A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO ...
It's hard being a beginner in Division C Science Olympiad. If you did Science Olympiad in most middle schools in San Diego, chances are that you had coaches, scheduled meetings/practices with the rest of your event teams, and so much more.
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Unlike those schools, many high school teams do not have coaches or scheduled meetings. All participants are expected to self-study -- and along with being in a new school, difficult classes, and adjusting to a higher workload, it can be daunting to get started. And that's why we've made a handy guide to getting started. Whether you've done SciOly for 3 years or 0, here's all the information you'll need to know!
... MAKING A CHEAT SHEET
So... it's time for you to start making your cheat sheet. What do you need to do? Where do you even start?
Know your event and its rules. Make sure to read the Rules Manual, so you know how big your cheat sheet can be and what you can put on it. In general, you will be allowed 2 sheets of 8.5x11 printer paper. This sheet of paper can not have any attachments, cut-outs, or be glued to another piece of paper. However, this may vary per event, so it's important to know specific requirements.
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Start early and stay on it! Your cheat sheet is the most useful thing that you will have on the exam. It is impossible to memorize all the knowledge required by your exams - you need a cheat sheet, and a good one. Just like it's impossible to memorize all the knowledge in one night, you can't make a good cheat sheet in one day. The Rules Manual outlines all of the information you need to know. Use it to split sections between you and your partner to work on and add to your cheat sheet routinely. You should be taking your own notes, but you can also reference the study hall documents because every research topic came directly from the Rules Manual :)
Utilize ALL of your space​. Every square inch is worth gold. Pack in as much information, and put in as many photos and diagrams as possible. If you or your partner knows something well, remove it. Cheat sheets are meant to fill in your gaps in knowledge and hold what you can't remember; it's not worth it to waste space on something you already know. Easy ways to give yourself more space are reducing margin and font size, using columns, using incomplete sentences and abbreviations, and NO BULLET POINTS. Most people use Google Docs or Google Drawings, but use whatever you're most comfortable with. Also, once you've printed out your cheat sheet, you can write on more information! Remember, this is YOUR cheat sheet - do what works for you!
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Practice with your cheat sheet! You can find practice tests easily online; we also keep an updated test bank in our Resources Drive! Try taking tests with your partner using only your cheat sheet and your giant brain. Since everything on your cheat sheet will probably be teeny tiny, getting used to where everything is will help you a lot on competition day. Also, it'll let you know if you have any gaps in your cheat sheet.
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Seriously, stay consistent. Trying to cram everything the night before will genuinely have you reconsidering your life decisions. By doing it over a long period of time, you allow yourself to make the very best cheat sheet possible and revise multiple times. Even if you have done this event before and already have a cheat sheet, event descriptions change every year - you most likely have to add to it and change it.
Congrats! You've graduated from Cheat Sheet 101. Time for you to go and ace competition with your handy little guide!