How to prepare for class 8 Math Olympiad

How to prepare for class 8 Math Olympiad? – So a lot of students usually come to know about the International Mathematics Olympiad very late. Although a lot of schools are registered under the SFO, not every school gives equal importance to these competitive exams. IMO is an important exam and it is significant for the students of class 8 because they haven’t been in a competitive examination or environment yet and there is no better exam than IMO to know where you stand.

So before we discuss how to prepare for the Math Olympiad, we should learn a bit more about the exam and the IMO too. So, the SFO conducts the International Mathematics Olympiad or IMO and the students from classes 1-12 are eligible to participate in the exam. Usually, the examination process happens in two levels. Level 1: Zonal Level and Level 2: International Level. Only the top 5% or top 10 students qualify for the second round. If the number of students applying for the zonal round is less than 10 then a student must score at least 50% of the marks.

The students applying for the IMO will be asked to solve 50 multiple choice questions in 60 mins but for lower classes that are from classes 1 to 4, the total number of questions decreases to just 35. The question paper is divided into 4 parts that are

1) Logical Reasoning

Here the students have to understand and logically work through the concept to arrive at the correct solution.

2) Mathematical Reasoning

Here the students must have a logical approach to think critically, cognitively and use the fundamentals to solve the problem.

3) Everyday Mathematics

Here the students are asked to solve mathematical problems from their own syllabus. The questions that come in this section are of textbook level.

4) Achievers Section

Although the questions in that section come from the syllabus, the difficulty level of the question is more as compared to the other section. Students who are thorough with the fundamentals can solve the Achievers Section easily.

To participate in the International Mathematics Olympiad your school has to be registered for the Olympiad. If you wish to register your school for the Olympiad you can always do that on the SFO website. If you wish to participate in any Olympiad, the proper way to approach will be going and talking to the concerned authorities of the school by showing them your interest to join the same. There is no individual level of appearing for the exam. One can only apply if the school is registered. If you are selected for the second round you have to fill-up the form again.

So how to prepare for an examination that is highly competitive? One must understand that it’s a matter of huge pride if you get a medal because you have not only represented your zone but you have also represented your country. So, here are the few tips you can use to prepare for International Mathematics Olympiad:-

The Syllabus for the Olympiad

There are various topics that are fundamental to math olympiads. One must learn all of them, to understand the most crucial theorems and see relevant examples of how these are put into use. To achieve that, one must read various books on algebra, geometry, number theory, etc. It is an impossible task to finish quadratic residues if one doesn’t read a good book on number theory.

Know what works for you the best

Everything can’t be found in the textbook and one must find other ways to gather ideas. Read a problem and try to find out various possibilities to solve it in a certain amount of time. Brainstorming helps to get familiar with the problem. If one repeats the same method every day then the time taken to solve one problem will decrease. One can easily know the answer just by looking at the question.

Previous Year Question Papers

The best way to prepare for any exam is to solve the previous year question papers and there have been a lot of incidents in the past where a question gets repeated. If one solves the previous year question properly then a repeated question is a freebie. Go to an online website and try to get your hands on all the previous year question papers for the Olympiad. Try to solve without looking at the answer key. Solve Class 8 IMO Question Paper 2013 as if you’re appearing for a real exam. These mock tests will not only prepare you mentally but will also prepare you fundamentally. Looking at the previous year question paper one can know the question pattern, difficulty level and from which portions maximum questions came. Only look for the answer key if you can’t move forward at all.

Other than previous year question papers, try solving papers of different similar exams. On the internet, you will find various exams that are similar to IMO and one can solve these exam questions too.

Competitive Exams are different

You might love solving a problem or you might love Mathematics but IMO is not about if you enjoy solving problems or not. It is about how efficient you are. How many problems can you finish in a given time? It doesn’t matter if you can solve all the 50 questions if you cannot solve them on time. One has to be fast and keep a note of the time in the back of their head too. If one can win the battle of time, they can easily crack any competitive exam such as IMO.

Get yourself a Mentor

It’s okay to get yourself a coach or mentor. Your usual Mathematics teacher won’t teach Olympiad and if you want to do well in those exams you would need help outside your faculty zone. Don’t limit yourself, if you want help you should ask for help. One can find many qualified mentors online, asking them for help will do more good as they will keep track of your growth and guide you side by side.

If you keep these points in your mind, the chances of qualifying for the second round increase.