Structure:
"Some/one might/may suggest that <problem from other side>"
"However, this is not true because/research suggests/the reality is/the issue with this is that <your rebuttal to that point>"
"Hence this is an invalid point to make / further affirming the stance that <your contention>"
Example, topic: "We should have single sex schools"
Some may suggest that if all schooling was single sex, there would be inherent and somewhat awkward social interactions between both genders, resulting in a situation that is not favourable for future family and working life. However, the issue with that is that school only encompasses a mere six hours out of a possible twenty-four in a day and also a mere thirty-odd weeks in the year, leaving a substantial amount of time left open to socialise with the opposite sex, not including the combined-gender social events for schools as aforementioned in this essay. Hence, this is an invalid point to make as it is not justified well by the reality of the proposed situation.
A tip would be to try to sound deep, whether it really is or not is irrelevant, but making your creative piece sound deep makes it stand out from the crowd, and more often than not in a good way. Try to maintain some sort of storyline to your story, but seriously in 15 mins, having a fully fledged story is perhaps implausible. Pick one scene (or two if you can fit it) and do a sort of internal monologue or profound spiel on it. Like Water said, make the images symbolize something, and it doesn't really matter if it's a bit far-fetched, as long as it carves out a good impression of your essay. To complement your 'spiel', add a lot of nifty details and describe them. If you're walking along a street in a cold winter day, then do some sort of specified description on the wind or how your cloak is billowing or something. I probably didn't put it properly and it probably doesn't fit your writing style, but it eliminates the need for any real extensive thinking, whilst still maintaining a sort of 'wow factor' to your piece.
Your child should bring the following items to the examination:- Don't study this day, take the night off and watch a movie or something, keep relaxed
- the exam ID number supplied by the Department. You will receive this ID about one week before the test day
- photo ID
- two 2B or 4B pencils, a sharpener and an eraser. A blue or black biro is optional for the writing tasks
- a snack and drink for the break.
You child is not allowed to bring the following items to the examination: mobile phones, digital watches, pencil cases, rulers, scrap paper, calculators, dictionaries, bags.
Thank you so much, this is really helpful ^^ So basically don't use "I've" or "she'll" or any contracted verbs in our persuasive/creative writing pieces ?
Also, do you think we could use "&" instead of "and" if we don't have enough time when writing our creative/analytical piece ?
One last question, is it alright to use the words "I", "my", or "you" in our analytical piece ? Thank you so much :) xx
what to study for maths
how to write analytical at superior level
How many sups for mhs/nossal
Words for the test such as pique and random words
Hey Pi,
In terms of co-curricular for Year 10 entry, I feel like I am a jack of all trades, master of none :(. I debate, play four sports for school, have played two other sports in earlier year levels (Contemplating on joining a club soon), have a little bit of leadership in past year levels, play two instruments and am part of a music ensemble, am part of the community links team, volunteer occasionally and have won a major bursary twice in a state science competition. Even with a few of these things to back me up, I feel like I'm lacking in terms of leadership achievements, and that all the extra things are too shallow... What do you think? Anything I can do before I have to hand in my application, that will give me a bit of a shot? :)
Thanks for your time.
Thank you so much! I have a lot of confidence now (i know i shouldnt get my hopes up too high) but your info is really useful ;D
Just wanted to say thanks for all the help the help you've given me. I just wanted to know what are my chances of going if about 7% of our year 8's are going and in the JAC sim test I beat all of them and they repeat their performances. Also forgive me, my tablet is stuffing up, but how you said to not study the day before the exam, to just take it easy? Kinda hard to get that into someone who says that VCE maths questions are coming in the test. And yes my dad said that. Well, atleast I have an excuse to watch the world cup. Thanks again.
Novashock
Hi Pi,
I have a few questions I'd like to ask you :D!
For the argumentative writing section, in your introduction is it necessary to include a linking sentence?
Would you know if the people look at your application before or after your results?
I participate in quite a few things in my school such as SRC, debating, Green Team, Library monitor and various sports. Furthermore, I used to play soccer outside of school at an okay level I guess - A- Grade (I quit this year but considering taking it up again). Do you think this would suffice?
What do you think the minimum score required to attend MHS is?
not sure what your father is on aboutThanks dude. He's always like that. The reason my dad wants me to cram is because the first part of the year I was oversees for personal reasons and I started going JAC like 2 months ago. also our school's curriculum is way behind all this, which is why my dad wants me to constantly cram, so I can stand a chance at going into MHS or Suzanne Cory. I also couldn't practice this week cause I have my mid-years, and as I was away the first part of the semester, I had a lot of catching up to do. :( I want to just go there and give it my all, but i'm afraid I won't get in... anyway, i'm just revising the Maths topics you mentioned above :)
Best of luck! :)
(P.S- for the last 2 hours, i was learning how to do Surds, Do we need to know that?)
Surds is worth knowing :)great, atleast i've been doing something useful with my time.
Sorry, I have another question :P.
For argumentative writing is there a technique or way to come up with arguments?
