IMO or the International Mathematical Olympiad is a mathematical Olympiad that is generally organized for pre-university students. It is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The IMO is a World Championship which is held every year for the High School Students, and each year it is organized in a different country.
The very first IMO dates back to the year 1959, which was organized in Romania. In this particular International Mathematical Olympiad, it had observed participation from 7 countries, which were Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. And gradually, IMO has extended to 100 countries.
The annual organization of the IMO is ensured by the Board of IMO, which is also responsible to ensure the adherence of the host country to the rules and traditions of IMO.
Highlighting on the subject of mathematics, it can be stated that it is one of the most scoring and interesting subjects which requires the students to have command over the concepts. But, some students tend to fear mathematics due to their ignorance towards the subject, as well as lack of focus. And hence, many of the children build up fear towards the subject.
The initial IMOs didn’t have any stable formats to organize the competition. But with time and participation from many other countries in IMO, it has proposed a stable and unchanging format for the organization of this particular event. The rule for participating in the IMO by each country is such that, each of the participating countries has to send a team comprising of 6 contestants, a leader, and a deputy leader. The 6 contestants have to compete individually without any support and coordination with their mates, whereas the deputy leader is in charge of the contestants. The duty of the Leader is such that, he/she is responsible for the selection of the problems and thus kept separated from the team-mates of their respective countries.
The International Mathematical Olympiad is a two days event. On each day, the contestants are provided a time limit of four and a half hours, in order to solve three problems for a total of six problems. The level of difficulty is to be expected in an ascending manner, i.e. the very first question is considered to be the easiest, and gradually the difficulty tends to increase, thereby the last question is considered to be the hardest. Though, there are many notable exceptions from the difficulty of the questions.
Also, the syllabus for the International Mathematical Olympiad involves concepts that range from extremely difficult algebra and pre-calculus problems to problems that involve branches of mathematics that are usually not covered in the standards of secondary or high school, and also not at the university level. Also, there are some other topics such as projective and complex geometry, combinations, functional equations, combinatorics, and grounded number theory, which generally demand extensive knowledge regarding theorems.
Moreover, the marking pattern is designed in the manner that, each of the problems provided is of 7 points, which makes up a total point of 42, for all the questions. The number of points secured by a contestant is dependent on the results of negotiations and agreement, amongst the problem coordinators assigned by the host country, the leader and deputy leader of each participating country. Thus this method of grading is responsible to ensure a comparatively objective grade, which is seldom off by more than two or three points.
Irrespective of the standards, students can participate in this International Mathematical Olympiad, and thus they must make their effective preparations to perform well in such a global event with much competition. Moreover, IMO Maths Olympiad Previous Year Question Paper Class 8 2015 is essential for enhancing the candidate’s preparations for IMO, as this provides practice sample questions which are essential to grasp the idea about the types of questions as well as the marking pattern for the types of questions.
Moreover, there are some strategies that would be helpful to make preparations for the IMOs. Some of these are:
Knowing the proper syllabus is necessary: To participate in the events of the International Mathematical Olympiad, it is necessary o have a clear idea regarding the syllabus. As it is a competition organized globally with many participating nations, there is a common and stable syllabus for every participating country. Thus, knowing the right syllabus is the key to better preparations and scoring well.
- Knowing the right books is necessary:
By knowing the right syllabus, it is necessary to refer to the right books which are the right study materials while preparing for the IMOs. Referring to the ri9ght textbooks and other study materials is necessary to ensure that the candidates are able to grasp the concepts clearly and are building up a firm foundation of them. As the difficulty of questions in IMOs tends to increase, thus the right books will help the candidate to be prepared for any type of questions. Moreover, the study materials chosen must be inclusive of previous year papers, workbooks, Olympiad Skill Development System, mock test series, and many other helpful materials.
- Have a well-established strategy:
A well establish3d strategy would help the candidate to prepare effectively and efficiently for the International Mathematical Olympiads. A candidate must follow a study schedule, and also must follow a regular study regime.
It is to be ensured that, the candidates are able to balance their school academics along with their preparations for IMO, as they shouldn’t lag in any manner.
- Regular practice is the key:
It is necessary that the candidates follow a regular practice regime as this will help them to have a better idea regarding the types of questions to be expected in the main competition.
As the saying goes, “Practice makes a man perfect”; thus the candidates must refer to the sample questions papers or previous year papers so that they can build a firm foundation of the concepts and thus build firm foundation of the concepts.
Thus, for easy reference, the candidates can refer to the IMO Maths Olympiad Previous Year Question Paper Class 8 2015 for getting an insight into the type of questions and, make effective preparations for the IMO.
- Focus on understanding the concepts:
As the International Mathematical Olympiad is a global event with hundreds of countries participating in it, thus it becomes too competitive for every country.
Also, difficulty in the questions can be expected due to this competition. Thus, it is necessary for the candidate’s that they practice regularly and build a firm foundation of the concepts with respect to the problems given. This will help them to enhance their thinking skills as during the main event, they can analyze the type of question given and thus score some better marks on it.
Hence, these are some of the strategies which can be followed by the candidates in order to score some better points in the IMO. Also, participating in the Maths Olympiad is helpful in boosting a candidate’s reasoning and thinking power, and is also helpful to them regarding their academics.
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