Olympiad Exams are held every year by the Science Olympiad Foundation to identify young minds with extraordinary skills from across the world. It also acts as a motivation for students to improve their skill in a subject.
Knowing the syllabus is the first step of starting the preparation.
Before starting to prepare for the Olympiad, students should familiarise themselves with the entire Olympiad exam syllabus. Students can get a better idea about this by going to the SOF’s official website. Knowing the curriculum will aid in the creation of an Olympiad study plan that will cover the complete syllabus as well as major pointers well in advance of the exam. The syllabus will mainly focus on the portions taught in standard 7 and some of it will be from class 6 (around 40%). And for the level 2 exam all the questions will be focussing on topics from class 7.
The topics to focus on are : Integers, Fractions and Decimals, Exponents and Powers, Algebraic Expressions, Simple Linear Equations, Lines and Angles, Comparing Quantities, The Triangle and its Properties, Symmetry, Congruence of Triangles, Rational Numbers, Perimeter and Area, Data Handling, Visualising Solid Shapes, Practical Geometry.
Also pay special attention to logical reasoning.
An effective study plan is the most important requisite to succeed in the Olympiad.
Students must have a clear Olympiad preparation schedule that takes into account the curriculum, significant chapters, and also considering the time for covering difficult topics that demand more study time. A well planned preparation is half done.
Make note of the syllabus and the pattern of question in the examination
The basic pattern is that the paper is divided into 4 sections namely Logical Reasoning, Mathematical Reasoning, Everyday Mathematics and Achievers Section. The first section will have questions related to verbal and non-verbal reasoning; the other three sections will deal with basic mathematical topics of class 7
Make a timetable and stick to it. Note how many days and how many hours per day should be kept aside for the preparation. While making the timetable keep in mind the time that will be spent at school and time needed to work on other subjects in school.
Calculate how many chapters should be completed per day. Ensure that more time is allotted to difficult topics. Students will be able to divide time in a better manner for each subject and topic if they have a good timetable.
Make a note of the important formulae in each chapter in a separate book.
Take out a separate notebook to jot down important formulae. This notebook can also be used to solve important or difficult problems. Maintaining such a notebook will also be handy during exams in school. Having a notebook with important pointers helps a lot in last minute revisions. Many websites also provide a list of the important formulae and concepts. But it is always best for the students to prepare their own notes – it becomes easier to grasp. But these online notes can be used as references to prepare notes. Make notes in the most convenient way and make sure to not miss any points. Also ensure that all the important points are clearly visible so that it helps in the last minute run through as well.
Creating a good conceptual clarity on all the topics.
The aim of the exam is not just to test the skills of the students, but it is to promote the students to take interest in the subject and improve their skills. A good conceptual clarity is what they are looking for, hence the tricky questions. Because questions on the Olympiad Exam are based on conceptual facts, students must have a thorough comprehension of each idea and topic covered in the Olympiad syllabus.
Keep on practicing. The secret to cracking any maths exam is practise. Examine each topic and answer all the questions one by one, using the examples supplied. And practicing is actively working through questions rather than merely assuming they can be solved or mentally going through the steps. Make sure to finish all the questions, including the calculations, to the very end. To save time, never use a calculator. This can end up reducing speed and accuracy.
Continue revising till the end of the exam. Try to revise all the topics that have been covered every now and then. It is also important to revise topics from class 6 so that maximum marks can be scored from all areas. Use the self made notes to revise and keep on marking the important/ difficult topics on the book with different colours which will indicate that special attention needs to be given to those topics. Pay attention to add slots for revision as well while preparing the timetable and remember never to skip revisions. Revisions are as important as preliminary study and will help in keeping the concepts fresh in one’s mind.
Tips and Tricks! Shortcuts or tricks can be used to solve problems easily. Approach teachers and let them know the interest in attempting the olympiad, and they can provide many tips to find answers easily or even to check the accuracy of answers. Another method to find shortcuts is to surf the internet or search on YouTube. There will be plenty of sites or channels focussing on maths and especially on tricks related to solving questions in a few seconds or minutes.
Try to attempt a model/sample question paper every week, to assess your level of preparation. On the internet, there are a plethora of IMO model papers. Solving all the questions of IMO Maths Olympiad Class 7 Sample Paper 2 will help the student gain expertise with olympiad patterns as well as improve their exam speed. Solving past year’s papers might help gain a sense of the different types of olympiad questions and their difficulty levels. After completing these papers and evaluating the correctness of their answers, students can have a better understanding of their strengths and shortcomings in regard to a given field of study.