What was the topic? :)
OMG when I walked out of the hall, there were parents like taking videos of everyone! whats the point?
OMG when I walked out of the hall, there were parents like taking videos of everyone! whats the point?
hey pi, just wondering if your still at mhs. if you are, might see u around :)
+ How many superiors did you get? 8)
atm im getting very shit grades. Do you have any tips? :-\
So Guys, last year I got into Suzanne Cory, but this year I really really want to get into mhs in year 10. The only thing I really need help on, is my persuasive essay. I get how the structure works but i clearly don't know how to start the introduction. For example, how should i like write my contention. i don't want to just write, therefore we should ban this or that, something catchy. And pls can someone provide like a full introduction of a random topic.
I made it! The thing is, my parents changed my chosen school to Suzanne cory, so cause the Werribee branch is closer. If I were to go to MHS, I would need to wake up at 4:30. So anyway, how did everyone else go?
i got a first round offer into nossal, but also a principals discretion thing in macrob. I dont know if i want to go through the whole interview process. they check your reports and although my report for last year was really good, (only A's and A+'s) my report for this year wasnt very good (A's and A+'s in english and history stuff but some B's in maths and an occasional C in some subjects) I spent so much time studying for the exam that i kind of ditched school work and ended up getting B's and C's in my best subjects.There is a pretty large emphasis placed on co-curricular for principals discretion (Or it might only be the case in Year 10 entry?), but if your reports aren't straight A's then don't worry, I doubt your competition will have those.
Why do I love your posts so much? :) Thank you for all the help Pi :D I recently got accepted in Elizabeth Blackburn and your forums really gave me a sense of direction of what to study for. THANKS AGAIN :) :)
iirc, pi no longer actively browses atarnotes, but thanks to the major contributors of this thread, i was able to make it into MHS, so tenks.Yeah I never really thanked him properly, all his posts about selective schools were really helpful and no doubt played a part in me getting accepted.
How many superiors should you aim for at least to get into MacRobertson Girls High School?
How many superiors should you aim for at least to get into MacRobertson Girls High School?
hi all, i would like to ask how many questions are there on average for each section? and does anybody have tips for year 11 entrance exam :D
Hm TYPICALLY,
verbal reasoning- 60
Reading- 50
Numerical reasoning- 50
Mathematics- 60
thanks! is this the same for y11 exams too?The type of tests are the same but the order might differ.
I have some important tips:What happens if they catch you writing on the booklet?
1. ALWAYS check if your ANSWER is corresponding to your QUESTION
For example, if your'e doing question 5 you don't want to be shading in question 4. To avoid this major error, guess the question you want to skip.
2. When you're doing numerical reasoning there will obviously be patterns. If you want to complete these questions easier, write on the booklet. If you are taking this risk, take a quick glimpse of where the supervisors are and if they're near you.
According to the website, you get kicked out of the exam venue and none of your stuff is marked. I wouldn't risk it, especially for such a high-stakes exam that you'll never get a chance to redo.that's harsh, i expected it to be something like a warning. Yep, not trying that!
that's harsh, i expected it to be something like a warning. Yep, not trying that!you could just write on the back of the answer sheet though. they still allow you to do that.
you could just write on the back of the answer sheet though. they still allow you to do that.yeah, but according to what KRAZR said, it's faster to solve a question by writing on the question booklet(i'm not going to do that since the consequences are not worth it).BTW, i am aware that you can write on the back of the answer sheet.
hey, does anyone know if we’re required to know how to square root manually?? since there are no calculators allowed. as in, square root complicated numbers like 112.56
hey, does anyone know if we’re required to know how to square root manually?? since there are no calculators allowed. as in, square root complicated numbers like 112.56maybe,(but i think you should just worry about important topics considering there is only a couple days until the exam, so don't waste time on those things). Apparently, in a past exam, there was a question asking for the first 9 digits in pi, but i don't know if that is true or not.(someone who did the exam before stated this, not me)
You shouldn't be, but you'll have to know things like square root of 144 = 12 and those basic squareroots, probs up to 20.
maybe,(but i think you should just worry about important topics considering there is only a couple days until the exam, so don't waste time on those things). Apparently, in a past exam, there was a question asking for the first 9 digits in pi, but i don't know if that is true or not.(someone who did the exam before stated this, not me)surds is an important topic ;) i remember that being on the exam
I have no idea, according to some people I know who did/know the exam, they say it's something that they didn't expect to come at all :/ I'm thinking maybe 'should cyclists pay tax' or 'should gay marriage be legal', but I'm not confident with this :'(fingers crossed ;)
Do you guys know if we get like a little paragraph of info explaining the topic with the persuasive, or if they just give us the topic and that’s it. Tbh my biggest worry is that I’ll completely blank out during the writing tasks and waste 5 minutes thinking or something :-\
Howver when my sister did it she got the topic, "Should elite sportspeoples' salaries be capped?"(2016)That wouldn’t be too hard. I am scared for it being something about sports, since I’m not into them.
It also came with some information/statistics.
