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How to prepare for Olympiads
Have you enrolled in any Olympiad Examination and are now clueless regarding the preparation? Do not worry, we got you covered! These examinations are at a higher level of difficulty and hence require proper planning and management of time. To be better equipped for this examination, here are preparation tips for the Olympiads.
a. Choose the Olympiad Subject wisely
The first and foremost step is to decide in which subject you would like to appear in the Olympiad. This choice should be made after giving much thought to it. Choose the subject only if you find it interesting and can study it in depth with a higher difficulty level.
b. Gather all Relevant Study Material
Instead of studying from random sources at random times, gather all study materials like textbooks, test papers, mock tests, test packages, etc., beforehand. Gather the best books and study materials for your preparation to avoid any inconsistencies. This would help you stay focussed on the syllabus throughout your exam preparation.
c. Familiarize yourself with the Olympiad Exam
Familiarize yourself with every aspect of this exam. Whether it is the exam pattern or the marking scheme, the level of the questions or the most asked topics, everything should be clear to you beforehand. For example, say you want to appear in the Bloom
Mathematics Olympiads (BMO), then for classes 5 to 12, the question paper consists of 50 multiple choice questions and the time limit is 60 minutes.
d. Time management (between school curriculum and olympiad preparation)
Olympiad examinations are very different from regular school examinations. The preparation for both varies too. While the school curriculum is simpler and has a direct question-answer approach, olympiads test you on your understanding of the concepts. This requires thorough knowledge of each topic mentioned in the syllabus. This takes a lot of time and if not properly balanced, can lead to frustration and exhaustion. To avoid this, one must try to dedicate at least one hour to the olympiad exam preparation every day.
e. Make a schedule and stick to it
Plan your schedule and stick to it so that you have ample time for revision. Preparing early is also an advantage as it gives sufficient time to understand the concepts and practice well. Follow your timetable religiously to avoid last-minute confusion.
f. Build a strong conceptual foundation
Since these exams test the understanding of the concept, one must focus on the concepts rather than rote learning. The questions will test your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. So, one must focus on understanding the concepts and their application. This is the opposite of school-level academics where direct questions are asked in the examinations.
g. Practice previous years' papers
Extensive practice is a must before appearing in olympiad examinations. Since the questions asked test the understanding of the concept, students need to practice through test papers and mock tests to test their understanding of the same. Anything not revised regularly is easily forgotten. Make sure you revise previously studied topics regularly for maximum retention and to get good ranks in Olympiad.
h. Avoid distractions but find time to relax
Plan your schedule in such a way that you incorporate small breaks of about 10-20 minutes between study hours. Go for a walk, practice breathing exercises, play with your pet, or listen to music but avoid long breaks (more than one hour). Make sure you stay away from distractions during your study hours.
i. Adopt a Healthy lifestyle
Just studying without taking care of your health is an effort gone in vain. Make sure you eat nutritious food, sleep well, and stay focussed. Staying positive helps in not losing confidence during preparation. One can practice positive affirmations to stay calm too.
Thus, planning for olympiads is a little different from routine school exam preparation. With little extra effort and time management, one can easily excel in these examinations. Using time wisely and adhering to the schedule strictly, one can not only prepare for olympiad examinations, reap the benefits of the Olympiad, and also discover their true strengths.
How to study for 12th Board exam
Effective Study Tips to Ace CBSE Class 12th Board Exams:
1. Know your complete syllabus and exam pattern:
Before beginning your exam preparation, you must familiarise yourself with the exam pattern and syllabus. Details like exam duration, question format, marking scheme, number of questions, sections, chapter-wise weightage of marks, etc., are imperative for exam pattern. Likewise, you must carefully go through the entire syllabus of all subjects. Prepare all chapters/topics according to their weightage, and don’t leave anything. Study your entire prescribed syllabus with NCERT to score good marks.
2. Set up a study plan:
Planning is crucial to achieving your target. For students, it is recommended to set up a proper study schedule and stick to it. Allocate specific time for each subject/topic and study accordingly. Make sure you study a bit of each subject. Identify your weak topics/subjects and allot more time for them. It is also helpful to set daily study targets and achieve them positively before retiring to bed. Following a study schedule will help you in studying at a constant pace and boost your confidence for exams.
