewards, [0.0])
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ def test_five_word_completion_with_repetition(self):
     def test_six_word_completion_with_repetition(self):
         reward_fn = get_repetition_penalty_reward(ngram_size=3, max_penalty=-1.0)
         completions = [[{"content": "A B C A B C"}]]
-        
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         self.assertEqual(rewards, [-0.25])
 
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ def test_long_completion_with_repetition(self):
     def test_long_completion_without_repetition(self):
         reward_fn = get_repetition_penalty_reward(ngram_size=3, max_penalty=-1.0)
         completions = [[{"content": "A B C D E F G H I J K L"}]]
-        
+
         rewards = reward_fn(completions)
         self.assertEqual(rewards, [0.0])