The International Mathematical Olympiad is one of the most preeminent mathematical competitions in the world held every year for pre-college students across the globe to identify the prowess and potential of those who can become scientists and technologists in future.
The IMO is a self-governing independent organization, though it is affiliated to UNESCO. Its Council is elected by participating countries, and is known as the IMO Advisory Board.
The first Olympiad was held in Romania in 1959 and since been it is held annually except in the year 1980. That year, internal strife occurred in Mongolia due to which it got canceled.
Over 100 countries, symbolizing over 90% of the worlds’ population send teams of up to six students, plus one team leader, one deputy leader, and observers for the Olympiad.
The topics vary from mind-bending algebra and pre-calculus problems to problems on mathematics sub-divisional categories not conventionally taught at school and often not at university level either, such as projective and complex geometry, functional equations, and ratio native number theory, of which all-encompassing knowledge of theorems is required.
Although the selection process differs by country but with each passing stage and series of test, students keep on eliminating until they reach the final round. Awards are given to approximately top-scoring 50% of the individual contestants. Teams are not officially recognized- all scores are given only to individual contestants but team scoring is unofficially compared more than individual scores.
Important Dates to Remember for IMO Exam
If you are looking forward to giving IMO exam from so long then you definitely wouldn’t like to miss on the important application and exam dates for the Olympiad. And so to lend you the helping hand, BasicFirst has curated a table of key dates which can help you in applying for the exam on time. Take a look-
Key dates for IMO
| Sr. No. | Event | Key dates* |
| 1. | IMO application deadline | February-March, 2020 |
| 2. | IMO Level 1 | July 2020 |
| 3. | Level 1 exam result | December – January |
| 4. | IMO Level 2 | Second or Third Sunday of Feb 2020 |
| 5. | Level 2 exam result | March – April |
*The dates specified above are speculative and subject to change as per the discretion of the organizer
Tips and Tricks to Follow for IMO Preparation
As the International Maths Olympiad (IMO) is a crucial exam and requires lot of hard-work, its high-time that students start gearing up for the exam with full dedication.
It is apparent that the IMO exam is tough nut to crack especially when it comes to Math and students in such scenario need to get their work cut out for them to pass the exam with flying colors.
Qualifying IMO requires students to put a lot of time, energy along with efforts to understand and solve the Olympiad problems. Students often flabbergast on how to start the preparation and what points should be considered.
This is precisely why BasicFirst has shared some word of advice to help you get through this IMO exam. Read on to find out-
- There is NO Substitute for Practice
First and foremost, take into account that there is no substitute for practice. There is no alternate route to become a maestro at solving math olympiad problems. Students need to spend an average of several hours a day (almost 4 to 5 hours) solving such problems.
Over time, the hours you will dedicate in solving problems will help you amass a huge vocabulary of Olympiad tricks, techniques, theorems and lemmas, and acuminate your problem-solving intuition.
The hours that you will put into daily practice will train you to gain incredible agility, stamina, and an impeccable technique.
Skills come with practice, and practice makes perfect.
- Describe the Problems in Different Ways-
A geometry problem that asks you to prove that AB is perpendicular to CD may be a disguise for asking you to show that AC(square) + BD(square) = AD(square) + BC(square). Check that both conditions are indeed equivalent, and this is a lemma. This restates a problem of angle to one of length, which might be useful if the conditions stated in the problem gives you info about length.
On the other hand, inequality problems may be sometimes transformed by means of an appropriate alternative.
Simply put, try to write equivalent explanations of the same problem, so that the modification of the original problem becomes comparatively easier to prove.
However, ensure that the new problem is veritably equivalent to, and not stronger than, the original one!
- Wishful Thinking
It is a very useful strategy to keep in mind. With careful analysis or practicing small cases, you can guesstimate that certain things may be true, upon which the problems could be solved in a lot easier manner. For example, one may wish, “if only the circumcentre lies on this line..”, or “if only this number is always a perfect square..” or one may assume after trying small cases, that a particular function is monotonic.
So, always try to prove that conjecture/ wish comes true because it makes life and problems a lot simpler.
- Don’t be Focused on Any Particular Approach
It’s not good to have a fixed approach in the game. When you are exploring the problem, keep an open mind and think of as many approaches as you can to solve the problem and see what information each of them can give you.
Make sure you keep a check on time and accordingly spend time on any single approach especially if you are not sure if that is the right one.
With that said, don’t be a scatterbrain and keep jumping from one approach to another- until you get the desired result.
Spending time on one particular approach is a very subjective matter and in fact, a judgment skill that comes with experience, i.e. more practice!
- Invest Time in Mastering the Basics
Since olympiad questions are concept-based and objective type, students need to accentuate on the basic concepts in Mathematics of both present and previous class. Reinforce your Mathematical concepts with the smart and interactive approach by the e-learning solution provider. And don’t overlook the importance of NCERT Solutions. In fact, learn all of the basics from it by heart!
- Focus on Keeping Your Mind and Body Healthy
Be cautious of what you eat because the food you feed to your body decides your productivity, and accordingly increases or reduces your analytical and reasoning skills. So, mind what you eat. No junk, no fried, and no spicy food.
Besides this, take sound sleep of 8 hours to keep your mind at peace and dizziness and lethargy at bay.
ALSO READ: How To Prepare For NDA With BasicFirst?
How BasicFirst can Help You in Preparation of IMO?
BasicFirst, a renowned e-learning solution provider, believes in empowering students by rendering world-class education through internet and education technology.
The highly experienced teachers ensure that the fundamental concepts of students are crystal clear and in case they have doubts, they are cleared away on a timely basis to make a doubt-free zone.
BasicFirst envision is to educate every child far and wide across the country to ensure a bright and successful future of all.
Here’s what BasicFirst offers to help students prepare for IMO-
- Connects students with highly experienced teachers and educationist to impart knowledge via online means
- Goes the extra mile to keep students’ doubts cornered. Doubt-clearing programs organized on a timely basis for doubt-free zone
- Evaluates students’ performance via quizzes, test papers, mock tests, and sample paper questions
- Learning made affordable and on-the-go with our Rent-a-learning tab service
- Our experts are available on chat, call, message, and phone for hassle-free learning
- Psychometric test and counseling sessions to help students in finding their interest and accordingly pick best-suited career after 12th
Those who are ready to go through blood, sweat, and tears for their exams, the sky is the limit for them!
