International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) is similar to the Olympics that played between nations once in four years, but this competition is for students. In this competition, students from many countries take part to win exciting scholarships and international recognition.
IMO is a challenging exam, and it needs a lot of dedicated preparation. With the help of NCERT textbooks, IMO Maths Olympiad Class 10 Previous Year Question Paper, and question banks, students can prepare for this exam. In this article, we will see the importance of IMO, what resource books to study from and how to prepare for this competition.
Importance of IMO
As we already discussed, IMO is an international competition where many students from different countries take part. Hence it is a huge thing even to get a top rank in this competition. For Indian students, this exam holds academic achievement importance and is much credible to prepare students for future competitive and nationwide entrance exams like JEE. If the student is preparing sincerely for this exam, then they will be confident for other exams. Participating in this exam adds a great experience in students’ life. Many universities in India and abroad recognize the achievement of this exam. Students can get admission in different courses quickly if they have done excellent work in IMO. Students that prepare for IMO are slightly better at understanding advanced math concepts than average students. It is not because students for IMO have innate smartness, but the hard work students put into preparing for this exam makes them understand math subjects’ complexities. Thereby, IMO benefits students by giving them academic experience, international exposure, and a chance to represent their country and add value to their achievements.
Structure of the IMO Class 10
IMO exam is conducted on two levels. The first level is the school level, and the second level is the zonal level. Every private school participates in this level. The student will have to compete with their respective class for top rank; for example, a student from Class 10th will compete with Class 10. For Class 10th IMO, the exam will be of a total of 60 marks comprising 50 questions. Students will have only 1 hour to solve this paper. This paper will have four sections. For Class 10th, the first section is Logical reasoning which has 15 questions for 15 marks that are 1 question carrying one spot. There are five questions total in this section, making its patterns weightage 15 marks. Students will need to register for this exam through their school. For class 10 to qualify for the second level, IMO students will need to score around 45 – 50 marks in level 1. These cut-off marks from previous years’ cut-off marks. Hence when preparing for the exam, students must keep in mind that they will need to get 50 marks and above.
Syllabus of IMO Class 10
IMO exam will have questions based on CBSE, ICSE, State board Class 10 textbooks. Hence it is essential to cover all these concepts. Although the syllabus for all three boards is more or less the same, students will need to do an inclusive study for every idea. There are concepts like real numbers, arithmetic progression, polynomials, quadratic equations. From previous year’s question papers, students can infer that most questions come from the CBSE board syllabus of Class 10. Students can prepare for this exam through the NCERT textbook for math Class 10. Here all basics of concepts are covered. But only preparing through the NCERT textbook is not enough. Students will need to refer to other reliable sources to learn advanced concepts for the exam. Maths Olympics workbook for Class 5 is a specifically created Olympiad workbook that will help pupils get high scores in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). This IMO book is available in soft copy and can be on any smartphone, tablet, laptop, or computer. This Workbook includes various Subjective & Reasoning subjects to help students improve their thinking and reasoning skills. Students may assess their abilities by answering multiple-choice questions based on their school’s curriculum, and they can also treat their brains by answering the tough Mental Ability Questions.
Tips to prepare for Class 10 IMO
- IMO exam is more based on conceptual understanding than theory. Students must complete all basic concepts from the NCERT textbook of Class 10 Math first, then go for advanced concepts. Strong fundamentals are the key to success in IMO.
- Do not be dependent on the NCERT textbook. In IMO, questions are a little complicated than standard CBSE exam questions. These questions cannot be solved only by NCERT textbook preparation. Refer books that have explained advanced concepts in detail and have practice questions that can be helpful for IMO.
- Solve papers and questions consistently. IMO exam requires speed, accuracy, and strong problem-solving ability during the exam. It can only be by practicing a variety of questions. Once you have covered the whole syllabus, you can start solving questions. At first, try to solve questions and do not mind solving in less amount of time. By practicing every day, students can increase their speed of solving questions day by day. Keep in mind that, while increasing speed, do not lack accuracy.
- Refer to previous year’s questions. Students need to know what type of questions come in the exam. Last year’s papers also give an idea about the difficulty level of IMO questions until now. Students must solve these questions to understand how to approach the writing of IMO.
Conclusion
IMO will be one of the great experiences in students’ lives that will teach them how to handle pressure while participating in the nationwide exam and how to stay calm when situations go against you. This experience will encourage students to learn math and show students where they stand when it comes to the national competition. Whatever the result might be, students must learn from the experience. It makes a great addition to the students’ academic records when they get top ranks in IMO. Still, even if they do not get a rank in IMO, the learning, experiences gain. Mistakes done during this exam will teach students many great things and permanently shape their personalities for a better future.
