Olympiad is one of the prominent exams conducted at both national and international levels. Olympiad is a competitive exam conducted for classes 1 to 10. Many students from different schools participate in the Olympiad exams in different subjects like science, mathematics, social science, English, French, etc.
Olympiads exams prepare students for competitive exams in the upcoming future. It not only tests students’ knowledge but also their abilities. Expectations from class 8 students are high because they are soon going to give the board exams so they have to put in more hard work and dedication. Olympiad exams take place on a national and international level where students compete with students from different schools, cities, or countries. This exam shows where one stands, what are his capabilities. It helps in sharpens one’s skills like thinking skills, innovative skills, English listening skills, reasoning skills. Participating in competitive exams also increases the confidence among the students. Students must give it a try to this kind of exam.
Exam pattern for Class 8 Maths
The Olympiad exam is for a total of 60 marks and consists of a total of 50 questions. The paper is divided into 4 sections. Section 1 consists of 15 questions of one mark each, related to logical reasoning, section 2 consists of 20 questions of one mark each. It is related to mathematical reasoning, section 3 consists of 10 questions of one mark each, related to the school’s academic syllabus, and section 4 is the achiever’s section. It consists of 5 High order thinking questions (HOTS) of 3 marks each.
Books to be referred for Class 8 Maths
One of the most common questions among the students is which book to prefer to study for the exam. There are lots of books in the market. It is very important to choose the right and good book. There is nothing to worry about as the Olympiad exam is based on the school syllabus. So, students can refer to their school books. Also, a few days before the exam a booklet is issued which includes the important questions and topics related to the exam. These books also give an idea about the exam pattern and marking scheme. To score well, students should refer to this book.
Important topics for Class 8 Maths
- Rational Number
- Squares and Square Roots
- Cubes and Cube Roots
- Exponents and Powers
- Understanding Quadrilaterals
- Linear Equations in One Variable
- Constructions
- Comparing Quantities,
- Algebraic Expressions and Identities,
- Mensuration
- Factorization
- Visualizing Solid Shapes
- Playing with Numbers
- Data Handling
- Introduction to Graphs
- Direct and Inverse Variations.
How to prepare for mathematics IMO Olympiad
Hard work and dedication are the keys to cracking any exam and securing good scores. The Olympiad exam is not difficult if one will stay focused while preparing for an exam. The syllabus for the IMO exam is similar to the syllabus taught in school. Here are some tips that students should follow and ignore while preparing for Olympiads.
- Do’s
- Prepare a timetable
Students should prepare a time and strictly follow it. The Olympiad takes place nearly in November or December. So, students have to finish their syllabus by then. If they will prepare for the very start they will end up securing a good rank.
- Practice sample papers
The institution issues a sample paper booklet before the exam. Sample papers give an understanding of the exam pattern and syllabus. Solving sample papers will boost the confidence among the students. One can find out where they are lacking, where they have to put more effort, and what their strengths are. By solving the sample papers one also learns to manage the time efficiently.
- Time management
Time management plays an important role when one is preparing for a competitive exam. If students prepare for the exam they have to manage time among all their subjects and also while giving the exam they should manage to finish the exam within the period.
- Practice past year questions
Practicing past year questions papers gives an idea about the actual exam. One gets to know about the important topics, which type of questions were asked. It aware the students of the actual difficulty level of the exam. Students can find the previous year’s questions from online as well as offline sources. The Internet provides this facility one can just search for the IMO Math Olympiad Previous Year Question Paper Class 8 2012 and they can also find the answer key online to check their answers.
- Understanding of a syllabus
Before preparing for any exam one should understand the syllabus, exam pattern, and important topics for the exam. For that students should solve sample papers and past year question papers.
- Don’t
- Don’t take the stress
Students take a lot of stress over the preparation of exams and Olympiads. They should not overburden themselves as school exams and Olympiad shares the same syllabus, they can prepare for both at the time. They should follow the proper schedule and prepare accordingly.
- Don’t take the Olympiad lightly
Usually, students just register for Olympiad exams but don’t study for them which is not good. If they are registering for the exam they should prepare for it as well, as it will help in the future competitive exam and also it enhances their knowledge and skills like analytical skills, logical reasoning, etc.
- Don’t leave anything
Students should cover all the topics from the syllabus. All the topics are important questions that may come from any topic. It is very important to complete the syllabus and understand every concept so that they can attempt every question in the exam.
- Don’t be overconfident
Many times students get overconfident that they know everything which may not result in a good performance in the exams. Generally, people make more mistakes when they are overconfident. Hence, one should stay focused and work hard.
- Don’t ignore the basic concepts
Students tend to ignore the basic concepts and start practicing higher-level questions rather than understanding the basic concepts whmakeakes it difficult to understand the concept. One should always start from basic concepts first and then move to difficult questions.