Math Olympiads are exams that help students develop the skills of Mathematics, logical reasoning, and boost their level of conceptual understanding. The Olympiad exam for kids is held every year at an international level. The Olympiad for kids is held at three different levels, state, national, and international. The Olympiad exams sharpen students’ minds, which in turn helps them improve their performance in school.
What is an Olympiad Exam?
The International Mathematics Olympiad in India is held by the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF), which is a New Delhi based non-profit organisation. The organisation aims to promote Mathematics, Science, English, Social Studies, Computer Education, General Knowledge, and other professional courses. Students from class 1 to class 12 can participate.
Math Olympiad for kids isn’t that easy to crack, so you would be concerned about how to prepare kids for the Olympiad. Not to worry, we have enlisted some tips on how to sit for Math Olympiad kids’ level, which will be helpful for preparation.
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How to Prepare Kids for the Olympiad?
#1. Start Preparations Early
Look for the aptitude of Maths in your child. If you see it then start making them practice for the Olympiad at an early stage. Enrol them for participation in any upcoming small scale Mathematics competitions in the school or the locality. This will help them hone their Math skills. As your child’s age is tender, ensure you don’t go hard on them for the preparations; instead, make them fall in love with Mathematics.
#2. Build from the Basics
It is normal to be concerned about your kid’s preparation for the Math Olympiad as a parent. But don’t get too ambitious and don’t lead them into practising too advanced mathematical problems without making them well-versed with the basics. Because if your child’s basic Maths is not strong enough, they might feel disinterested and discouraged to solve the problems.
Build your child’s knowledge from the basic Math topics like odd and even numbers, decimals, place value, skip counting, patterns in number sequence, fractions, different Math symbols, percentages, and others.
#3. Understand the Concepts
The Math Olympiad is based on the school curriculum, but there will still be many conceptual topics outside the school syllabus. Parents should help their children to study each of the topics in-depth. Having a thorough understanding and logical reasoning that goes into each such concept or topic will help build a strong foundation. The exam includes mostly practical questions, so it would be necessary for your kid to prepare every topic well enough, so they can answer with full confidence.
#4. Check with the Syllabus and Exam Pattern
This is a no-brainer that we must check the syllabus and exam pattern for every exam. The Math Olympiad is no exception to this rule. The questions in the exams come from a wide range of topics. A student needs to have an in-depth understanding of every topic. You can check the syllabus on their official website, which will help decide which are the most and the least important topics. It will also help manage the time accordingly to teach your kid both difficult and easy topics.
#5. Manage Time and Schedule
The biggest mistake in preparation for the Math Olympiad will be not making a schedule. A disciplined schedule for the Olympiad preparations will help your kid to devote appropriate time for every topic. Preparations for the Math Olympiad in an organised manner will help the kids to achieve the target easily, and stress-free. Being a parent, ensure making a healthy schedule for them, where they have appropriate break time too or else the preparations can get quite stressful.
#6. Solve Previous Years Question Papers
It is the responsibility of the parents to provide their kid with the best resources for the preparation of the Math Olympiad. For the preparations, the students need to solve the question papers from the previous years. Previous years question papers will help analyse the structure and the kind of questions asked in the exams.
Solving the question papers will also boost the confidence of your kid. You will be able to identify the strong and weak areas and help your child to work on them. There are also various mock tests available on the internet which your kid can take to get the hang of the actual Olympiad.
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#7. Make Quick Notes for Revision
It is not wise or practical for kids to revise the whole syllabus at the last moment. The best way for revision is to make quick notes of everything they learn and study. It will help them to go through every topic in the syllabus quickly. Help the kid to inculcate the habit of making notes of the Math topics taught in school too. These short and quick notes will be of great use for revision and reference at the last moment.
#8. Do Not Neglect School Work
Math Olympiad is a tough examination, but it gets easier with proper dedication to the preparation. But, ensure that your kid isn’t just focusing on the Olympiad and neglecting the school work. A lot of the syllabus of the Olympiad comes from the school syllabus. And the way a teacher explains some mathematical topics will help make the foundational knowledge strong. So keep an eye on the progress of your kid’s school syllabus, and make them complete their homework regularly.#9. Practice Regularly
One becomes the master of something only after lots and lots of practice. The kids have to practice the mathematical problems from the syllabus whenever possible, even after taking mock tests and solving question papers from the previous years. Practice will help them have an eye for detail and devote proper attention to every topic.
#10. Get Help from an Expert
Your child may be excelling in Math, but it is always advisable to get help from a Math expert. The best expert to reach out would be your child’s school Math teacher. If your child lags behind in some Math topic, you can take the teacher’s help to explain the topic better. They will also advise some techniques to prepare for the Olympiad. You can lso seek guidance from online platforms like Real School Of Montessori.
Conclusion
Following the suggestions mentioned above will surely help your child stay one step ahead in their preparations for the Math Olympiad. A thorough understanding of every topic is the answer to how to prepare kids for the Olympiad, and here comes the role of expert guidance. At Real school Of Montessori, we offer the best resources for Olympiad preparations. Our interesting masterclasses and innovative learning programs will make your kid’s Math Olympiad preparation journey a smooth sailing. For more details, visit the website now.
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