8 Tips to Manage Time During the Preparation for Olympiad Exams

By Tushar On September 26, 2020 In olympiad exams

Many a times, most of us have as students walked out of the examinational hall thinking, ‘oh I knew the answer of that question but due lack of time, I missed it!’ or may be ‘oh I was well-prepared to write more paragraphs for that question, but lost on time as I gave lot of time to the previous one!’. Instances like these keep happening all through the student lives whether we are in primary classes or perhaps appearing for NEET.

The easiest way to deal with such situations is to prepare the students from a young age when they can program their mind according to the exam paper schedule and learn to attempt and complete their paper successfully. Making your children participate in Olympiad Exams is one of the best decisions to make them learn time management from younger levels. These highly competitive exams do not just test the knowledge and skills of the students but also test their ability to handle pressure in the examination hall and answer the paper in the given stipulated time frame.

Olympiad examinations are school level competitive exams which are held at national and international level to inculcate problem-solving and analytical skills in students. The primary objective of these Olympiads is to prepare the child for future competitive exams that are held at an advanced level and crucial as stepping stones for their careers. Time management is a very important aspect of Olympiad preparation. Once you have decided you want to take part in Olympiads, you need to understand that you have to efficiently balance between your school syllabus schedule along with your Olympiad preparation.

Hence, it is extremely essential to learn to manage the time effectively when appearing for Olympiads. This can be definitely achieved with regular practice over a few months and will certainly make a huge impact in the performance and results. We bring you some of the important tips to keep in mind and prepare easily and ace effectively in the Olympiad Exams:

Organise Well: It is important to clear things up and keep it organized so that it removes the stress of arranging things and gives control of time. This not just includes organizing your books and stationery, but your overall schedule and time divided over the day for weeks and months dedicated to each subject.
Track Your Time: Once you have begun following a schedule, check if you are on track as planned for each subject. After doing so, divide your time and plan how long will you be spending on each subject or question. Do not spend each time on preparing as all questions may not require same amount of logical or analytical thinking. So, study hard but smart.
Practice Previous Papers: Technology has made it easier for all of us to understand the format of Olympiad Exams by practicing mock test papers available online and also in workbooks formats. This helps the students to prepare well and know what to expect while entering the examinational hall and getting the question paper in hand.
Read the Question Paper Thoroughly: Keep an allocated time for reading the question paper in detail and utilize your time very effectively. Reading the questions and prioritizing which ones to answer first is very critical in order to complete your paper. Do not take any questions for granted and give an optimistic approach to each and every answer.
Begin with Familiar Questions: In order to keep your confidence level up and give a strong start to the paper, it is always better to answering with something you know well. Once you gain little hold over the question paper, then start dividing your time tactically. You must strategically dedicate time on each question based on their importance.
Do Not Hesitate to Skip & Come Back Later: Remember this as a golden rule, there is no order to answer the questions in the chronological given manner. If the student feels a certain question that is first may take time, they can always skip it and attempt an easier one and come back to the previous one later.
Take a Chance and Guess: The best part about an Olympiad exam paper is that there is no negative marking in it. So, you can surely take a guess and attempt questions which you are not completely sure off. It might click as the right answer and if doesn’t then also you have nothing to lose at least.
Make the Best Use of Your Time: In case you have been well prepared and have finished the paper on time, them also try to make the best use of the last few minutes in hand. Revise the answers you have written again and keep a check if you have missed out any questions. Also, re-check the answers you just guessed on to increase your chances of hitting it right.

Preparing to appear for Olympiad Exams is easy when you manage the time properly and that can certainly make a huge difference in your confidence level as well the results. When you have created a time allocation strategy in your mind then it helps to save time during the exam and also reduces the stress and examination anxiety level to a great extent.

One of the main reasons to fall short of time during exams and failing to do time management is that students panic in the beginning thinking whether they will be able to finish their paper on time. It is most important to train your mind to be calm, relax the day before, do little bit of everything you like and eat your favorite food etc. all this will go a long way to keep your mood uplifted and concentrated.

Follow the above time management tips to utilize your knowledge and capability to the fullest. All competitive exams like Olympiads require you to focus on your strengths and continuously improvise to do better. As Mahatma Gandhi rightly stated, “The future is created by what you do today.”