So we don't no whether it be there or not
tell me about it, it's also a mental game, just thinking about it gives me chills and doubt. also, good luck to you guys as well.
lmao i wonder if i'll be sitting next to you guys.
Good luck, :D
What seat number are you3074, hhahah, i'm with the people who are gonna either be at the back or front
im 1405, hbu?
Good luck everyone doing the exam tomorrow! I still remember my exam day; it was cold and rainy, and I was a nervous wreck who studied till late the day before and convinced that there was no chance I was going to get in given the sheer number of applicants there were. However, I ended up smashing the exam and received an offer for my first preference! Have faith in your preparation and abilities and you'll do amazing! ;D ;DHm, pretty sure it's three hours now.
For some last minute tips:
- Dress warmly! I don't know if this was just me, but the building felt ever even colder than it was outside - there were heaters there but they were basically ineffective unless you were right next to them.
- Sleep early. For some psych-nerd-stuff/evidence, sleep deprivation interferes with your ability to do automatic processes, where you don't pay much conscious efforts to what you're doing. In multiple-choice question tests, like this one, you're primarily using automatic processes when you're eliminating the obviously incorrect answers, and sleep deprivation reduces/impairs your ability to do this. So, sleep early (early than normal would be best as the nerves will probably make it harder to fall asleep)!
- Don't forget to bring food! It's a 6 hour test and you'll need something to keep your brain running. Snacks are best - you'll get a break in the middle and I think you can even eat (i.e nibble on food) during the exam (don't quote me on this though).
- Typical exam advice but this is especially pertinent to this exam: move on if you're stuck on a question and come back to it later if you have time. Some questions are just meant to be confusing and you can't afford to waste time because you don't have enough in the first place. If you do run out of time, guess!
- Don't go in with the mindset that this test is the be all and end all (because it isn't). You'll just put unnecessary pressure and stress on yourself and it'll won't do you any benefit.
Yeah, actual testing time is 3 hours total but the time you're there comes up to about 6 (iirc) due to breaks, collection of papers in between, waiting outside beforehand, filing in people in, finding seats etc. At least that's how things went when I did the test. :oThat's a long time O.o
Are we allowed to bring books?
Good luck to everybody going for the Selective School Exam, anybody sitting near me? My seat is 1184 and I'm entering Gate 3, anybody else?
No, no books. And no bags as well. You'll get kicked out for cheating.Hm...
My seat is 1405, that's pretty close to mine :) I'm gate 3 as well!
Hm...
What about pencil cases?
Also my mother told me told me that I have to bring everything in a clear plastic bag. Is this true?
Yeah, everything in a clear pencil case or a clear plastic bag. I think you'll also have to bring food in clear plastic bag and waterbottle without any labels on.i was thinking of bringing my water inside a metallic drink bottle, and it is a Pusheen(has pictures of a cartoon cats on it) one that is my sisters. Guess i can just bring a plastic one worth no labels, although it weren't be as cool.
i was thinking of bringing my water inside a metallic drink bottle, and it is a Pusheen(has pictures of a cartoon cats on it) one that is my sisters. Guess i can just bring a plastic one worth no labels, although it weren't be as cool.I was gonna bring one too..
I was gonna bring one too..
Has anyone else gone to tutoring? Like Hendersons and JAC?
I was gonna bring one too..
Has anyone else gone to tutoring? Like Hendersons and JAC?
I went to JAC since last year for this exam. Btw guys, you know how it says to bring your Exam number, would that just be the email with the paper of ur seat number and stuff printed out?
me, but not Hendersons or JAC. I went to JAC in Year 5 for something else tho and it was so useless to me, personally.
So a passport, the entire 5 page printout, pencils pens ect, water + food and some motivation is all I need to bring?
My hand's so shaky oh god lol how am I going to manage my VCE exam in Year 12 like this?You sure that we're allowed to bring earplugs? I'd love to wear them but I've found that it actually makes it harder to concentrate.
I'm bringing earplugs as well, apparently it's VERY noisy in there as there are 4000 people coughing sneezing dragging chair etc. I hardly think it's necessary though. And some warm clothes.
You sure that we're allowed to bring earplugs? I'd love to wear them but I've found that it actually makes it harder to concentrate.
Wait thinking about it now, I might get caught for cheating if they think it's some hearing device or something lolYeah, I thought you said "earphones" and thought that you were just really dumb xD
My hand's so shaky oh god lol how am I going to manage my VCE exam in Year 12 like this?hahaha, you'll get there, but it's good that we're interested in improving our academics at a young age. No way, i thought hall would be super quiet, that would be so annoying for people who can only concentrate in pure silence(me). Well now i have an excuse to borrow my sister earmuffs (not the ones that people wear for construction lol)
I'm bringing earplugs as well, apparently it's VERY noisy in there as there are 4000 people coughing sneezing dragging chair etc. I hardly think it's necessary though. And some warm clothes.
hahaha, you'll get there, but it's good that we're interested in improving our academics at a young age. No way, i thought hall would be super quiet, that would be so annoying for people who can only concentrate in pure silence(me). Well now i have an excuse to borrow my sister earmuffs (not the ones that people where for construction lol)I doubt it'll be noisy.