3. Practice previous years’ question papers:
As crucial as studying is, solving last year’s question papers is equally important. Therefore, solve as many previous year question papers and sample papers as possible. This will help you to understand how well you’ve prepared the studied topics and concepts. Moreover, try to solve the previous year’s question papers in real exam-like situations within the stipulated time limit to track your question-solving speed and accuracy. This will allow you identify the gaps in your preparation to rectify and boost your confidence for exams.
4. Time Management:
Time management is another important aspect of scoring well in CBSE class 12th board exams. Students need to manage their time not only while preparing but also while writing their exams. Sometimes, students feel that they have all the time in the world for preparation, and in the end, they don’t get enough time for revision. Similarly, while writing exams, they spend too much time on initial questions and have to rush their answers in the end. To avoid that, start your preparation early and divide your study time strategically while preparing and writing your exam. It is recommended to begin with high-marking questions and attempt one or 2-mark questions at the end.
5. Take regular breaks:
It is advisable to take regular and refreshing breaks between your study sessions. Without them, your mind will soon tire, resulting in waving concentration. To avoid that, take a 5-minute break after every 1 hour or 45 minutes and a 10-15 minute break after every two hours to boost your productivity. In addition, you can do some refreshing activities in your break time to restore your energy levels for the next study session.
6. Don’t skip revision:
You cannot expect to score better grades in your board exams without thorough revision. Always start early and complete your entire syllabus on time. Then revise and re-revise until you fully grasp the information. Don’t skip anything; revise all the important points, topics, chapters, facts, and formulae, even the ones you feel confident about. Revise them regularly to learn them by heart. Remember to focus more on difficult topics while revising.
7. Make your answer sheet presentable:
A neat and clean answer sheet fetches more marks than filthier ones. Write your answers in readable handwriting while underlining all the critical words and information. Using diagrams will help you in impressing your evaluator. Avoid overwriting and cutting several times in the answer sheet.
8. Eliminate distractions:
It is crucial to cut down all sorts of distractions like mobile phones, social media, or anything that distracts you from your goal. Limit their usage and stay focused on your preparation. If you need to watch study-related videos or access curriculum-related information from the internet, you can use it, but don’t go overboard. Set a time limit for your usage and get back to concentrating on your studies.
Subject-wise Preparation Tips:
For Mathematics:
Chemistry is divided into Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Inorganic Chemistry.
Physical Chemistry:
Have you enrolled in any Olympiad Examination and are now clueless regarding the preparation? Do not worry, we got you covered! These examinations are at a higher level of difficulty and hence require proper planning and management of time. To be better equipped for this examination, here are preparation tips for the Olympiads.
a. Choose the Olympiad Subject wisely
The first and foremost step is to decide in which subject you would like to appear in the Olympiad. This choice should be made after giving much thought to it. Choose the subject only if you find it interesting and can study it in depth with a higher difficulty level.
b. Gather all Relevant Study Material
Instead of studying from random sources at random times, gather all study materials like textbooks, test papers, mock tests, test packages, etc., beforehand. Gather the best books and study materials for your preparation to avoid any inconsistencies. This would help you stay focussed on the syllabus throughout your exam preparation.
c. Familiarize yourself with the Olympiad Exam
Familiarize yourself with every aspect of this exam. Whether it is the exam pattern or the marking scheme, the level of the questions or the most asked topics, everything should be clear to you beforehand. For example, say you want to appear in the Bloom
Mathematics Olympiads (BMO), then for classes 5 to 12, the question paper consists of 50 multiple choice questions and the time limit is 60 minutes.
d. Time management (between school curriculum and olympiad preparation)
Olympiad examinations are very different from regular school examinations. The preparation for both varies too. While the school curriculum is simpler and has a direct question-answer approach, olympiads test you on your understanding of the concepts. This requires thorough knowledge of each topic mentioned in the syllabus. This takes a lot of time and if not properly balanced, can lead to frustration and exhaustion. To avoid this, one must try to dedicate at least one hour to the olympiad exam preparation every day.
e. Make a schedule and stick to it
Plan your schedule and stick to it so that you have ample time for revision. Preparing early is also an advantage as it gives sufficient time to understand the concepts and practice well. Follow your timetable religiously to avoid last-minute confusion.
