Mistakes to Avoid while preparing for Class 5 Math Olympiad
There is no denying that hard effort and preparation are the keys to success in the Olympiad exams, but how you perform in the test centre and give your paper are equally crucial when it comes time to attempt the actual exam. Many students, though unknowingly, make blunders during Olympiad exams, resulting in them failing to achieve a good grade despite having worked really hard to prepare for the exam. To clear the Maths Olympiad, Class 5 students must refer to Class 5 IMO Question Paper 2013 along with avoiding the mistakes listed below-
1. Panicking just before the exam: Do you have a lot of anxiety over the paper before it starts, and your heart begins to sound like a machine? This is the worst thing that may happen during an Olympiad test, as it raises the chances of making mistakes. Make an effort to relax, clarify any questions you have about each topic, plan ahead of time to minimise fear, get plenty of rest at night, and be confident. It will help you relax during the Class 5 Maths Olympiad and improve your results.
2. Leaving Topics out: Every topic should be properly researched and studied according to the marks weightage while preparing for the exam. It’s also important to make sure that you don’t skip over any chapters or topics. This will assist the students in attempting and answering all of the questions in the Class 5 Maths Olympiad.
3. Failure to Stick to a Planned Strategy: It’s a common blunder made by practically every learner. They commit mistakes in Olympiads because they don’t have any method or plan to attempt the exam as soon as they receive the question paper. This can lead to you spending too much time on the first few questions, leaving you with insufficient time to finish the paper on time. Thus, you must first examine the full exam paper before beginning to attempt it. The sections in the Class 5 Maths Olympiad are weighted differently. First, try to answer those questions that you know really well and then attempt the questions that you find difficult or confusing. It is also recommended that you do not spend too much time on any one question. Practising the previous year’s papers is a wonderful technique that will help you to solve questions with a planned strategy during the exam. From there, you can estimate how much time you’ll need to answer each question.
4. Failure to properly read the questions: The human mind has a tendency to perceive what it wants to see, which is especially true in the high-stress environment of the examination hall. If you don’t read a question thoroughly, your brain may display the question you expect to see. For example, a question on the Class 5 Maths exam might ask, “Which of these alternatives is not a rational number?” However, many pupils rush through the question without reading the word ‘not.’ Similarly, many questions in the Class 5 Maths Olympiad are focused on figures, graphs, flow charts, and other figures. Before attempting to answer such questions, it is necessary to conduct a thorough analysis.
5. Unacquainted with OMR Exams: The format of the Class 5 Maths Olympiad is very different from any other school exam. It uses an objective question pattern rather than a subjective question pattern. Students must mark their responses on an OMR sheet provided with the question paper during these exams. The majority of children in school are oblivious of OMR-based exams. Instead of using an OMR sheet, they write their answers on the question paper and leave the OMR page blank. As a parent, you must provide your child with ample opportunities to practise taking OMR-based exams using the resources available online. There are several online mock tests available where students can practice using OMR sheets. This will help Class 5 students to avoid committing any OMR sheet related blunders while giving the exam.
6. Answering A Question Twice: Another common blunder made by Olympiad students is marking two answers to the same question and as a result, both responses are incorrect! If you don’t correct this blunder you will end up losing too many marks unnecessarily. So, carefully mark your answer on the OMR page, making sure that only one solution is circled for each question. Another error students commit is that they forget to skip the answer number from the OMR sheet when they skip a question without responding to it. As a result, all of the responses marked from that question onwards are incorrectly matched to their question number. This is a terrible blunder which students must avoid in order to clear the Olympiad.
7. Poor Time Management and leaving questions unattempted: Negative marking is not applied in the Class 5 Maths Olympiad. As a result, even if you just have a few minutes to answer, do not leave any questions unanswered.
8. Forgetting To Write Your Name And Other Personal Information on the Answer Sheet: Since they begin writing answers as soon as they receive the exam question paper, many Class 5 Maths Olympiad candidates omit to enter their personal information on the exam sheets. Forgetting to write your information on the exam sheet can result in a zero on your score sheet. Therefore, always write down your details before beginning the exam, and then begin the exam.
9. Giving up too easily: Even if the preparation seems monotonous, pupils should give their best and should not give up too easily. Not studying enough since the beginning of the year can demotivate the student in the last days before the Class 5 Maths Olympiad. In order to avoid this, a student must maintain the right balance between studies and recreation. Students must sustain their ambitions in order to succeed.
Consider learning how the Class 5 Maths Olympiad test differs from other examinations before you begin studying for it. Avoid the mistakes given above and stay true to your Olympiad preparation to ace the Class 5 Maths Olympiad. Best wishes!