I doubt it'll be noisy.
lmao earplugs and earphones are completely different thing to me, i didn't know some ppl thought earplugs as earphonesI just read it incorrectly.
I doubt it'll be noisy.nice!
Also just wondering cause I have a packet of Pocky (A cookie stick dipped in chocolate), would I have to throw out the packet and only bring the chocolate sticks in a clear plastic bag since it has labels and stuff on it?yeah probs, because of the words(even though they are in japanese)
yeah probs, because of the words(even though they are in japanese)
Thanks and good luck tomorrow! Hope we both get in to our first pref :)yeah, GOOD LUCK to the both of us.
How did you all manage to learn parabolas? I never really understood them lol, trying to learnt hem rn and it’s not making any sense.
How did you guys go?Easiest to hardest:
From Easiest to Hardest:
Verbal Reasoning
Reading Comprehension
Analytical Writing
Creative Writing
Mathematics
Numerical Reasoning
How did you guys go?i agree, all my friends said the maths and numerical were hard.
From Easiest to Hardest:
Verbal Reasoning
Reading Comprehension
Analytical Writing
Creative Writing
Mathematics
Numerical Reasoning
i started smiling when i saw the Einstein meme.
I effed up creative so bad, i wrote about this mother and son who could turn into a dragon and some blah blah idekME TOO
I found mathematics so hard, i guessed half of them but i thought numerical was pretty easy??
i started smiling when i saw the Einstein meme.
LMAO I THOUGHT OF U FOR THAT QUESTION and imagined that you'd be laughing rnwhen the lady on the mic said, "Fiona is not done collecting papers" i was like, aye Fiona wants pizza.
I guess now we play the waiting game and try to forget the exam. Ah, I don't have to stay up until 10pm anymore studying. 8)I literally couldn’t sleep last night.
I literally couldn’t sleep last night.i was still wide awake until 4, the only things that were in my mind were thoughts about the exam.
It took me like 2 hours to fall asleep then I woke up at 2 and I was like “damn I haven’t fallen asleep yet I need to fall asleep.”
i was still wide awake until 4, the only things that were in my mind were thoughts about the exam.I think I couldn’t sleep because I ate right before bed. I got all thoughts out of my head but still couldn’t sleep so that may be the reason.
I think I couldn’t sleep because I ate right before bed. I got all thoughts out of my head but still couldn’t sleep so that may be the reason.hahaha, i was like the total opposite, i ate too early so i was starving in bed at night time and i had bad thoughts.
hahaha, i was like the total opposite, i ate too early so i was starving in bed at night time and i had bad thoughts.There were like 2 white people around me(including me) and so many Asians and Indians.
There were like 2 white people around me(including me) and so many Asians and Indians.
I only saw like 4 white kids. Rest were Asians and Indians, I didn't know selective schools barely had any white kids lol no wonder why there's a rumour that schools only accept white kids for yr 10 11 entryAnd what are you? White? Asian? Indian?
And what are you? White? Asian? Indian?dude no way, were you sitting next to a asian guy that that wore a green puffer jacket.
Most white kids aren’t pressured or motivated(like me).
I studied anyway but most just try just to try.
While many Asian and Indian parents came from poor backgrounds(my parents did too but it was too long ago)
Btw I was the short-ish white boi with the grey jumper and long-ish hair if you saw me
How did you all manage to learn parabolas? I never really understood them lol, trying to learnt hem rn and it’s not making any sense.Parabolas + Circumference were my weakest points
dude no way, were you sitting next to a asian guy that that wore a green puffer jacket.I was sitting in the row "27--"
I was sitting in the row "27--"oh then its not you, i was like one of the people in the middle to get dismissed. I was sitting right in front of the two gigantic doors
I was 2712
Where were you?
Btw I was the last one who was dismissed ><
oh then its not you, i was like one of the people in the middle to get dismissed. I was sitting right in front of the two gigantic doorsI saw all the kids that I went to Hendersons with.
I only saw like 4 white kids. Rest were Asians and Indians, I didn't know selective schools barely had any white kids lol no wonder why there's a rumour that schools only accept white kids for yr 10 11 entryi was sitting with the TRAN'S(Vietnamese surname, not you know)
I saw all the kids that I went to Hendersons with.rip
It was pretty cool.
Hendersons didn't teach us inequalities, or maybe I just missed it ;-;
Hii,I’m a year 7 giving the test next year!I find maths n numerical easy but verbal and reading comprehension r hard.any tips for that?How much people take the test?TY in advance(talking about MHS,MACROB,NOSSAL,SUZANNE TEST)
Hi,
For verbal comprehension, I'd recommend going to Hendersons as they give you content that would be similar to what appears on the test as well as tips on how to tackle certain questions. For reading, I'd recommend doing some practise tests to improve your ability. As for how many people, when I tried out in year 8, I think there were over 2,000. Hope this was helpful!
SazWaz
Do you have any links or resources for the practise test?