f. Build a strong conceptual foundation
Since these exams test the understanding of the concept, one must focus on the concepts rather than rote learning. The questions will test your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. So, one must focus on understanding the concepts and their application. This is the opposite of school-level academics where direct questions are asked in the examinations.
g. Practice previous years' papers
Extensive practice is a must before appearing in olympiad examinations. Since the questions asked test the understanding of the concept, students need to practice through test papers and mock tests to test their understanding of the same. Anything not revised regularly is easily forgotten. Make sure you revise previously studied topics regularly for maximum retention and to get good ranks in Olympiad.
h. Avoid distractions but find time to relax
Plan your schedule in such a way that you incorporate small breaks of about 10-20 minutes between study hours. Go for a walk, practice breathing exercises, play with your pet, or listen to music but avoid long breaks (more than one hour). Make sure you stay away from distractions during your study hours.
i. Adopt a Healthy lifestyle
Just studying without taking care of your health is an effort gone in vain. Make sure you eat nutritious food, sleep well, and stay focussed. Staying positive helps in not losing confidence during preparation. One can practice positive affirmations to stay calm too.
Thus, planning for olympiads is a little different from routine school exam preparation. With little extra effort and time management, one can easily excel in these examinations. Using time wisely and adhering to the schedule strictly, one can not only prepare for olympiad examinations, reap the benefits of the Olympiad, and also discover their true strengths.
How to study for 12th Board exam
Effective Study Tips to Ace CBSE Class 12th Board Exams:
1. Know your complete syllabus and exam pattern:
Before beginning your exam preparation, you must familiarise yourself with the exam pattern and syllabus. Details like exam duration, question format, marking scheme, number of questions, sections, chapter-wise weightage of marks, etc., are imperative for exam pattern. Likewise, you must carefully go through the entire syllabus of all subjects. Prepare all chapters/topics according to their weightage, and don’t leave anything. Study your entire prescribed syllabus with NCERT to score good marks.
2. Set up a study plan:
Planning is crucial to achieving your target. For students, it is recommended to set up a proper study schedule and stick to it. Allocate specific time for each subject/topic and study accordingly. Make sure you study a bit of each subject. Identify your weak topics/subjects and allot more time for them. It is also helpful to set daily study targets and achieve them positively before retiring to bed. Following a study schedule will help you in studying at a constant pace and boost your confidence for exams.
3. Practice previous years’ question papers:
As crucial as studying is, solving last year’s question papers is equally important. Therefore, solve as many previous year question papers and sample papers as possible. This will help you to understand how well you’ve prepared the studied topics and concepts. Moreover, try to solve the previous year’s question papers in real exam-like situations within the stipulated time limit to track your question-solving speed and accuracy. This will allow you identify the gaps in your preparation to rectify and boost your confidence for exams.
4. Time Management:
Time management is another important aspect of scoring well in CBSE class 12th board exams. Students need to manage their time not only while preparing but also while writing their exams. Sometimes, students feel that they have all the time in the world for preparation, and in the end, they don’t get enough time for revision. Similarly, while writing exams, they spend too much time on initial questions and have to rush their answers in the end. To avoid that, start your preparation early and divide your study time strategically while preparing and writing your exam. It is recommended to begin with high-marking questions and attempt one or 2-mark questions at the end.
5. Take regular breaks:
It is advisable to take regular and refreshing breaks between your study sessions. Without them, your mind will soon tire, resulting in waving concentration. To avoid that, take a 5-minute break after every 1 hour or 45 minutes and a 10-15 minute break after every two hours to boost your productivity. In addition, you can do some refreshing activities in your break time to restore your energy levels for the next study session.
6. Don’t skip revision:
You cannot expect to score better grades in your board exams without thorough revision. Always start early and complete your entire syllabus on time. Then revise and re-revise until you fully grasp the information. Don’t skip anything; revise all the important points, topics, chapters, facts, and formulae, even the ones you feel confident about. Revise them regularly to learn them by heart. Remember to focus more on difficult topics while revising.
7. Make your answer sheet presentable:
A neat and clean answer sheet fetches more marks than filthier ones. Write your answers in readable handwriting while underlining all the critical words and information. Using diagrams will help you in impressing your evaluator. Avoid overwriting and cutting several times in the answer sheet.
