Olympiads are competitive, and thus demand rigorous practice and unwavering determination from attendees. If any student wishes to crack the olympiads at benchmark levels, it is extremely important the develop a holistic system for the same. Envisioning one’s goal in mind, the pupils should put in ample hours of focused studying to achieve promising results.
As freshmen in high school, ninth graders have a lot on their plates. They struggle to cope up with the new studying patterns and increased pressure. Thus, if they decide to take part in the olympiads, it is highly likely that they will need a structured guide. Mathematics olympiads are the top choice for candidates and thus more difficult to crack.
Listed below are a few tips to follow if one wants to ace their maths olympiads:
1. Strengthening Key Concepts
Concepts are the pillars of fine-tuned understanding of any subject. The better the concept about a subject, the better the chances of performing well in the olympiads for the same. To build concepts, it is highly suggested that the pupils focus in class and while reading material and course books. Although school textbooks are not sufficient as they often fail to explain key concepts in fluent detail. It is recommended to use resources from your school library, online or other textbooks if required to attain perfection in concept building. Build each concept carefully. Olympiads are designed to assess one’s core concept. Thus, it’s copiously important to build each concept with proper attention and dedicated hard work.
The experts recommend using diagrams and flow charts for a more in-depth analysis of concepts. Go back to the basics of the subject. Work every section and only proceed when you’ve aced it.
It always helps to study in a group when clearing concepts cause you shall be able to explain concepts to your group mates and inherently strengthen yours, vice versa. Self-assessment is extremely important when you’re trying to build concepts. Attempt numerical and try attempting to reverse-engineering them. This shall help you strengthen your concepts by manifolds.
Always study one thing at a time. This helps you to focus and build concepts better.
2. Building a Studying Habit
Good habits that can be hard to build are gratifying once mastered. To qualify for benchmark rounds in olympiads, students must develop a habit of studying diligently. Habit development is an important skill to emulate. And developing effective studying routines can be the first step towards building excellent habits.
Develop a routine that caters to your needs and doesn’t follow anyone else’s blind. Make a timetable and refer to it while preparing.
Study routines help students from developing healthy studying habits and prevent them from cramping, which is never recommended. Cramming does no good. Studying last-minute leads to decreased performances overall. Students should designate a certain area of study. It is recommended that students minimize any distractions that might be present in that area. Also, try to keep your desk or studying area clean, tidy, and organized.
Also, it is highly suggested that students take healthy amounts of breaks to maintain proper mental and physical health.
Specifically for the maths olympiad, it is extremely important to develop a proper routine.
Providing ample time to both theory and numerical is exceedingly obvious if one wants to attain a certain level of success in the olympiads.
3. Understand the Exam
For cracking the olympiad, a thorough understanding of the examination, in general, is very important. If any student has a comprehensive understanding of the exam itself, its nature, and patterns, it is very easy for them to strategize their attempt. The students should study the nature of questions carefully to identify exactly which type and genre of questions are presented in the olympiad.
Research intensely about the numerical and how exactly they are presented in the question papers. Study how the exam is structured. Make a detailed analysis of the syllabus.
Always visit the website of the olympiad if they have any. In the frequently asked questions section, you’ll be able to find out a lot about the exam in general. You should even go through their brochure to have a glimpse of the examination in general.
4. Account Your Progress
To ace the olympiads, you need to hold yourself accountable for every moment of your preparation. Make sure to truthfully chart your progress. This will let you know how you can improve in terms of productivity and time management. Mapping your progress is also a great way to feel motivated when you feel like you haven’t made much progress. Noting down your progress leads to better productive output. Cause nobody likes writing 0 progress made in their journals, you will feel repugnant if you don’t work as much you should. When preparing for a maths olympiad, always make sure to chart progress into two parts:
-Chapters covered
-Efficiency in numerical in each chapter
5. Save Room For Revision and Practice
Once you’re done with learning a chapter, adequate and frequent revision of the same is very important. While revision, make sure to put more effort into practising numerical than relearning theorems and identities.
It is extremely crucial at this stage to practice sample papers for self-assessment. Set a timer and practice these to get a brief idea of how well your preparation is and in which areas do you need to improve. Sample papers specific to the olympiads you’re attempting give you an insight into the exam and help you with strategizing your attempt.
6. Attempt Previous Year’s Questions
Previous Year’s papers help familiarize students with the questionnaire and its format. Students can fairly read through the context and style of questions presented in the olympiads.
For the mathematics olympiad, students must glimpse through previous year’s papers as they have targeted numerical, solving, and investigating which will bring a proper knowledge of the exam format and style to the applicants.
There are several resources available for previous year’s papers online, one is given for you here:
Class 9 IMO Question Paper 2014
By following these proven tips and techniques, it is guaranteed that students will be able to secure their desired goal at the maths olympiads. Prepare diligently and don’t be afraid!
