Everything you need to know about types of Olympiad exams in India

By Tushar On November 7, 2020 In olympiad exams

What are Olympiad exams?

The Olympiad exams are competitive examinations held at national and international level. It is conducted by various organizations in India and abroad. The pattern of these examinations is based on the school curriculum in correlation of the respective boards CBSE, ICSE and other state boards. These exams help to compare student’s performance with other students at across the country. Olympiad focusses on concept-based learning and logical thinking. This helps to enhance the abilities of the students and is an important tool to face the competitive exams in the future and get chance to get admission in the stream and college of their choice and build a solid career.

 

Why Olympiad exams are important?

Olympiad exams are the foundational pillars for every student’s career as it gives them a wide exposure to perform at a bigger level. It evaluates the conceptual learning of the particular subjects of the students and also assesses the reasoning, analytical and problem-solving skill from a very early age. This evaluation helps the students also to know what are their strengths and where do they a scope of improvement and need to prepare more. Participating and scoring well in Olympiads is a matter of great honour and prestige and it adds value to the overall career of the students.

 

Who conducts Olympiad exams?

The Olympiad exams are conducted at both national and international levels. There are various independent organisations who conduct these exams.

 

What are the types of Olympiads conducted in India?

The following are the types of the major Olympiads conducted at India:

International Science Olympiad (ISO): International Science Olympiad (ISO) is held at global level in which students from various different schools from across the nation can participate in it. ISO gives a platform to the young budding scientists to showcase their skills and also gain conceptual knowledge in scientific application to different situations that is beyond the school curriculum learning. The ISO is a perfect place where students can broaden their knowledge and nurture their existing talent. The syllabus varies from Class 1 to Class 10 according to the levels. Olympiad strengthens the application of scientific concepts of students.

International Maths Olympiad (IMO): Many students fear with the thought of studying mathematics and tend to avoid the subject. However, in order to master this subject, it is essential to practice thoroughly the elements of mathematics. International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) is one of the best platforms for students to train themselves to understand all the basics in a much better and broader manner. IMO is open from students from class 1 to class 10.

English International Olympiad (EIO): Being good in English subject and scoring well in it is absolutely essential for all students. English is the base of all other subjects in school level and even for appearing in future competitive exams. English International Olympiad (EIO) exam is based on the respective school curriculum pattern and focusses on the learning and improvement of English grammar, spellings, sentence formation and structure, language skills, word power, figures of speech, compositions, comprehension etc.  For being able to have multiple career options available in future, students must appear for Olympiad to widen their prospects.

General Knowledge International Olympiad (GKIO): It is very important to always stay abreast with the current affairs around the world as it is a fundamental basics and constitute a large part of the syllabus while appearing for any competitive exam and clear them. The General Knowledge International Olympiad (GKIO) exam is a very good platform to test the general knowledge of the students according to their class and level in various subjects that involves science, technology, history, geography, language and literature, social science, civics and politics and so on.

International Computer Olympiad (ICO): Computer have become a basic essential in everything that we do today. With the boom of technology and digital age, International Computer Olympiad (ICO) is one of the most important subjects for student to participate and sharpen their skills. The basic aim of this exam is to give training to young minds who are tech savvy and show keen interest in technology so that they are prepared for the future to pursue their career in streams related to this field.

International Drawing Olympiad (IDO): International Drawing Olympiad (IDO) is conducted every year at national levels across various schools. Different children have different skills and are inclined to pursue something different according to their interests. While it is important for students to be good in Science, Maths and English, it is also necessary that they involve their mind in some fine arts subjects such as drawing, sketching, painting etc. There are also many students who are exceptionally well in such activities and IDO is the best platform to encourage their talents and sharpen their creative skills under the Olympiad exams.

National Essay Olympiad (NESO): Being good at writing essays is special skill that every student must learn and adopt. To have a strong hold over essay writing, it is mandatory to have thorough knowledge about everything pertaining to a particular subject. Apart from knowledge, one needs to have strong vocabulary to be able to write a very good essay. National Essay Olympiad (NESO) is the perfect exam for students who either already have such skills and want to make it much better or students who want to learn and develop such skills. The subject for this exam will different than other mainstream subjects and will be more stressed on testing the language skills and in-depth knowledge of the student through the given topic.  Students who attempt this Olympiad exam are more certain be good story-tellers as they grow up which is also one of the most essential skills for most career streams in today’s times.

National Social Studies Olympiad (NSSO): Social studies again is a very important subject in which children should have their fundamentals cleared from the basic level. The syllabus is based according to the respective classes and boards like CBSE, ICSE and corresponding state boards. Through this, students can judge their knowledge in subjects like Civics, History and Geography.

 

How to participate in Olympiad exams?

Participating in Olympiad exams is an easy process. Students who want to participate have to register for that through their respective schools who tie up with the various Olympiad foundations that conduct these exams. Interested students can contact the respective teacher of the subject they want to take part in to register their name and schools must share name of participants and their class with the team of the respective organisations.

 

How should you prepare for Olympiad?

Olympiad exams require impeccable preparation if you want to do well in the exams and want to reap its benefits for your career in future. To put it simply, Olympiad are the perfect road on your journey towards success. Hence students who registered for Olympiad exams should leave no stone unturned in their preparation to build the foundation of their career. Having qualified Olympiad is a big achievement not just in school life but it adds immense value to your overall resume or profile. It is also very important to prepare well for it as many Olympiad exams also offer scholarships which can help students to pursue their dream career.

 

To prepare well for Olympiad:

• Know the pattern well
• Go well through the entire syllabus
• Understand the question paper format
• Prepare a schedule early to balance time
• Do extensive practice for practical subjects
• Appear for online mock tests for real exam feel

Following the above basic steps will get the students in the pattern for preparation of Olympiad exams and they need not worry or panic at the last moment. Also, revise well and focus on your strengths and improve where you need to.

Olympiad exams play a very crucial role in shaping up the future of every student and makes them prepared to face all kinds of competition at national and international level. Parents and teachers should encourage students to participate in Olympiads to hone their skills and magnify their analytical and creative skills. All students taking part in Olympiad exams are accoladed with some kind of rewards like certifications, awards, medals etc. depending upon their score and performance. If you are planning to appear for Olympiad exams for the upcoming academic year, you should start making your preparation with registration, collecting study materials, making subject schedule, give mock tests etc. to be able to crack it and score good results. The performance of the students also gets better in their school exams as they are clearer with the concepts and understand how to approach the practical questions well. This in turn improves their overall academic percentage giving them more confidence.