7 Mistakes Students Should Avoid During Olympiad Exams

Undoubtedly, preparation with hard work is the key to success in the Olympiad examination.  Moreover, when the time comes to face the actual exam, how you act in the examination hall and write your paper becomes equally important. It is well observed that many students, though unknowingly, make some mistakes during Olympiad exams due to which they fail to achieve a good rank despite having worked hard for the exam. Considering the views of examiners’, here we are describing 7 mistakes students should avoid during the Olympiad exam and the best ways to avoid them.

1. Not following a Planned Strategy

It’s a classic mistake that almost every student makes. Once they get the question paper they start attempting without any strategy or plan. This can result in spending too long on the first few questions, consequently not leaving enough time to finish the paper on time. Hence, it is necessary to scan through the entire test paper before you start attempting it. In the SOF Olympiad exam, the sections have different weightage. Achievers Section holds 2 or 3 marks per question. Try to solve those questions first. Though the questions of this section are tougher than other sections ,  it is again advised not to spend a long time on a single question. The brilliant way of solving questions with a planned strategy is to practice Olympiad Previous Years’ Papers. From there, you can determine the time you should allot to solve each question.

As MTG is the Official Content Partner of SOF, they have the most authentic and reliable Olympiad study material which is 100% error-free. Therefore, practice from MTG’s Olympiad Previous Years’ Papers and get ready to excel.

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2. Failing to Read the Questions Correctly

The human brain has a habit of seeing what it wants to see, and this especially comes true in the high-pressure environment of the exam room. If you don’t read a question carefully, your brain might show you that question which you suppose should come. For example – In the IMO exam there might be a question that asks which of these options is not a rational number?

But in a hurry, many students skip reading the word ‘not’ and start answering the question. Likewise, many questions are based on figures, graphs, flow charts, etc. Such questions need to be carefully analyzed before solving them. You can get a better insight to read questions correctly by practicing more from specifically designed SOF Olympiad Workbooks. These Olympiad workbooks are trusted and chosen by thousands of parents, teachers, and students as they are all-encompassing.

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3. Unfamiliar with OMR-Based Exam

The pattern of SOF Olympiad exams is totally different from any school exam. It follows an objective type of question pattern rather than the subjective type of question pattern. In these exams, students have to mark their answers on an OMR sheet given with the question paper. At the school level, most students are unaware of OMR-based exams.

They mark their answers on the question paper instead of the OMR sheet and leave the OMR sheet blank. Here as a parent, you need to give your child good practice of taking OMR-based exams with the Olympiad Skills Development System. It is a downloadable test series, having 8 papers with 8 OMR sheets, similar to the actual Olympiad exams. Thus, your child can practice all questions and fill out OMR sheets which will give them exam-like preparation and avoid blunders in the exam hall.

4. Twice Answering a Question

Another common mistake that students make during Olympiad exams is marking two answers to one question. This makes both answers wrong! And cost you no mark for that question. So, mark your answer on the OMR sheet carefully and make sure that each question only has one answer circled. Another blunder that student make is when they skip a question without answering it, they forget to skip the answer number from the OMR sheet. As a result, all the responses marked from there are mismatched to their respective question number. This is most unfortunate for any student. So, MARK YOUR ANSWERS CAREFULLY.

Usually, this type of mistake is done by the students of lower classes (classes 1 to 3). As a parent, you need to help your child by making them aware of the OMR sheet to avoid such type of mistakes. Again, OSDS will help you here!

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5. Forgetting to Write Down Your Name on Answer Sheet

Many students often forget to write down their names and other personal details on the answer sheet. This mistake can lead to NO result at all. The only way you can prevent this mistake from happening is to make sure that you write down your name and other personal details correctly before you start to write your paper. Also, remember to re-check that everything is in order before you submit your paper.

6. Leave the Exam Hall Early

It feels great when you finish your exam well before time. But don’t leave the exam hall till the final bell rings. At this point, some students make the mistake of leaving the exam hall. Once you leave it, it’s too late – you can’t go back for marking unmarked questions. Take this opportunity to re-check and tally the entire OMR sheet again and again and make sure that you’ve answered all the questions to the best of your ability.

Recommended Read: 10 Important Do’s to Follow in Examination Hall

7. Panic Towards the End of the Exam

If you experience anxiety and panic, you can never give your best. Many students don’t have good time management in the Olympiads. Generally, students who don’t pay attention to time management start panicking towards the end of the exam. This is the root cause of silly mistakes and even blunders. To avoid this, attempt online tests which simulate the exam environment and you can get familiar with exam patterns and the time allotted to the exam. You can also prepare and practice through Olympiad Prep-Guides. These two Olympiad study resources could help you big time in learning time management and the right way to attempt the Olympiad questions. MTG has specially curated these products for Olympiad aspirants – Olympiad Prep-Guides and Online Test Packages.

We know it is easier said than done, but by being extra cautious of these mistakes, you will spontaneously move higher in rank. Trust yourself, be yourself and you can be anything. If you have any queries related to this, please post them in the comment box below.