Olympiads are exams conducted by Science Olympiad Foundation (SFO), a non-profit organization. The areas of interest of such exams are mathematics, science, computer technology and the English language. Olympiad helps students improve their knowledge and know their strengths among national and international students. This comes as a knowledge nurturing process for students as they come into contact with various challenging questions and concepts. Considered as one of the toughest exams by CBSE students, the Olympiads needs lots of skills and practice to ace it. Class 5 is an optimum age for students to give their attempt in Olympiad’s exam. This article emphasis certain tips for students of class 5 to clear their Olympiads exam.
TIPS
Syllabus – having a thorough knowledge about the syllabus helps you understand the subject and gives you an idea for preparation. Have a checklist of all the chapters so that no concept is left out at the end. Also, a clear understanding of the syllabus is required to frame an appropriate study plan. After getting a thorough picture of the syllabus students are advised to set apart the important topics and allocate more time for those concepts. Also, sticking to the syllabus till the end is important as most of the time students tend to get away from the syllabus to learn more.
Schedule – as the saying goes ‘failing to plan is like planning to fail’ prepare a schedule for each subject and a lot of proper time for each subject. As mentioned before there are eight different types of Olympiads with the student should plan their schedule and study plan accordingly depending on the type of the exam they are going to choose, and also with the International English Olympiad exam being termed as one of the toughest needs more time and practice accordingly.
Resources- before starting the preparation students are recommended to gather all the necessary sources needed for the exam. Make sure that the study material chosen has all the concepts explained clearly with authenticated info. Students are advised to seek NCERT books first these books contain all the fundamentals in an easy to understand language. The Olympiad success offers complete study material for all grades. Books like National Olympiad Skill Development System (OSDS), Olympiad Prep Guide and Learning and Knowing for Smarter Life by the MTG editorial will aid the students in their preparation. Exam goers are also suggested to collect the National Olympiad workbooks to familiarize and practice a different type of questions
Understanding of concepts – since this is a concept-oriented exam, understanding the concepts and logic behind each topic plays a vital role. Hence, students are advised to give a detailed study on the subjects to help them gain adequate knowledge and understanding about the concepts. Seeking help from a tutor or teacher is also advisable as students need not waste much of their time behind complex concepts. For better understanding students are advised to go through reference books in addition to their textbooks. Also, surfing through the internet for concept videos and online notes will be useful to fathom the logic even better.
Daily learning – consistency is a key factor in achieving success in any exam, especially in competitive exams like Olympiads. Students of class 5 are advised to learn new vocabulary, solve English puzzles, practice reason questions and learn about new science facts every day.
Notes – start preparing short notes from your daily study for future reference and quick revision. Preparation of notes helps you learn faster and helps you understand the concepts better. It is advisable to have notes prepared for each topic. Also, instead of preparing the facsimile of the textbooks preparation of short notes and flashcard can aid them better. Noting down the important points and tricks would be a better option as it would also come in handy as a time-saving option. Staying updated with all the novel stuff and updating your prepared notes often is an important factor for Olympiad exam preparation.
Practice – practice solving previous year question papers, analyse the type of questions asked and solve the mock test. Allocate a practice time of at least an hour every day to stabilize your preparation. Certain subjects like English require regular practice hence students are suggested to keep solving IEO English Olympiad Previous Year Question Paper Class 5 2013 to master their problem-solving skills. All these previous year question papers and sample question papers will give the students a fair idea of the difficulty level of the exam and also get them familiarised with the different question types posted towards them. Also, it is recommended that students analyse their answer sheets after every mock session and find out their weak areas and place where they go wrong. Self-analysis and mending of their own mistakes will mould up the students well for the exam as it will increase their effectiveness and decrease the chance of committing the usual errors. Mock Tests are the best resource for cracking the Olympiad exam as they also teach the students to manage their time while answering the question paper.
EXAM TIPS:
- Masters all your fundamentals.
- Have a crystal clear understanding of all the concepts you studied so far for the Olympiads.
- Allocate a sufficient amount of time for revision and make sure you revise everything you prepared from the beginning. Regular mocks can also be a way for revising your concepts.
- Make sure you eat well and fetch a sufficient amount of time the previous day of your exam. Don’t overwhelm your mind too much and fall sick on the day of the exam.
- Do not study till you enter the exam hall. Have a sufficient amount of time before your exam for your mind to relax and recall everything.
- If you are not familiar with the question asked do not stress up your mind upon that instead pass that on and attempt the next question. Concentrating too much on a complex problem or unfamiliar problem will eat away your time plus it can cause unnecessary anxiety during the test.