Hey guys! I'm actually new to ATAR Notes and was studying for selective schooling when I came across this..so i had a question in mind for a school that is going to be my first preference, Mac Rob. I am a muslim girl who is currently going to a private school and my question was about the enviroment around Mac Rob and also..(this is so weird but) are there any muslim girls in Mac Rob? and is Mac Rob a religous school that promotes a specific religion by doing religous activites and such? ALso if someone goes there, can you please answer how you feel about going to Mac Rob and if you like being there compared to other schools you have been to.A very close friend of mine went to Macrob and she said there are things that are bad about the school (as with any other). Note that there has been a student protest (search up 'macrob protests and it should come uo) about the teachers, so that's something to look into.
A very close friend of mine went to Macrob and she said there are things that are bad about the school (as with any other). Note that there has been a student protest (search up 'macrob protests and it should come uo) about the teachers, so that's something to look into.
I can't help with the religion one but for comparison, MelbHigh had a few from religious backgrounds . I don't think we did anything religious tbh either.
Hey guys! I'm actually new to ATAR Notes and was studying for selective schooling when I came across this..so i had a question in mind for a school that is going to be my first preference, Mac Rob. I am a muslim girl who is currently going to a private school and my question was about the enviroment around Mac Rob and also..(this is so weird but) are there any muslim girls in Mac Rob? and is Mac Rob a religous school that promotes a specific religion by doing religous activites and such? ALso if someone goes there, can you please answer how you feel about going to Mac Rob and if you like being there compared to other schools you have been to.
Hey! I currently go to MacRob and don’t worry, there are a lot of Muslims here ^^ a lot of my friends are Muslims and there’s no discrimination here at all. Also, MacRob isn’t really religious. I do believe that you can sign up for religion at the beginning of the year but I didn’t and no one I know did, so it’s not a big thing here.
So if I’m honest about coming to MacRob, I will say there are days I regret coming here. I’m not the smartest of students and I often feel like I’m failing school at this point. But the competitive environment keeps me going (so in that sense, it’s a good school). I don’t like the teachers much though. I mostly self study. But I do think leaving my old school was the right choice, because although my old school had better teachers, MacRob is giving me better opportunities simply through the students (because everyone here is keen to do well).
Hope this helps!
Thank you so much for your honest and informative feedback! It's really good to know that everyone there is appreciated and I've had a couple of people message me to reasure me (but it was really good to have someone going to Mac Rob give feedback). I have heard some slight protests against the teachers in Mac Rob (mentioned in the above posts). However, (I believe what you said is quite right) the students there are extremely hardworking and would most definitely be competitive (the atmosphere I'm looking for).
The school I go to now is a good school with kind teachers and students but I feel that I definitely can excel more in some things that are not provided by my school. So in short, I want to get in Mac Rob becasue of the oppurtunuties that it caters the students with.
Again, I thank you for your honest perception of the competitiveness and hardships. I definitely think that would be a problem if I went there too. Though like you said, it would only help the other students to push forward.
Thank you for helping, I really appreciate it! :)
Hey people, I have a really important selective schools exam coming up very very soon. i just wanted as many last minute tips that I could get for the topics in the maths (equations?), and for numerical reasoning.Same lol, what school u going for and what school r u in rn?
Please reply wen you can.
hey I am going for Nossal and I go to a school in Glen Waverley. What about you?Oh, I’m trying out for MHS n Suzanne Cory n I go to a school near sunbury(15 min drive). 2 min drive from the water gardens train station if u heard of that.
so do you know of anything major that needs to be done to revise in terms of the maths and numerical portion of the exam?Um, I’m just revising my spectrum tuition work, do u go tutor or no
Yea I used to, but not anymore, but what do spectrum teach you in terms of the maths and numerical?Quadratics, linear equations, rate, financial mathematics, magic squares, missing line grids are the ones I can think from the top of my head.
Thanks! And do we need to learn complex worded problems? Have they taught you that as well?
Thanks! And do we need to learn complex worded problems? Have they taught you that as well?Um, they have. Worded problems are a must!
Hi there,Thanks for that! could you tell me if the trigonometry questions ask you to actually solve a problem or merely just form an equation using soh cah toa? Also with the financial maths, is there compund interest involved or just finding percentages of initial prices and savings, interest, etc? Please reply when you can
I did the selective entry exams a few years ago, is there anything in particular you would also like to know? There are from what I can remember a few worded problems but they only take up a small portion of the maths parts. Most of the questions are from using diagrams and straightfoward questions, but there were some worded ones on triganometry and some financial maths.
Hope that helps!
Hey everybody,
I made an account on ATAR Notes today to ask this question:
Have you guys got any good tips on how to complete the mathematical (mathematics, numerical reasoning) tests in time or to improve the time it takes to do questions?
I find myself struggling with the time aspect for those two but am not worried about the rest as I attend James An (did my last test this sat) and always get the highest category. On the James An mock test, also got superiors for the English stuff. I'm atrocious at the math under pressure and on the mock test got low averages as I had woken up late and was completely stressed out. Usually, in the normal classes we do, I score high average and/or average. The few instances that I do not score between those two is if I get a score higher, or if I daydream during the test.
