In recent times, the olympiad exams are grabbing the attention of the students, especially in India. The students of classes 1 to 10 can take part in the Olympiad examination. There are about maths olympiad, science olympiad, logical reasoning olympiad, and much more are conducted across the country by various organizations. One among the organization is the CREST olympiads. Many class 8 students from different schools can participate in the CREST olympiad and compete with their companions every year. It is highly competitive and examines the fundamental knowledge of the students on maths. This exam also helps the students to lay a foundation for the preparation of competitive exams like JEE mains, NEET, etc.
The next step after knowing the merits of the olympiad exam is preparation. Yes, there should be top-notch preparation to excel among the competitors in the examination. The preparation has to be well structured and systemized. Many best study materials are offered by many websites. The right book helps the students to crack the examination with a high score. Practicing the problems given in the book improves the speed and gets them closer to success.
Most of the students of class 8 who prepare for the olympiad maths exam cannot see much improvement in their performances. This is because of the mistakes they made. Certain mistakes are to be avoided to get a good result in the Olympiad examination. Some of the mistakes are listed below.
Forget to stick to the syllabus
The olympiad examination will not contain any questions that are not in the syllabus. It provides the students with an updated syllabus and exam pattern. When preparing for the examination, there are certain possibilities of getting out of the track i.e, studying away from the syllabus. This would mainly waste the time and the efforts of the students. So the students must make sure that they are studying according to the syllabus and nothing other than that.
Forgetting the study plan
Preparation for the olympiad exam is not the thing that can be done overnight. The students cannot study the entire syllabus on the day before the exam and get good results in the examination. They need a proper stay plan. Studying for olympiad maths is like a marathon that needs consistent practice. Hence putting a sincere effort into each day will push them to success.
Not giving more importance to the key topics
There are certain key topics in each chapter that are to be given more importance while studying. Some students make the mistake of focusing only on the topics they are familiar with. Staying in a comfort zone does not help the student to reach success. They must spend more time on focusing the key topics to draw the success closer.
Being overconfident
Another important mistake of some students is that they will be overconfident over the topics they are familiar with. With that confidence, they focus only on other topics without spending enough time practicing the familiar ones. It is best to schedule a time for each topic of the subject and spend equal time on each. This would prevent unpleasant surprises.
Not reaching out for help
Self-study is most important in the preparation of olympiad maths of class 8. But it is not a wise idea to study without any coaching or study material. If the students cannot go for coaching as they are away from town or they have to travel miles to study. Then they can go with online coaching or they can seek help from some expert online tutor. Hesitating to seek help leads them to failure or poor performance in the examination.
Referring to too many books
There is a famous saying, “Too many cooks spoil the food”. Yes indeed, referring to too many books leads to the same. Students who cannot opt for any online coaching end up buying many reference books. Switching between different books is always very confusing and time-consuming. To build a strong foundation over the concepts, it is necessary to hand-pick some of the reference books. There is no point in turning the home into a library without appropriately using them. Certain books provide the students with the previous year’s question papers. The previous year’s paper for IMO class 8 maths 2014 gives different types of questions that are related to the exam point of view.
Not asking doubts
Having doubts within oneself cannot help them. Some students feel shy to clear their doubts with the teachers. Make sure to use the resources available to the fullest at one’s disposal. The students must feel free to approach their teacher to clear their doubts. They must mark their doubts while studying and clarify them in the next day’s class. Carrying the doubts postpones the success in the examination.
Forgetting to analyze the performance
Some students attend the mock test and forget to analyze their performance. When the students are conceptually strong, they must examine themselves with frequent tests and evaluations. Mock tests with time help them to solve the complex problems within the time limit as similar to the exam. Analyzing the performance of each test helps the students to learn from their mistakes. Looking at what went wrong and making notes of silly mistakes will ensure that they are not repeated.
Not taking care of health
Make some time for leisure activities. The students must take good care of their health so that they can perform well in the olympiad examination. Try to eat healthy food, drink more water, do exercise regularly, have a good sleep. As these would relax the mind and helps to concentrate more.
Being too harsh on oneself
While the Olympiad is an important exam, many students cannot handle their mental pressure. It is very important to stay calm and prevent doubting oneself. This may help to focus on the exam. Being kind to oneself and believing in the abilities helps to deliver the answers in the best possible way.
Conclusion
These are the certain mistakes that are to be avoided while preparing for the olympiad class 8 maths examination. Clearing all these out helps the students to achieve their goals.