Tips to Prepare for class 8 Math Olympiad

Math is considered one of the hardest subjects however it is really important in our day-to-day life. It is considered one of the key subjects of major tests and entrance exams like JEE, SATs, etc. Olympiad is also one such exam where math is the most participated subject along with science. These exams provide an absolute assessment of students’ knowledge and motivate them towards academic improvement. The participating students are judged based on their scientific reasoning and logical ability.

Olympiad is founded by a non-profit organization that goes by the name Science Olympiad Foundation or SOF in short. Even though the title of the organisation mentions one subject that is science, the exams are conducted for multiple subjects. Those subjects are, 

1. NSO, short for National Science Organisation  
2. IMO, short for International Maths Olympiad 
3. IEO, short for International English Olympiad  
4. NCO, short for National Cyber Olympiad 
5. ICSO, short for International Company Secretaries Olympiad, and last but not the least
6. IGKO, short for International General Knowledge Olympiad.

Olympiads are conducted at a national or international level, this means a student can have exposure to a wide variety of questions or concepts. Students also get offered certificates and medals depending upon their names. Since these exams cover both international and national level concepts, thorough preparation is really necessary.  Preparing is easy these days because everything is present online. A student of Class 8 can just google IMO Maths Olympiad Sample Question Paper 2 Class 8 and find the results with just a click of a button. This article covers things like eligibility, the application process, important dates, and tips to excel in the math olympiad. 

Eligibility Criteria to appear in an Olympiad Exam: 

The olympiads for each subject are separate for all subjects and only allow a particular set of students to write the olympiad. 

1. National Science Olympiad (NSO) – from class 1st to class 12th students.
2. International Math Olympiad (IMO) – from class 1st to class 12th students. 
3. International English Olympiad (IEO) – from class 1st to class 12th students. 
4. National Cyber Olympiad (NCO) – from class 1st to class 12th students.
5. International Company Secretaries Olympiad (ICSO) – from class 1st to class 12th students.
6. International General Knowledge Olympiad (IGKO) – from class 1st to class 12th students.

To summarise the eligibility criteria only students of primary school, middle school, and high school are allowed to participate in the SOF Olympiads. College students or undergraduates are not allowed. 

Application Process for Olympiad : 

Certain steps are taken to apply to participate in the SOF Olympiads. The steps are as follows: 

1. The registration process will be handled by the school staff. There is no online registration, unlike other exams. A prospectus with registration forms is sent to different schools. The teacher who is in charge of the SOF Registration forms notifies every student about the olympiad exam and application forms are given to those who are interested in participating. 
2. Each school has to register with the Science Olympiad Foundation otherwise, the prospectus is not sent. Students are asked to fill all the necessary details in the registration form with the correct details and submit it to their respective schools. 
3. The school must submit all the registration forms filled by the students to Science Olympiad Foundation before the submission date. 
4. Applicants also need to pay a certain amount of the examination fee in order to participate in the examination. 

• For schools in India, the registration fee is INR 125 (including GST) per student and per subject. 
• For Schools abroad or international students, the registration fee of USD 9 is charged per student. 

Important Dates 

Exam dates for all the SOF Subjects are as follows : 

1. National Science Olympiad (NSO) – November to December 
2. International Math Olympiad (IMO) – December to January 
3. International English Olympiad (IEO) – October to November 
4. National Cyber Olympiad (NCO) – January 
5. International Company Secretaries Olympiad (ICSO) – December to January 
6. International General Knowledge Olympiad (IGKO) – October to November 

It should be noted that these dates are just tentative, the changes in the exam dates must be notified by the respective school faculty. 

What are the incentives of the Olympiad exams : 

Students participating in the Olympiad exams are offered incentives or awards based on the rank they achieve. The award or incentives given for different subjects are as follows:

1. National Science Olympiad (NSO) – Certificate for excellent performance, Gold medal, and cash prize up to INR 50,000. 
2. International Math Olympiad (IMO) – Certificate for excellent performance, Gold medal, and cash prize up to INR 50,000. 
3. International English Olympiad (IEO) – Certificate for excellent performance, Gold medal, and cash prize up to INR 50,000. 
4. National Cyber Olympiad (NCO) – Certificate for excellent performance, Gold medal, and cash prize up to INR 50,000. 
5. International Company Secretaries Olympiad (ICSO) – Certificate for excellent performance, Gold medal, and cash prize up to INR 50,000. 
6. International General Knowledge Olympiad (IGKO) – Certificate for excellent performance, Gold medal, and cash prize up to INR 50,000. 

Tips to prepare for math olympiad (8th class especially) : 

1. Go through the olympiad syllabus – there are special olympiad topics that are asked every year, learn them. 
2. Go through previous year’s question papers, find common questions or topics and study them. 
3. Solve mock tests, this will help you find your weakness so you can work on them. 
4. Go through papers of similar exams and solve problems from them. 
5. Take the help of a teacher or a professional to clear out all the doubts and confusion. 
6. Time management – Track time while solving mock test papers. 
7. Make your basics clear then proceed with the concepts related to them to avoid confusion.

These are a few tips a student could follow to ace a math olympiad. 

Conclusion 

To conclude, IMO consists of a wide range of questions because it is conducted both nationally and internationally. However students can easily excel in IMO with the right guidance and some effort. Every student must be encouraged to take part in at least one Olympiad in their school life.