5 Ways to Prepare for a International Computer Science Olympiad (ICSO formerly NCO)

It’s that time of the year again and International Computer Science Olympiad is just around the corner. Be it fundamentals of computers, hardware, verbal and non-verbal reasoning or evolution of computers; practice is the key to success in ICSO. We all know scoring a rank in Olympiads is no cakewalk. But with the right method and by devoting a significant amount of time you can ace your Olympiad preparation. So let’s have a look at how you can prepare for ICSO to get good marks before it hits you hard.

1. Know the Pattern and Syllabus

Pattern and syllabus play a crucial role in your Olympiad preparation. It highlights the important topics that you need to cover and if you are unaware about it, then it becomes difficult to get through the exam. Therefore, students should have an idea about the syllabus & pattern. By knowing the Olympiad topics, you can concentrate on them separately to get a better score.

ICSO Paper has 4 sections:

Section A: Logical Reasoning

Section B: Computers Science

Section C: Information Technology

Section D: Achievers Section

For an Olympiad Verbal and Non-verbal reasoning are extremely crucial as it enhances your critical thinking skills and problem solving skills and helps you to think out of the box. Preparing for it may seem like a daunting task, but with right amount of practice you can definitely score well.

Similarly, section 2 contains questions related to topics and sub-topics that are in your school curriculum such as Introduction to MS-Word, Introduction to Internet, Introduction to QBasic and so on. Since questions in this section are solely from your book which makes it easier for you to score in this section. So prepare really well and study each and every topic of your course book.

Achievers section is slightly challenging as compared to other sections. But then again it has its own advantage. This section has 5 questions with higher weightage, which gives you a chance to score high if you attempt the questions correctly. In fact, you need to take this section seriously and try to attempt this section first.

You can check the ICSO exam pattern and syllabus here

2. Understanding Technology

Focusing only on the theoretical aspect is not enough. You can’t just learn all the concepts, their practical application is equally important. That is why a combination of both practical and theoretical knowledge is necessary if you want to score a rank in ICSO.

So, Open your PC/Laptop and dive deep into and explore your system. If you do this, it will be easier for you to understand and learn the concepts.

3. Practice Is the Key

You must have heard ‘Practice makes a man perfect’. In order to achieve a sure shot rank try to solve as many questions as possible and when it comes to computers nothing is better than practicing online.

Start with chapter summary and practice Chapter wise Test Bank. Once you are thorough with the syllabus, then practice Previous Years Papers and Model Test Papers. Lastly, and most importantly, take Mock Tests as they help you to revise the entire syllabus in the simulated setting of the actual exam. This way you will remember what you have learned and will perform well on the day of the Olympiad.

4. Focus on Your Weak Areas

I know studying weak areas is no fun, but practicing not only strengthens your weak areas but helps in yielding a higher rank in Olympiads as compared to practicing relatively strong areas. Practice ICSO Mock Test to know what areas you are weak at. Once you know your weak areas you need to address relatively more time on them.

5. Lastly, Study Material

For a good preparation, practice is important but having a good and updated study material is equally important. We would advise, get your study material prepared in advance instead of wasting your time to find study material at the last moment.

SOF Olympiad Trainer offers ICSO study material for class 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 which includes Chapterwise MCQ, PYP’s, Mock Test along with Essential Points as well as Explanation of Answers, which will help you to understand and strengthen your concepts. The content is prepared by their subject experts keeping in mind NCO previous year papers for class 1, class 2, class 3, class 4, class 5, class 6, class 7, class 8, class 9, and class 10. They upgrade their content regularly according to the changing pattern and syllabus.

Good luck!

By Vanya Kapil : An Enthusiastic reader | Good listener| An Educationist in making | Introvert who loves to pen down her thoughts |