Class 9 is a huge class that prepares the students for the board class. It is seen that many students of class 9 do not take Olympiads especially that of math because they feel that they will not be able to manage both the Olympiad and the normal class. However, what they fail to realize is that the opportunity for Olympiad is something that they would not get if they keep on avoiding it for board classes. To be honest, Olympiads is really what students of class 9 need to prepare themselves harder for class 10th. They should be aware that the Olympiad is a bit harder than what they will be studying in class 9, similar but harder. Now, if the students put in the time to do just a bit harder now, it would help them to be well prepared for the class that they are actually bucking up for. In fact, they would notice that they know much of class 10 math just because they decided to give an Olympiad of math. But, yes many students do not know how to manage class and Olympiad together in such a high class, so this article is precisely what they need.
Now first things first, the students should remember that what they will be tested for in the math Olympiad is similar to what they would be tested in their class 9 math exams, only that the Olympiad would be harder. If the students are already studying in the class then they already have the base for their Olympiad. A little more work than usual and voila the students managed it extremely well. The more they prepare for the Olympiad, the easier they would find their class 9 math exam. That means that they have a cake coming to them from all sides.
Second, as and when the students complete a chapter in the class, prepare it well then move to the workbook of the Olympiad, prepare from it. That will give the students the advanced level skills that they would need for the Olympiad. After every chapter, they should solve the workbook questions. After completing the workbook questions move to the SOF IMO Sample Papers Class 9 and modules. The sample paper would be MCQ based which will also help the student in their class exam as they would be quick to reach the answers.
An additional benefit that the students would have is that they would have a teacher to guide them. The students can always keep solving the questions at home and if they get stuck or they do not know what to do next, then they can always go to their maths teacher. She/he /them being an expert in the field will be able to guide the student and since the class syllabus would be similar to the Olympiad, she/he/ them would be happy to give time and energy to the doubtful questions that the student has. Also, since the student and the teacher would know each other and the teacher would know the weakness of the student, there would be better communication and better solutions.
Another major thing that the student can do is that they can involve class math and Olympiad math together i.e. they can set alternative days for both of them. one day the student can do the easy math of the classroom, prepare it well and the next day they can switch to the difficult one practicing the same math chapter the next day according to the Olympiad, that way the beginners and advanced would be done one after another respectively and would avoid confusion and chaos. Instead, the student would feel more prepared with the subject as a whole.
The key to all these would be an individual choice. Students would have to be adamant enough with the distractions that every time they encounter one, they consciously choose the preparation for the math Olympiad. This is essential to a subject like math. In fact, this is a very important habit that the students especially need at this point and time.
The next thing that the students can do is involve themselves with extra assessment by giving their teacher their solved question paper. Ask the teacher what else the student can do about the problem area. It is very important for students to check their problem areas and mistakes during normal class exams. They should keep note of the general mistakes they make while giving any exam. This way when they give the Olympiad MCQ based exam, they would know that they have to avoid such and such mistakes to reach the correct answer. Also, an MCQ based practice can be helpful too.
Focus on concepts when in class. Students should focus on concepts during class when the teacher is teaching them. This way any doubt that arises at the moment can be solved there and then and the only thing left would be the revision of the concept when solving problems related to that concept. The students should ask as many questions as possible in the class. The questions can be related to the Olympiad as well. The more the questions get asked, the more clear students are. Write the answers to the questions asked to refer to later when practising, write in a language well understood by the student himself/herself/themselves.
Any class student can give the Olympiad along with class exams. Class 9 students know how it works, they know how to handle too many things at once, there is nothing that they should be afraid of and that should make them avoid the IMO exam. They should remember that they have learnt the right approach a long time back and achievement now would look nice on their portfolio and may help them fetch good college later or may help them fetch other great opportunities that would further enhance their future portfolio. Therefore, class 9 students should leave all their doubts.