Myths About SOF Olympiad Exams Debunked!

Olympiads are talent search exams to identify talented students across the world. Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) conducts different Olympiad exams for students from class 1 to 12 every year to develop Science, Mathematics, General Knowledge, Computer Science and English language skills among them. There are 6 types of SOF Olympiad Exams namely National Cyber Olympiad (NCO), National Science Olympiad (NSO), International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO), International English Olympiad (IEO), International General Knowledge Olympiad (IGKO) and International Company Secretaries Olympiad (ICSO). Each of these exams helps to discover special skills and talents hidden in children that are essential for survival and career growth in their future.  There are a lot of benefits of Olympiads. Participating in Olympiads aids a child to better understand scientific facts and also improves their reasoning, analytical and problem solving skills. Despite of having a number of Olympiad exam advantages, most of the students are reluctant to participate in these exams. There are a lot of myths that students believe about SOF Olympiad Exams which prevent them from taking part in these beneficial exams. Here are some of the myths about Olympiad Exams that are not true:

Myths about SOF Olympiad Exams

1. Olympiads are only for toppers: Most of the students think that only toppers can score well in Olympiad exams. This is the biggest myth regarding Olympiad exams. Performance in any exam depends on how much efforts and dedications you have put during your preparations. An effective study plan and hard work are the two key factors to succeed in Olympiads. Read our previous blog on how to prepare for Olympiad exams, and be the achiever you aspire to be.
2. Olympiads require long study hours: It’s a general myth that getting a high rank in Olympiads requires a considerable amount of study about 3-4 hours a day. This confuses students on how to prepare for Olympiads while studying for their school exams. So, they drop the idea of participating in Olympiad exams. However, a routine qualitative study of 1-2 hours per day is sufficient to ace in Olympiads. Candidates should do smart study. With right study resources and proper study plan, they will be able to put full concentration and understand the concepts better. Quality of study is more important than amount of study time.

Do you want to do smart study in planned manner? Read:

• NSO Study Plan,
• IGKO Study Plan,
• IEO Study Plan

3. You must refer to a number of books to score high in Olympiads: The thought of studying from a number of reference books along with school books tends discourage from attempting SOF Olympiad Exams. The syllabus of SOF Olympiads exam is closely similar to school syllabus. The only difference is the questions in SOF Olympiads are application-based, whereas school exam questions are knowledge based. You can prepare for both the exams at the same time. All you have to do is learn with purpose,e., learn with strong understanding of concepts. Don’t do conventional rote-learning.

You must go for a keen study of your textbooks to have a deep conceptual knowledge and practice a number of sample papers and previous years’ papers to score in school as well as in Olympiads. MTG’s OSDS is a complete set of Olympiad preparation kit which is scientifically designed to raise your potential in Olympiad Exams.

Do you want to know how to solve SOF Olympiad Questions? Read:

• Know how to solve IMO Olympiad Question Paper
• Know how to solve NSO Question Paper
• Know how to solve IEO Question Paper

4. Tuition & coaching classes are necessary to excel in Olympiads: Some students as well as parents believe that getting enrolled into an expensive tuition or coaching that provides study materials for Olympiad exams is a key step to rank high in Olympiads. But this is not true. To perform well in your Olympiads you must dedicate a considerable amount of time in self-study. Unless you don’t study by yourself, any coaching cannot help you in attaining a good rank in Olympiads.
5. Olympiads require cramming of various topics before the exam: Few students believe that cramming before the Olympiads is a must to score well. This is a misleading belief. Cramming is never a good option for any exam. To score well in Olympiads, you must study from the beginning, learn every concept clearly and practice well to test your knowledge. It is always good practice that makes perfect. Hence, follow your time-table religiously and practice as much as possible to enhance your knowledge and boost your confidence.

So these are the common myths which we come across while counselling students and parents for Olympiads exams. Hope we are able to clear them. Olympiads help to identify a kid’s capability and real potential that may help him sustain better in today’s fierce competitive world. Any student can excel. A good study material and student’s dedication + hard work are the keys to success in the Olympiads.  MTG promises to give the best quality and unparallel study material and practice to prepare you for the Olympiads in the best possible way.

Are you confident enough to take the challenge of SOF Olympiads? Get the revised and updated workbooks, Previous years papers and practice papers and start preparing immediately!

Best of luck!

Also read our most relevant articles on Olympiad Here.