Key Advice for NMOS Exam Preparation

JeremiahAng

Key Advice for NMOS Exam Preparation

There are two mores days before the long awaited NMOS 2024! We hope that you have prepared well for the exam. To motivate all students taking the exam, we have prepared an article giving some tips for the NMOS exam. We wish all students the best of luck!


(1) How to Avoid Carelessness

To tackle carelessness, focus on three main areas: Reading the question, Calculation, and Checking.

(1) Reading the Question: Pay special attention to three things while reading:

1. What each piece of data represents.

2. The relationships between entities (e.g., if you see 1/3, be clear which part this 1/3 belongs to).

3. What is being asked.

It's best to jot down or highlight the conditions while reading the question.

(2) Calculation: Follow these three guidelines:

1. Work from left to right, top to bottom; stay organized.

2. If calculations exceed two digits, write them down.

3. Don’t skip steps in equations; ideally, complete one operation per step.

(3) Checking: Master two techniques:

1. Verification Techniques: For instance, check multiplication by using division or verify forward results by working backward.

2. Unit Check: For example, in 13×37, the unit digit of the result must be 1. If the unit digit doesn’t match, there’s an error.

(2) How to Handle Problems Without an Idea

There are two kinds of such problems:

(1) Extremely Complex, Unseen Problems: Remember these principles:

1. Start with the simplest case and look for patterns (e.g., if dyeing 10 shapes, first study the patterns in 2, 3, 4 shapes).

2. Think from the opposite perspective: If the total count or area is known, convert the difficult part into a simpler part and subtract.

3. For needed but missing elements, use variables and equations.

4. If solving multi-variable equations becomes too hard, use trial and error.

(2) Familiar Problems That Aren’t Recognized: Write down the process. Writing can help with thinking.

Example:

This problem looks complex, and without writing down the steps, one might get stuck in endless thinking and self-doubt. Actually, it's not difficult. By listing the known information step by step based on the conditions, the problem can be solved: 72 vehicles with 14 seats should accommodate 1008 people. However, since both A and B are multiples of ten, the total number is either 1000 or 990. Based on the total, estimate that there are 53 vehicles with 19 seats. Knowing that B has 7 more vehicles than A, find A has 23 vehicles and B has 30 vehicles, then calculate their respective numbers and verify using the data for 14-seater vehicles to find the correct answer.

Many problems are like this—appearing difficult at first glance, but once you start writing the steps, the solution emerges.

When writing down steps, consider the characteristics of the problem:

1. For continuous products or fractional sums, look for cancellations.

2. For geometry problems, find equal-height triangles using known ratio points.

3. For prime number problems, start with the last digit and even-odd properties.

4. For average problems, consider the method of "Rob The Rich."

5. For distance problems, carefully draw diagrams and find the relationship between time, speed, and distance. If unsure, guess and verify.

6. If only one quantity is known in a distance problem, check if other quantities are equal to find the proportional relationship (e.g., same distance means inverse time-speed ratio; same time means direct speed-distance ratio).

(3) How to Manage  Time

The two example questions from the 2021 NMOS exam show that question 27 is much easier than the previous ones and can be answered almost instantly. However, question 27 is worth three points, three times as much as the earlier questions. Losing points here due to time management is a pity. Therefore, it's crucial to manage your answering time well:

1. During the first attempt, quickly skip questions you have no clue about, ensuring you earn points steadily.

2. During the second attempt, focus on familiar modules.

3. Finally, never leave a question blank; use any method to arrive at the most reliable answer you can.

These suggestions can help improve NMOS scores in a short time. Parents should convey this information effectively, hoping the children achieve ideal results!

After the exam, Teacher Cui will give a live explanation of this year's difficult NMOS questions. Remember to attend the session on time!