8. Eliminate distractions:
It is crucial to cut down all sorts of distractions like mobile phones, social media, or anything that distracts you from your goal. Limit their usage and stay focused on your preparation. If you need to watch study-related videos or access curriculum-related information from the internet, you can use it, but don’t go overboard. Set a time limit for your usage and get back to concentrating on your studies.
Subject-wise Preparation Tips:
For Mathematics:
- Practice is the key to scoring well in the CBSE class 12th maths exam, so practice as many problems, sample papers, and previous year questions as possible.
- Solve higher weightage questions first during the examination and manage your time wisely.
- Be thorough with NCERT math textbooks; practice each question and example.
- Understand the theory behind every formula and concept.
- Practice and learn every derivation and formula by heart.
- Make separate notes of important formulae and equations to revise regularly.
- Prioritise high-weightage topics (like Calculus- which carries 44% weightage).
- Start with NCERT, understand and learn each and every topic, concept, derivative, and formula thoroughly.
- Prepare a separate list of all the important formulae, derivatives, and experiments and learn them by heart.
- Practice derivatives repetitively. Also, try to understand the concept behind each derivate; this will help you memorise it quickly.
- Numericals are inevitable in physics, so if you find them difficult, practice as many numerical problems as you can – from NCERT and reference books/papers.
- For diagram questions (either a device or a graph), pay special attention to the key features of the diagram.
- Learn the S.I. units of all the entities.
- Solve as many question papers/sample papers and previous years’ question papers as you can to build your speed and accuracy.
Chemistry is divided into Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Inorganic Chemistry.
Physical Chemistry:
- If your mathematics and calculation part is strong, it will be a scoring portion for you.
- Understand every topic, concept, and formula from NCERT and solve every question (exercise & example) from the textbook
- List down all the formulae with examples in a separate notebook and revise them regularly.
- For numerical, practice as many problems as you can and use log tables for lengthy calculations.
- For organic chemistry, cover the basics first – be thorough with NCERT. Over the past few years, all the questions were directly or indirectly asked by NCERT.
- Make separate notes for important chemical reactions and the IUPAC naming of compounds.
- Some critical reactions that need to be memorised are- Phenols-Carboxylic Acid reaction, Aldehyde-Ketone reaction, 1,2,3 alcohols, and 1, 2, 3 amines reactions
- Learn all the naming reactions by heart as they were asked directly in the examination. Some important naming reactions are- Wolff-Kishner, Williamson, Clemmensen Reduction, and Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky.
- Practice as many questions as possible daily to develop a deep understanding.
- For inorganic chemistry, memorise the periodic table using mnemonics.
- Learn all about the properties of s-Block, p-Block, d-Block & f-Block elements because direct questions will be asked from these chapters
- Prepare smart notes for Inorganic chemistry and revise them regularly.
- Be thorough with NCERT textbooks; practice each exercise question from it.
- From p-Block elements, practice the structures of the different chemical compounds thoroughly.
- As Biology is a theoretical subject, prepare the basics first with NCERT.
- Learn all the important terminologies and definitions by heart.
- Use flashcards to revise important definitions and diagrams before exams.
- Practice diagrams carefully to understand and learn the description of the process.
- Use diagrams and flowcharts wherever possible to learn and retain new information.
- Always make neat and clean diagrams using a pencil and ruler for labelling. Always do labelling on the right side. And draw the diagram even if the question doesn’t ask for it to gain brownie points.
- Learn the basic rules of grammar and practice as many grammatical questions as you can to improve it.
- Read novels, newspapers, and science fiction to improve your language skills.
- Keep track of word count and format: practice writing letters, speeches, and applications to understand the format correctly.
- Practice unseen passages thoroughly because they are high scoring and very easy.
- Prepare literature well enough as it contains analytical and content-based questions.
- Make detailed notes for poems and pottery to understand them well.
- Learn the basic rules of grammar and practice as many grammatical questions as you can to improve it.
- Make detailed notes for poems and pottery to understand their meaning and questions asked.
- Practice writing letters, essays, and descriptive questions to understand the formats and word limit correctly.
- Practice previous years’ questions as much as you can and also cross-check their answers with the solutions.