7 smart strategies to ace your upcoming quiz
A quizzer is a quintessential learner born with some essential cognitive skills. However, the best of quizzers also needs strategic preparation to ace a contest, especially if it is a large scale one that brings together the sharpest brains together. One such quiz is Smartacus 2022: The Hindustan Times National Interschool Quiz. This is a pan-India online contest for students of Grades 5-12 that is all set for a grand launch on 15th August between. The Selection round will be conducted on this day between 2 PM and 3PM, as India celebrates 75 years of independence by prolific quizmasters Dr. Navin Jayakumar and Mr. Avinash Mudaliar. Registration for Smartacus 2022 is free and open till 14th August. Sign up for the quiz and ace it too, with our smart strategies.
Acquaint yourself with the format of your quiz competition
First things first. It is very important to get familiar with the format of the quiz that you are participating in. Starting from multiple choice and type-ins to visual and game-based quizzes, the formats are multifarious. Being aware of them in advance will go a long way in giving you the right direction, while preparing for a quiz competition.
Focus on a wide range of topics
Do not be choosy about topics. You may have your preferences and strengths, but ignoring topics that you don’t enjoy or are uncomfortable with, isn’t a good idea. Figure out your areas of weakness and pay more time and attention in those areas and come back to your comfort zones later.
Discuss fun trivia over dinner
This is a great way of gathering and retaining more information. When discussing interesting trivia with parents and siblings at the dinner table, you will be able to figure out how much you are able to recall. Also, chances are high that you also get to know more from what they share. Also, it’s important to exchange information with your peers and fellow quizzers to widen your knowledge base. Who knows, you might have missed something that they didn’t!
Know your quizmaster: This is a very effective strategy
Doing your homework on the quizmaster (QM) of the contest you are participating in, will help you anticipate the nature of questions, to some extent. You will be able to choose your topics better during the preparatory stage if you know your QM well.
Make flashcards and use mnemonic devices
One of the most important things before participating in a quiz is to find effective ways to retain information. This is where creating flashcards and using mnemonic devices come in handy. What you jot down in your flashcards will be retained in an effective manner. Once these are ready, make sure to go through them in mini 15–20-minute sessions.
Smart tip: Use images and bullet points to put down concepts and information in your flashcards. As for mnemonic devices, creating your own unique acronyms can be helpful in the long run. It also allows to memorise lengthy and difficult piece of information.
Learn to make an educated guess
This is the most essential attribute of a great quizzer. It’s not possible to the answer of every question of a quiz. So, you need to rely on guesswork for sure. Want to up your guessing game? Well, read through your answer clues minutely and follow the elimination process based on the related information that you have. This will take you closer to the correct answer.
Indulge in mini quiz sessions at home
Start this a week prior to the competition. A short quizzing session at home can be both fun and enriching. Make sure you maintain timelines in these mock sessions. It will improve your time management skills on the actual quiz day. At the end of this session, come back to the questions you couldn’t answer, read up on them and make notes so that you can recall them later.