Sincerely,
A fretting thirteen year-old. :-\
Hey everybody,Damn, I went to James An aswell. I usually just skip the hard, lengthy questions and try to find the easy ones (which I find are mostly at the back). Btw, I usually get 2 sups for both Maths and Numerical.
I made an account on ATAR Notes today to ask this question:
Have you guys got any good tips on how to complete the mathematical (mathematics, numerical reasoning) tests in time or to improve the time it takes to do questions?
I find myself struggling with the time aspect for those two but am not worried about the rest as I attend James An (did my last test this sat) and always get the highest category. On the James An mock test, also got superiors for the English stuff. I'm atrocious at the math under pressure and on the mock test got low averages as I had woken up late and was completely stressed out. Usually, in the normal classes we do, I score high average and/or average. The few instances that I do not score between those two is if I get a score higher, or if I daydream during the test.
Sincerely,
A fretting thirteen year-old. :-\
Hey guyz, I have done this test this yr so I am happy to help any of you guyz. Unfortunately I didnt get in but I will try my best to give u the best of the best advice ;DWhich school was ur first preference and what were ur scores?
Um, I’m just revising my spectrum tuition work, do u go tutor or no
hey everyone,Hey, I'd be more than happy to help
I really need some help with advice on selective entry admission etc. school results, tuition centres I am going to post a further message if someone is willing to answer my question. If you have time please reply and I would LOVE you to answer some.
THANKYOU SO MUCH
Omg my selective is coming in 3 months, im so nervous!Purchase a year 10 or 9 Cambridge Maths Book, work though the book.
I'm really weak in maths and i dont think i will be able to make it in.
The things that you talked in maths like the 'SOHCAHTOA' i don't know how to do.
I went for tutoring for 1 year now (selective intensive training, and all sorts of other training session), but i feel like im getting worse.
I really want to make it in. :-[ :-[
Hi guys, I have a friend who is trying for jmss year 11 (she doesn't have an acc so I'm asking for her). She was wondering if the school will allow her to do 3/4 chem in year 11 if she did 1/2 in year 10 at her previous school..........
Hey guyz, I have done this test this yr so I am happy to help any of you guyz. Unfortunately I didnt get in but I will try my best to give u the best of the best advice ;DHi Zuha,
Hi,Hi,
What school are you trying out for? I am also an applicant for this year. And how is your vocabulary? Vocabulary could help a lot for reading.
First preference MHS, second preference SCHS. I have Currently been revising my mock exams and will be sitting another 30-40 after the holidays. I hope we both get in to our prefered school :)Hope so,
Hi,
I am trying out for SCHS and Mac Rob. How about you? Well I guess I am okay with my vocabulary, I know I have to work on it though.
Hello guys I would be more than happy to help with what you need to study for, and if you need help with the preferencing of schools and how that affects entry... the end goal is to not stress much, just show the examiners what you got you know!hey successismygoal,
Hi,I used ISEE test practice questions
Can anyone suggest a good book on Numerical reasoning which they have used to practice for a selective school exam or come to know of?
Thanks
Thank you for your reply.Amazon, I know people who did the ISEE test and the questions were similar so I got an ISEE book
The ISSE system is used overseas isn't it? But there must be an overlap.
Would you be able to guide to where ISEE test practice questions can be obtained?
Hey Guys! I am Rayan :), and am a year 8 student who has just sat the shs exam. Today I hope you give you guys as much information as possible regarding the shs exam which I have recently sat. Hopefully you can gain something from this post! I am writing this, because I had read the forums before i sat the exam, and i found it helpful, plus im sure this may help someone out there. This is for the next year's candidates, because this years exam is over (ik it contradicts the sub - topic) :P.
School Information:
There is a total of 4 selective high schools. John Monash, and Elizabeth Blackburn are considered "School of Sciences".
Melbourne High School [MHS]
• Students: All boys
• Location: South Yarra (close to city)
• Ranking: Within top 5
• Cohort sizes: 200+
• Application: Year 8-10
Mac Robertson's Girls High School [MGHS]
• Students: All girls
• Location: Melbourne (city)
• Ranking: Within top 5
• Cohort sizes: 200+
• Application: Year 8-10
Co-educational - opposite ended schools
Nossal High School [NHS]
• Students: Co-educational
• Location: Berwick (south east)
• Ranking: Within top 30
• Cohort sizes: 200+
• Application: Year 8-10
Suzanne Cory High School [SCHS]
• Students: Co-educational
• Location: Werribee (south west)
• Ranking: Within top 60
• Cohort sizes: 200+
• Application: Year 8-10
ALL TESTS are multiple choice, apart from writing, and run for 30 minutes. Maths, Numerical Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning all have 60 questions, and Reading Comprehension has 50 questions.
How the test went/ 2020 test update and information:
SO as i said, i recently sat the exam.
