What all you need to know to Prepare for the Class 9 Maths Olympiad?

Preparing for an olympiad can prove to be confusing as well as difficult, it is complicated to figure out where to start from. Moreover, olympiads are based on a pattern that is not even close to what you are used to. Olympiads test a different range of your skills compared to your school exams, olympiads require you to be fast and accurate without caring much about your methodology or skill. Olympiads also include a wider syllabus than school exams, the level of difficulty and the level of competition is higher as well.

But, one should not fret, once you figure out your way of preparation, olympiads don’t seem that complicated. You realize how fun and competitive they are. All you need to do is prepare for them with all your heart and then just believe in yourself.

1. Talk with your Seniors

The best start to your preparation can be a conversation with a senior of yours. Talk to someone in your school or locality that you look up to and ask them questions related to the olympiad and its preparation. Talking to someone who has been in your position before can help you feel relaxed about the situation, you can share your fears and your doubts regarding the olympiad with them. Chances are that they must have faced similar issues before, and they can help you by providing you with their tips for preparing and dealing with the stress. You can talk to them about the mistakes that you are afraid of making and they will surely be able to provide you with helpful solutions.

If you are not able to find a senior, then you can discuss it amongst your peers as well. Talking to people who are going through the same situation as you can prove to be fruitful. You can also ask one of your teachers to hold a discussion session in class where every student can share their tips and doubts regarding the upcoming olympiad. Your teacher can help you and your classmates in eliminating your fears and advising you on how to perform well.

2. Go online

The internet can provide you with answers to any questions that you have, it is an endless ocean of knowledge, and you should learn how to use it for your benefit. You can find answers to any of your doubts by a simple google search, so if you feel stuck on a topic, look for the solution on the internet. You can find special, professional tips for attempting the olympiad on the internet. You can go onto youtube to watch videos of the syllabus topics that you find difficult, you can read blogs and articles on various sites to learn tricks of solving some higher-level questions.

Another benefit of the internet is that it can provide you with previous year sample papers that can prove to be extremely helpful during your preparation. Papers like the IMO class 9 2016 question paper can help in making your preparation easier and more effective. You can search for solutions to these papers and try to check your answers, this will help you in finding and fixing your mistakes.

3. Learn time management

The biggest issue faced by students during an exam is running out of time, time crunch can lead to poor performance in the olympiad. This issue can arise especially in a maths olympiad, wherein you need to take adequate time to solve every question and make sure that you don’t make even a small mistake. It is important to manage every minute of your time during the exam. You should divide your time according to the difficulty levels of the questions, making sure that you give yourself enough time to solve every single question.

One of the ways to make sure that you don’t face a huge time crunch during the olympiad is to keep on practicing on sample papers, you could learn easy methods to solve the questions and learn how to calculate the questions mentally without wasting much time by solving on paper.

Managing your time will also allow you to recheck your answers and your information OMR before submission, this will increase your chances of scoring higher marks. If you run out of time you won’t be able to revise your answers and your silly mistakes will go unnoticed.

4. Prepare with your friends

A simple way to make olympiad preparation a fun activity is by forming a study group with your friends and classmates. As you all are preparing for the same maths olympiad, it will be beneficial for everyone. Studying in a group forces you to be more serious about your studies, being around others who are working hard will work as a motivating factor for you as well. It will also help you and your friends in clearing your doubts as you can learn from each other’s mistakes. You can ask your friends to clear your doubts and you can help them with their doubts, as that will help with your revision as well.

While studying in a group, you can build up little challenges for each other and try to hold each person accountable. You can also have some healthy competition where you decide to solve some questions within a time limit. This can make the preparation more engaging and interesting, as it is important to have fun along with your studies.

Other than these tips, one must also remember to be determined, attentive and positive throughout the preparation. A good presence of mind makes all the difference, if you are not focused on your preparation and your olympiad, you will face various difficulties. But, if you keep your eyes on the prize and then walk forward, you will find no difficulty. Hence, be focused during your preparation and your exam as well. Remember to solve every question carefully, mark it properly and neatly and revise the answers before it’s time to submit.