I am sure we would all agree that Olympiads today have become a tested and proven way to give yourself a competitive edge and prepare for the challenges ahead in life. Gone are the days when children could rely on just the school curriculum. There are more and more innovative ways being identified to enhance the skills of the children, and the Olympiad is a great mechanism to gain advanced academic skills in multiple streams of education be it physics, Maths or English.
Today we will talk specifically about the Math Olympiad which is officially known as the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO). It is one of the most esteemed competitions at international level and provides a platform for students to test their Mathematical abilities.
Selection Process
Lakhs of students dream every year to excel in IMO; hence, the competition is cut-throat. Indian government has laid out a very well defined and rigorous selection process as follows (for IMP 2025)
1. IOQM (Indian Olympiad Qualifier In Mathematics) – Sep 08
2. RMO (Regional Mathematics Olympiad) – Nov 03
3. INMO (Indian National Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp) – Dec/Jan
4. Indian National Mathematical Olympiad – Jan 19
5. International mathematical Olympiad Training Camp – Apr/May
6. Pre Departure Camp for IMO – Jun/Jul
7. IMO – July 10-20
Pre-requisites
A student must be very thorough and proficient in his school curriculum if he wants to crack the Olympiad. He must be self driven and enthusiastic to learn more and must be curious to dig deeper into the magical world of mathematics. We are listing below some key skills that he must possess and practice to excel in IMO
Focus Areas and key skills
- Aptitude, Logical reasoning and Creative reasoning– Most of the questions are based on this since its proven that these are life skills and students strong in these areas will do far better overall
- Speed – remains as one of the core differentiating factor in all competetive exams
- Accuracy – is the key and even more importantly ‘first-time-right ‘ ability will help you excel
- Ability to perform under pressure – We fully admit that it’s easier said than done. One can master this only with practice and more practice
- Time Management skills – It’s very important to master this. As an example if you are stuck on one question, you must be able to decide in a timely manner when to leave that question and move on to next so that you do not end up in a state where some questions were left un-attempted due to lack of time.
Advantages of Participation in Math Olympiad
- Increase in Intellect
- Recognition for the students
- Better Networking
Tips and tricks
- Alternate computational skills like best abacus classes and vedic maths for kids are a big advantage since it enables students to do calculations with great speed. Generally a student can do the calculation 5x faster as compared to the traditional method.
- Moreover, the student does not need to rely on digital calculators if is trained in these alternate fields. Remember that a lot of competitive exams does not allow use of calculators, so just imagine the benefit your child will get if he possesses these additional skills
Where To Get The Training From Math Olympiad
There are numerous institutes and trainers available today that specialize in providing these training sessions for Olympiad. People usually opt for Oda Class and Udemy that offer various courses for the same. You should also watch out for smaller organizations since they go an extra mile to prove themselves in the cutthroat competitive world. Mathcruise is one such Maths training academy that offers quality online classes for Maths Olympiads as well as the alternate specialized techniques like Abacus and Vedic Maths. Their trainer holds international certification from vedicmaths.org and is passionate about Maths
Conclusion
While we mainly talked about IMO in this article, if you are looking for lower classes like Maths Olympiad for class 4 or Maths Olympiad for any other classes until class 8th, remember that the child will need possess the same basic skills as mentioned above like logical reasoning and time management skills and he must have a strong handle on school curriculum. There are numerous competitions for this age group like MOEMS in USA, math Kangaroo, LOGIQIDS in India, SOF in India so depending on your location you should enroll in these to start preparing for IMO from an early age.
Regardless of where you get the training from, as a parent you must get involved with your child and motivate him throughout the journey. This is another key aspect and should be a rewarding and fulfilling experience for you as a parent. There will be challenges but it will surely be fun-filled and enriching.
Also Read : What Topics Does KS3 Maths Cover in Leeds?
