How to Prepare for the Class 6 Math Olympiad?

Mathematics or commonly known as Maths helps to develop logical and critical thinking. But broadly speaking, mathematic is the science that deals with shapes, arrangements, numbers, and their operations. 

Why Mathematics?

You might be wondering, why do we need to study mathematics in so depth, even if know the basic operations of numbers. But here’s a short figure, illustrating how mathematics can be useful to your daily life. 

We understand many students don’t like this subject. But getting into the roots as to why it’s their unfavorite, we have found several insights. 

• Finds it boring 
• Difficult to understand 
• Lack of confidence in solving 
• Is Tough! 

But if we get into the root to as of why are these problems, the problem was with FOUNDATION. For anything to grow and excel, you need to make its base strong. This is not adequate for many students who don’t like maths subjects. And here the entire game lies. Between the students who like and the ones who don’t like. The only difference is trying for attempts. Getting up, preparing, and trying. That’s all you need. 

And if you really want to give a headstart, competitive exams are the best. One of which is the IMO International Math Olympiad organized by SOF Science olympiad foundation. 

So, now that you might have got half convinced that how mathematics can help you, let’s get into the topic of how you can prepare for the Class 6 Maths Olympiad. 

What is Math Olympiad?

The International Maths Olympiad or commonly known as IMO, is a competitive exam conducted by Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF), for pre-university students, with an aim to develop an interest amongst students in mathematical skills and improve the same. IMO was founded in 1977 and it conducts exams for students of grade 4 to grade 8. And depending upon the score achieved by students, they are rewarded with certificates, prizes, kinds, etc. 

About the test

The test consists of multiple-choice questions. And the difficulty level is relatively complex as compared to the school academic syllabus. However, if studied properly by understanding the concepts, any student can easily crack it. And once the confidence level boosts amongst the children, there’s no going back. 

Since its establishment, China has been the most successful country in this Olympiad with 168 gold medals. It is seconded by the United States of America with 137 Gold medals. India however has the lower rank of 15 in this Olympiad. Participating in is Olympiad is a great addition to the portfolio of a student, ranking well in the first 3 levels can help a student secure scholarships and cash prizes. This Olympiad tests many skills of a student, such as cognitive thinking, numeric ability, tables and simple calculus.

The idea behind starting this Olympiad was to encourage friendly competition between students when it was first held in Romania in 1959. Although the syllabus is easy for students in class 7, the syllabus, as well as the competition, intensifies for higher classes. It reaches up to a point where the syllabus involves complex chapters such as projective geometry, functional equations, combinatorics and number theory.

Registration Process

The registration for these exams is mostly done through schools. Although you can also apply for it through their official websites and have a track of all records. 

Some of the benefits of Exam 

• Derives Motivation to Learn More, Grow More
• Exposure to Outside Competition
• Experience in dealing with situations
• Self Evaluation Method
• Helps to discover hidden talents
• It Lets students develop strength 

Now that we have got enough info about the exam, let’s look at its syllabus, so you can start studying accordingly. 

Syllabus for Class 6

For studying anything you need to understand the WHAT part correctly. Without which your preparation is almost in vain. So to help you with it, here is the syllabus of the Grade 6 Maths Olympiad Exam. To prepare for this exam you need to cover the following topics. 

Section – 1: Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

Section – 2:

• Knowing our Numbers 
• Whole Numbers
• Playing with Numbers
• Basic Geometrical Ideas
• Understanding Elementary Shapes
• Integers, Fractions, Decimals
• Data Handling, Mensuration, Algebra, Ratio and Proportion
• Symmetry, Practical Geometry.

Section – 3: The Syllabus of this section is based on the topic of Mathematical Reasoning. 

Section – 4: Higher Order Thinking questions on the topics from Section 2 are included in this section.

Students can also download the detailed syllabus according to their respective grades, from their official website. 

Breakdown of Marks Within The Section 

Sample Paper For Practice

Attached is a sample paper of the Previous Year Paper for IMO Class 6 Maths 2012. You can download it and solve it once for reference. It will help you to get an idea about the exam, the types of questions, and an effective time management strategy to solve. 

Some Tips For Studying For The Exam 

• Initially complete your syllabus accordingly given by the department.
• Once you register for the exams, the SOF provided you with the books and e-books, and other study materials for studying, covering the entire syllabus. 
• Be patient, and complete the syllabus but not only just reading, but by thoroughly solving each and every sum in the book after understanding the concepts. 
• Always remember, “Practice Makes A Man Perfect”. So regardless of you know the questions or your understanding level, go on solving and learning.
• And once you are done with the syllabus, now move forward to solve questions from previous questions papers or any other reference, but WITH a time limit. 
• Other than knowledge, time plays an important role in competitive exams, and hence time management is necessary 
• And lastly, Don’t Give Up. believe in Yourself, trust the process. Keep working hard and you will definitely get the results of your hard work.