Despite learning all the subjects in school a new concept of the Olympiad has been introduced which is at the discretion of the students to take up the exam. Olympiads are of various subjects and one of the subjects which the students are afraid of attempting is math.
Olympiads are OMR-based exams with negative markings. Olympiads are conducted on the national and international levels; it is a globally recognized exam.
Preparing for the Math Olympiad can be easy and you can score maximum marks by planning your studies strategically.
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Here are a few easy steps that can help you for preparing for the math Olympiad:
- Improve or strengthen your basics:
Believe it or not but apart from the study material that has been provided to you, your basics need to be strong. To do that, solve math problems of lower classes and also solve the past year’s question papers. This will increase your concept clarity and help you study higher-level math. It is always said that a strong foundation is the basis of everything hence making your basics strong is your first step for math Olympiad preparations.
- Solving aptitude problems:
The type of questions that you will see in the Olympiad exam would be higher-level math and aptitude problems. We are lucky to live in the internet era hence you can make most of it by solving aptitude problems or giving aptitude tests online. Various sites and e-learning platforms offer free aptitude tests or charge a very nominal fee for the same. Practice makes a man perfect, therefore; practicing such questions will give you knowledge but will also test your knowledge.
- Know your syllabus/portion:
Doing proper research like asking your peers, seniors and browsing the internet regarding the syllabus will open a lot of doors. There won’t be a specific topic but knowing at least the base may help you look into the right place for studying. You can expect questions from class 9 to class 10 math. Theories of graphs are to be read well.
- Understanding each topic in detail:
Math Olympiads are conducted on national levels so it should be known that this exam is not like your other exams and need to be taken seriously. Revise each topic thoroughly and do not skip the theory. Memorize all the formulas and concepts because any question can be asked from a small point which thought was unimportant.
- Reading:
Maths Olympiad Is not just limited to books. Reading all the articles thoroughly regarding the math Olympiad is also important. On the official website of the maths Olympiad, you can find Free mock tests and the theory of math can not be ignored as a lot of questions are asked from theory as well.
- Solving past years papers and taking the help of teachers:
On the official website of the maths Olympiad, you can find past years papers which will make your practice much easier. Solving the papers will also give you an idea of the kind of questions that can be asked by them. You may also take the help of the subject teacher in your school for preparing for the maths Olympiad. The topics which you find hard or you are unable to do By yourself then you can take help of your teachers.
- Online coaching:
To take your preparation one step ahead you can also refer to online teaching or e-learning platforms. The concepts which you find a little tacky or hard to understand can be understood through these platforms. YouTube an emerging platform can be used efficiently for watching lectures of maths online. Most of the online classes or most of the YouTube classes offer free lectures. If you feel that you need special attention or specialized classes you can even buy courses of math Olympiads.Â
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- Make use of all the study material provided:
After studying each chapter solve all the questions given in the workbook provided to you. to make the solving more efficient an exam-oriented set a timer of one hour and solve all the questions and then you can analyze your performance and conclude that how many questions you can solve in 60 Minutes.
- Practice well:
Practising a few problems or sums every day can just Add up to your preparations. Even if you don’t give much time to this Olympiad studying regularly will help you enough to pass and ace the exam. Don’t underestimate practising well because it holds a very important place in the preparation journey. whatever your goal might be practising will help you reach your goal.
- Identifying your interest areas:
Maths Olympiad covers a diverse range of topics and not everybody can ace all the topics at once. Every student is an expert in at least one topic which means that you can solve or understand a particular topic very easily but other topics may seem a little bit hard for you in this scenario. What you can do is you can identify your Interests or the topic which you like and prepare it very well. Now the topics which you find very hard can be done at last and can be given last priority.
- Memorize theorems:
Divide this concept of mathematics, add curtains and they cannot be ignored. The easiest part is that our exam is MCQ-based hence we need not memorize the whole theorem and write it down. This can be used to the fullest and therefore, every theorem should be understood neatly so that you can mark the answers correctly.
- Don’t stress yourself too much in the process:
Exams are a part of life and shouldn’t be made our whole life and also maths Olympiad are extracurricular exams. Discipline and determination are the keys to success in such exams. These exams don’t just check your memory power but also test your logical reasoning and general knowledge. You should appear for an Olympiad only if you have an interest in that particular subject.
You can also refer to IMO Maths Olympiad Previous Year Question Paper Class 10 2014.
All the best!
