Cracking the Olympiad: A Master Strategy for Exam Day

Know the paper

Before the strategy: understand the marking scheme

For SOF Level 1 in Classes 5–9, the published IMO, ISO and IEO patterns each have 50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes. They include five Achievers questions worth three marks each; the other 45 questions are worth one mark each. That is 60 marks in total, with one quarter of the marks concentrated in five questions. The three subjects organise their remaining questions differently, so check your actual paper's section labels.

For younger classes and for other competitions, question counts, marks and timing can differ. The instructions on the specific paper always take precedence over any online strategy. Also verify the current rules for incorrect answers before deciding whether to guess.

Phase 1 · First 1–2 minutes

Get oriented—do not spend five minutes reading everything

Use the opening moments to confirm that your booklet is complete, the paper set is correct, and the instructions and section headings are clear. Locate the Achievers section and note where long reading passages, data tables or unfamiliar-looking problems appear.

A full 50-question preview can take several valuable minutes and creates more mental load than it saves. Instead, scan headings and question shapes and begin solving. As you encounter each question, make a quick private decision:

• Now: the approach is clear and you can make progress promptly.
• Later: you know the concept but need calculation, careful reading or several steps.
• Last: the method is unclear or the likely time cost is unusually high.

If the examination allows marks on the question booklet, use a simple system such as a small dot for “return” and a star for “high value”. Never add stray marks to the official OMR sheet.

Phase 2 · The three passes

Three passes, one goal: make each minute count

Pass 1 — Collect the accessible marks

Work through the questions that you can solve reliably without lengthy exploration. Do not assume a question is easy solely because it is early in the booklet. If you still have no promising path after roughly 45–60 seconds on a supposed quick question, mark it for later and move forward. The aim is not a fixed number of completed questions; it is to avoid losing straightforward marks through poor time allocation.

Pass 2 — Choose the best next return, including Achievers

Now consider the three-mark Achievers questions alongside approachable medium-difficulty questions. Five Achievers questions represent 15 possible marks, so ignoring the entire section until the final minutes is risky. But spending five minutes on one Achievers puzzle with no workable approach can also be costly.

Ask: How many marks are at stake? How likely am I to solve it accurately? How long will it take? If an Achievers item opens up after one diagram or a short calculation, pursue it. If not, return to medium questions where you can make reliable progress. Achievers deserve priority—not an unlimited time budget.

Pass 3 — Return to unfinished questions deliberately

Start with questions that now look solvable, then use elimination, checking with options and diagrams on the harder ones. Avoid repeatedly rereading a question that still has no path forward. A useful skip rule is not “every question gets exactly two minutes”; it is “I will only continue while there is a concrete next step and sufficient time left”.

A strong exam-day plan is not “always tackle the hardest questions”. It is “protect the marks you can earn, then invest remaining time where it has the best chance of paying off”.

Practical example

One possible 60-minute clock plan

Use these checkpoints as an example to rehearse in mock papers, not as strict rules. Faster readers and different subjects may need a different split.

Important: this is not permission to leave all OMR filling to minutes 53–60. Mark answers in small batches throughout. The last block is for alignment checks and unresolved decisions, not for transferring 50 answers from scratch.

When the answer is not obvious

Four ways to get unstuck—without getting trapped

1. Check the exact task. Underline the requirement mentally: not true, least, closest, always and except change what counts as a correct answer. Read all four options before marking.
2. Eliminate with evidence. Reject options that violate units, known facts, conditions or grammar—not merely because a number looks unusual. With four options and no penalty, eliminating two makes a blind choice among the remaining two a 1-in-2 chance rather than 1-in-4. That probability is not a substitute for reasoning.
3. Reverse the problem. In algebra, arithmetic and some logic questions, test the options against the original conditions. Stop if substitution is taking longer than a direct solution.
4. Represent the problem. Draw a small labelled diagram for geometry or directions; make a table for constraints; annotate a graph or compare quantities using consistent units.

If you still lack a reasonable path, move on. A difficult question is an obstacle to manage, not a verdict on your ability.

Subject-specific adjustments

Different Olympiads, different shortcuts

• Mathematics (IMO): estimate before calculating; check signs, place value, units and whether the result is reasonable. Use diagrams or option-substitution where helpful, then verify the exact quantity asked for.
• Science (ISO): distinguish observation from inference. Read diagram labels, units, axes, experimental controls and whether a statement is always true or only supported by the evidence.
• English (IEO): when several questions share a reading passage, answer them as a group to avoid rereading it repeatedly. Check context for vocabulary, referents for pronouns, and tone or intention in situation-based responses. An option can be grammatically correct yet unsuitable in context.

Accuracy matters

Protect your OMR score

A correct solution can still earn no mark if you shade the wrong answer row. In practice mocks, train with the same habit you intend to use on exam day:

• Fill in small batches. After a page or around five questions, transfer the answers you have confidently decided. A long transfer at the end is vulnerable to row shifts.
• Check number → option → number. Before shading, look at the printed question number on the sheet, then the chosen A–D option, then confirm the next number.
• Use the permitted writing instrument. Follow the invigilator's and sheet's instructions for darkening and correcting bubbles. Never mark more than one answer for a single-response question.
• Leave uncertain questions clearly tracked. A skipped question must not cause the next answer to shift into its row.
• Reserve a closing audit. Check personal details, paper set, accidental double marks and any answer not yet transferred.

At home, you can download the free SheetSpectrum printable OMR sheet (A4 PDF). It is designed for practice, not as a substitute for an examination board's official answer sheet.

The final decisions

Should you guess? Read the rules first

Never assume every Olympiad follows the same penalty policy. If the instructions confirm no negative marking, an unanswered four-option question has no chance of earning a mark, while a guess has some chance. Eliminate implausible choices before deciding, and never let hurried guessing disrupt correctly marked answers. If wrong answers are penalised, the best choice depends on both the penalty and how confidently you can rule out options.

Do not spend the final minutes changing sound answers merely because you feel nervous. Change a response when you have discovered a specific mistake, a missed condition or stronger evidence.

Practise your method

Make the strategy your own before exam day

After each timed mock, write down three things: where your minutes went, which questions you returned to successfully, and whether the OMR matched your intended answers. For example, a student who reads slowly might need more time for IEO passages; another may need to reserve extra time for IMO calculations. Adjust the checkpoints using evidence rather than copying a schedule blindly.

In your next three practice papers, compare two versions: one where you work almost linearly and one where you use controlled passes. Look at marks earned, unattempted questions and marking errors, not just how many questions you reached. Keep the approach that improves accuracy without causing unnecessary stress.

On the morning of the exam, prioritise sleep, a simple pre-exam routine and arriving with the permitted materials. During the paper, one difficult question does not decide the result; the next sensible decision still matters.