The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is conducted every year for students from class 1st to 12th. It has gained a lot of traction among young scholars who wish to showcase their mathematical skills on a national podium. It’s a conceptual exam that tests a student’s deep understanding and analytical skills in the subject and prepares them for national-level examinations. The questions asked in this exam are different from conventional school exams in terms of in-depth knowledge and difficulty level. While conventional school exams aim to test a student’s capability of following instructions and grasping concepts that are taught in class, IMO aims to test a student’s intelligence quotient and problem-solving skills.
Among classes from 1st to 12th, the 8th class students are the most active ones to participate in the extra-academic activities like debates, quizzes, and Olympiads. The reason is that they are in the stage where they start realizing the importance of a good academic record for future career perspectives. Increasing competition in academic fields has exposed students to start building up their academic records right from an early stage. Moreover, they are still free of board exam fiasco and have time for the preparation of Olympiads. 8th class is also considered an important academic landing of a student’s life in terms of concept-building and analytical skill-building. This article has a list of study hacks that will help students of class 8th and even others to prepare for the International Mathematical Olympiad.
- Analyzing the syllabus comes first. Get the detailed syllabus from the official website of the International Mathematical Olympiad. This will not only help you prepare selective math topics and save you from wasting all those precious hours. Knowing the complete syllabus will also enable you to prepare a study schedule for the exam preparation. The syllabus of the Maths Olympiad is not big, but the questions asked are trickier. Questions will mostly be asked from the arithmetic of integers, geometry, quadratic equations and expressions, trigonometry, coordinate geometry, etc.
- Get a complete idea of the paper pattern. Before preparing for any competitive exam, it’s necessary to check the paper pattern and the maximum time allotted to complete the exam. This will give an idea of how many questions are to be attempted in a stipulated time. For IMO, 50 questions are to be attempted in the exam and the time allotted is 1 hour.
- Refer NCERT books for IMO preparation as the ideal source. Also, the students are advised to revise the class 7th syllabus as well. Out of the Level-1 questions, 60% are asked from the class 8th syllabus and 40% from the class 7th syllabus. Leaving out class 7th syllabus will cause students to lose marks in the most scoring Olympiad section.
- Online sources are very important for math Olympiad preparation. Refer to online sources for sample papers, weekly mock tests and previous year question papers for class 8th. Search using the right keywords to avoid faulty results as various other private agencies have also started conducting Olympiad exams. For instance: IMO Sample Paper 1 with Answers For Class 8, IMO Previous year paper for class 8, etc.
- Look out for information and updates on syllabus, pattern, and test dates on the official website of the International Mathematical Olympiad. It’s especially important if you are appearing for the Olympiad for the very first time.
- Prepare an efficient and practical study plan. Jot down all the topics from the detailed syllabus and based on the conceptuality and difficulty level, assign a particular number of hours to each. If you are in a dilemma, ask your subject teacher at school for help. Ask them how many hours should ideally be dedicated to particular topics.
- Making a study schedule alone isn’t enough. Sticking to that schedule is the real deal. Follow the plan with utmost dedication and discipline. Avoid making frequent changes to the study plan to accommodate your engagements.
- Make time your tool. Time is the constraint when you have to juggle Olympiad preparation with your conventional studies. Make daily and weekly schedules to make efficient use of your time. Segregate the day to give ample time to homework and few hours for Olympiad question practice. This is the only way to effectively cover the entire syllabus.
- Practice is the only way to build concepts and eradicate doubts. Practice a lot of questions of different types and levels from a particular topic till you gain complete confidence in it. The Olympiad asks questions at a slightly higher level than the conventional school exams. The questions are trickier and conceptual and the options are confusing. Having a thorough knowledge of the subject compounded with extensive practice is the only way to crack the exam.
- Include weekly mock tests in the study schedules. Attending mock tests while keeping a track of time, helps to simulate the test atmosphere at home and thus, helps to stabilize the exam pressure. It installs confidence in the student and helps to identify the problem areas in the preparation. These mistakes made during the mocks can be rectified from the solution books, also available online. The students need to understand that giving mock tests is useless unless they notice their mistakes, analyze where they went wrong and then look at the correct solution and rectify them.
- As the Olympiad question level is higher than school studies, the students might need some extra help in understanding the advanced concepts and solving complex problems. The students should take help of their school subject teachers or their coaching teachers or online tutoring services if they are confused.
- Staying calm, relaxed, and positive is equally important. Stress always worsens the situation, making work unproductive. Students should include leisure and hobby time in their schedules. This will give them some rest and help rejuvenate their minds.Click here to know more about magazine4news.