Reading Comprehension - Reading Comprehension this year focused on longer texts. There were about 4 long texts which you had to reach with each comprising of 3-4 questions each. There were about 5 punctuation questions (where you had to select the a question where the punctuation had been corrected, from a sentence that they had provided above). There were above 5 questions where you were required to understand, similes, metaphors, hyperbole questions etc.(persuasive & creative language devices) Regarding cartoons, there were about 3 of them, where you had to interpret the message from a cartoon (some of the cartoon examples were questions where they gave you a drawing, such as a drawing of glasses and two lines above and below it, where you had to interpret the missing word from the message (read between the lines), and you had to choose one of the words (read, between, the, lines), in the answers which was included in the message), and finally they were obviously about 5 - 6 short sentences, where you had to interpret the passage, and choose the appropriate answer.
Tip: Focus on speed reading and trying to build up knowledge of harder texts.
Mathmathics - Maths this year was nothing like what i thought it was. Hardly any of the tutoring questions I had practised for came up. There were some extremely time - consuming indices questions, 1- 2 factorising questions, lots of parabolas, equation of the line questions, graphs, intersection questions, even time, speed and distance equations came up. The most prominent thing was that it was more similiar to numerical reasoning in the way the questions were formated. Lots of linear relationshipsas well and about 3 trigonometry and pythagoras questions. There were not too many mensuration questions this year, which I had learned the formulas for. Lots of worded questions, etc. I ended up doing the first 35 maths ones, whilst also guessing 5 - 10. The rest were quickly guessed as i ran out of time. :P
Tip: MAKE SURE to focus on paying attention to the time!!! (This is crucial for maths) Instead of focusing on specific subjects like i did, make sure to have a wide knowledge of year 10 subjects so you are not bewildered if they change the test, when over the last 5 years imk the exam has not changed too much, this year, the test was dramatically flipped. If you focus on buidling a strong foundation and going up, instead of focusing on specific difficult topics, when/if they change it you will be prepared!
Verbal Reasoning- Verbal was also different. There were only 5 - 7 gibberish word questions, and only a couple of the standard coded word questions. About 20 percent were synonym and antonym questions. To solve these questions, if there is a really big word, most likely that will not be the answer, if there are two similiar words, that most likely wont be those either, look for a word that fits the criteria and maybe even learn some very basic prefixes and maybe suffixes.
Tip: Make sure to have a wide vocabulary, and try to do the official VERBAL REASONING official practise test, because that is the most accurate. Official Government Tests - https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/learning/Pages/selective-entry-practice.aspx
Numerical Reasoning- There were about 7 - 9 sequences questions this year, which were moderately difficult. This year the number patterns and worded questions were tough. The maths and numerical tests kind of took a 360 turn, with numerical incorporating less worded problems than i thought. TONS of ratios problems. The other non - straightfoward number patterns were in weird squares and diamond shapes which made it tough to solve. Also some basic number grids of which there were a few.
Tip: Practise more on time again, whilst also branching out on fundamentals. Try to practise some year 9 sequences tests - https://www.assessment-training.com/number-sequences#:~:text=Number%20sequence%20tests%2C%20also%20called,number%20in%20a%20given%20sequence.
Applicant Chances - As for your chances of getting in, it really depends. About 3000 kids sit each year, with the number rising yearly. If you attend a public school there is a 5% rule, which means that whether or not you are smart enough to qualify for the test itself, if enough of the kids in your school, and in your grade are applying you will need to beat them as well, to get in. Eg. 200 kids in Grade 8. 15 kids applying from your school. Only 10 can recieve entry. You will have to be smart enough to pass the test itself (as if kids in your school were not sitting), whilst also trying to be in those top 10 kids who are sitting in your school out of the 15. Your chances otherwise, are about 1/3 for getting in, in short.
For a good chance to get into Melbourne High or Mac.Rob, you will need to get at least 3 superiors (plus or minus 1), as for Suzzane and Nossal aim for 2 superiors. This number can vary a lot, as i know a friend who got into Nossal with No superiors and another friend who didnt get into Melbourne high when he got 4 superiors. Take into account the 5% rule as well which i talked about above. ALSO do not aim for a score out of 60 to get a superior. A superior is your score based against other kids who sit, so if you do badly, then chances are that others will as well, and vice - versa. ;D A good rule of thumb is 35 out of 60 for Maths, Numerical and Verbal, with numerical and verbal being more difficult to judge, whilst a 40 out of 50 for reading should get you in a good position to get a superior for Reading.
Conclusion: If you got up to here, Thankyou! ;D I have just written this to help some people, and it is still fresh in my mind, so i do not forget.
I hope I have given some sort of insight to kids who are sitting next year, and my takeaway is to not be rigid with your expectations of this exam. This year may have been a one off, but just try and get stronger overall, instead of focusing on just maths or english, and build up skill with a strong base in both.
Regarding my score, the result hasnt arrived yet of course atm, but i would say I am stronger in english (especially Reading and Verbal), so the maths was extra hard for me :P. They of course removed english this year due to the struggle of marking in time, and us sitting this exam in mid november ( 14th and 15th November (I was 14th)), when normally it would have been done in Mid - June.
