Preparing for Class 8 Math Olympiad : The various olympiads are one of the major exams that happen outside the school evaluations. Preparing for exams can get very difficult and the Olympiads are not an exception.
The SFO website has plenty of resources like the detailed syllabus, books and other reference materials and plenty of sample papers and more.
Table of Contents
About the paper
The exams will conduct on one of these dates as convenient for the school. 1. 4th & 5th December 2021
- 24th & 26th December 2021
- 8th & 9th January 2022
The time duration will be one hour. The exam will consist of 50 questions and a total score of 60 marks.
The paper will consist of 4 sections –
- Logical Reasoning 15*1
- Mathematical Reasoning 20*1
- Everyday Mathematics 10*1
- Achievers Section 5*3
60 marks
What to study
The SFO website gives a detailed syllabus for each standard.
The level-I Olympiad exam will be based on 60% of the current class syllabus and 40% of the previous class syllabus. i.e. The IMO exam for class 8 will consist of 60% questions from the class 8 syllabus. The 40% questions from the class 7 syllabus.
The level-II Olympiad exams will solely include questions from the current class syllabus. i.e. class 8
Only current class syllabus questions will ask in the achiever’s section. Which will contain questions of a higher order of thinking.
Section Wise
- Logical Reasoning – Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
- Mathematical Reasoning, Everyday Mathematics & Achievers Section: Rational Numbers, Squares and Square Roots, Cubes and Cube Roots, Exponents and Powers, Comparing Quantities, Data Handling, Algebraic Expressions and Identities, Understanding Quadrilaterals, Constructions, Mensuration, Visualizing Solid Shapes, Direct and Inverse Variations, Factorization, Introduction to Graphs, Playing with Numbers, Linear Equations in One Variable.
Since the syllabus basically deals with topics from what the student has previously studied and what is being taught in the current year of school, the best possible strategy for preparation would be to
- Revise the portions from the previous year and clear the concepts
- To have a clear idea on what is being taught currently
Instead of trying to focus on the whole syllabus, the smartest way to go about the Class 8 syllabus would be to study, practice and repeat whatever has already been taught and studied as completing the whole syllabus in such a short time span is impossible for a student of class 8 and the students can have a basic idea of other topics which have not yet been covered if time permits.
The materials provided on the website are more than enough for an overall preparation. https://sofworld.org/imo/class-8/books-and-additional-reference-books-class-8
We must always remember that the aim of these examinations is not to always win awards, the focus should mainly be on increasing the knowledge of the student and providing the student with proper conceptual clarity.
Tests and Mock Tests
Solving questions is as important as preparation.
Once a particular topic is covered, it should be made a point to solve as many questions as possible on the particular topic. This helps in providing an idea of how the mind should be trained and how the principles need to be applied. Solving the IMO Maths Olympiad Previous Year Question Paper Class 8 2014 will prepare the students up to a great extent.
Mock Tests are the most important part in the whole preparation procedure. Mock Tests should be solved at regular intervals – at least once or twice a week. This helps the student in getting acquainted with the pattern of questions. The mock tests should be completed within the time limit ( 1 hour) which will help the student manage the time during the actual exam.
Further, the paper should be analysed to find the topics in which the student is weak/ strong in. This will help in deciding what topics the student needs to work on or what all can be improved. Sample papers and previous year papers should be solve along with mock tests. All these are easily accessible with a click on google.
Other Tips and Tricks
- While preparing, make notes of the important pointers and formulae in each topic. ● Before each mock go through the self-prepared notes.
- After analysing the mocks, mark the topics in which the student is weak in the notes and before the next mock pay particular attention to these topics.
- Noting down difficult questions or questions that took time to solve and solving them again a week before the exam will help analyse the preparation level/strategy needed towards the end.
- A week or two before the exam, all other topic wise preparations should be stopped and the entire focus should be on solving questions and attempting tests. ● YouTube videos can be a great help at times in finding tips and tricks to solve questions quickly.
- The key to any exam is studying smart. The stronger topics should be given more focus towards the last two weeks so that maximum marks can be scored from these (more like not losing marks on the stronger topics).
The day before the exam and During the Examination
- Make sure to rest well and eat properly the night before and on the day of the exam. ● Never over stress and try to prepare more – only go through the most important pointers.
- Make sure to carry all the essentials required for the exam – admit card, extra pen, water bottle and everything you might need.
- Glance through the question paper will help in getting an idea about the type of questions and difficulty level.
● Try to finish the easiest questions or the questions that are most comfortable