Olympiads

With my kids moving on to classes where Olympiads are becoming increasingly more complicated and competitive.

There are four exams that can be taken

NCO - National Computer Olympiad
NSO - National Science Olympiad
IMO - International Math Olympiad
IEO - International English Olympiad

For the dates on which these exams are conducted and the classes eligible please refer to their website below

http://www.sofworld.org/

The site provides sample questions, training apps, previous years question papers, links to stores selling practise books, etc.

We took the exams for the last two years and was an eye opener. I would call it useful for the below reasons...

1. It trains the kids to get accustomed to the competitive exam papers patterns that most college entrances have.
2. It gives them limited time to finish the paper.
3. Teaches them to get comfortable with answer shading on a computerized answer sheet.
4. The best is the accurate feedback given. The feedback highlights areas of strengths and weakness and also lets you know where your child stands in par with the rest of the students in the country, state, etc. 
5. It ranks you, so it is a reality check for the kid in a non-threatening environment. (SBOA, as with most CBSE schools gives out only grades for it's academic ratings)
6. The fees are around 100 bucks, which is quite nominal just for the feedback given. 

Just a word of caution, don't obsess with the ranking or the feedback as it's only shows there is scope for improvement.

Make sure you let your kid take the Olympiads with an open mind and without pressure.

If they learn that learning is more important than just scoring then it becomes enjoyable for them!

You can pick up practice books from Olympiad Books