Finally, I want to thank Jayce (Di.Dact), whose Channel I will link below (you are probably here from him anyways :)), who helped me prepare for the exam and whose video regarding the practise for the shs exam helped.
I am planning on possibly making a video on the exam in a bit, and I will link my channel at the bottom as well if you want to check it out! ( The channel is kind of a joke atm, planning on starting uploading more in the future, but my videos rn are shit lol :P )
I will also link some helpful websites as well, and finally, be confident, prepare for the exam appropriately, DO NOT STRESS, and enjoy the process of preparing! Wishing you all the best, Good Luck!!!
Government Practise Test: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/learning/Pages/selective-entry-practice.aspx
Jayce's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JayceBatallones/videos
My Channel ( As i said, dont judge me lol ): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNE1f56mv662qCv5qB8d1nA
NR Practise: https://www.assessment-training.com/number-sequences#:~:text=Number%20sequence%20tests%2C%20also%20called,number%20in%20a%20given%20sequence.
I will try to reply to any feedback and once again, thanks for reading up to here, and good luck for the exam!
Im taking the test next year do the tests really change every year by a lot.
Hi,
Last year I took the selective entrance exam and unfortunately could not get in despite getting 3 superiors and a high average. I think the main reason more this is because I went to a really competitive and smart school. A strategy to getting in is to just move schools so that you can have no competition, you only really need to deal with the school for one year. Nevertheless, I think you should still try hard in your studies so that you will be confident when you sit the test. I will write about my experience during the test so hopefully, you get an idea:
Verbal Reasoning-This was the first test, and normally I am terrible because my vocabulary sucks. I had practised verbal reasoning for the past few months, trying to improve my vocab and thinking skills. The easiest way to improve your vocabulary is to read. However, it was sort of too late for me since the test was a few months away so I just learnt some root words in the hope I can do well on the test. On the test, there was also again a lot of word problems. An example was like Bob, Jill, Michael and Jeff are sitting on a round table. Bob is sitting on the left of Jill and etc. Who is sitting opposite Michael? There was probably like twenty of these questions. There wasn't a lot of vocab but I think it's still best to learn to get those extra marks. Because this test was more like problem-solving I got a superior in this guessing around 5 questions.
Numerical-this test was second and I believed I was strong in numerical before I did the test. However, as soon as I started answering them I was getting really nervous. The questions were all like one paragraph with a few of them being patterns and other stuff. I remember when the person said 15 minutes left I was still on question 20. I realised that I should start skipping these really long questions. I really screwed up the test but I was confident at least I got around the first 25 questions right. Overall I skipped like10-20 questions. My results-I got a superior in this and I was actually super surprised considering I was panicking and guessed a lot. The average of this test was probably like 30%.
Reading comprehension- this test was actually pretty easy. There wasn't always a massive chunk of writing for like a few questions. The grammar and punctuation questions in comprehension are also usually pretty easy. I think the main issue was deciding which answer the best fit. I always was able to chop off two of the multiple-choice answers but then I would get stuck on which of these two options and couldn't decide which one I think was the answer. This can usually take a lot of time and its best to just instantly go with your gut feeling so you have more time towards the end. I found this test quite easy despite my English is terrible. However, if I found it easy I think everyone else also found it easy so I got a high average on this test which basically destroyed my chances of getting into a selective school considering the school I was in.
Maths-this test was the last test of all of them and after realising how hard the tests were I switched up my strategy. I skipped a lot of the questions which were very wordy and came back to them after. Overall I think I guessed around 5-10 questions. The test questions were overall pretty hard but I was stronger in maths so I found it fine. . I remember some questions were such as a trigonometry question which I had no idea about. There was a lot of surds and quadratic as well. Overall, I got superior in this though.
This test was extremely difficult, it was a lot harder than all the practice questions I have done. I believe the reason this was hard was that we had no writing. I was extremely sad I couldn't get in despite having the three superiors. To get in from our school you needed all superiors or one above average and the rest superiors. Even some students got three superiors and one above average and didn't get in. However, they eventually got in with second-round offers and PD. I believe is best to study really hard for the test may be only playing games one to two hours a day on weekdays with the school. Even if you think you're confident you can make it still study hard. I hope you can learn about my experience sitting the selective test. If you have any questions reply back:)
lol, did you get in? what were your scores?Whoops,
Hi
My name is abhi and I am going to sit for SHS this year . Sorry to hear that you did not able to make to SHS even you got three superiors. 5% rule is really a killer rule.
Can you please advise me the best books or texts for each one of verbal, numerical , reading and maths tests preparations. Also, which coaching is best - like james ann Henderson etc
Regards
Abhi
what to study for maths and how to write analytical at superior level1 superior for principals discretion
How many sups for mhs/nossal
Words for the test such as pique and random words
this is for year 8 into year 9 exam
hi pi,Hi,
please help me. I am in year 8 and my maths and English levels are currently year 8 level as well. the selective school I am applying for requires me to get a 60% in a year 10 advanced test as well as be in the top 5% from my school, although I don't think anyone is applying from my school. i only have 6 weeks to prepare for the test.