Understanding the requirements of the highly competitive entrance examination.
Often I talk to parents who tell me that they want to set up their kids with a great education and provide them with the right set of opportunities.
It’s also very common that I speak to parents who are new to Melbourne and are looking to understand the education climate, especially the infamous selective entry exams.
The reality is that whoever you are, the Selective Entry Examination can be complex and challenging to get your mind around…
So let’s get down to the simple basics. What is the exam all about?
The exam structure includes 3 achievement tests and 2 ability tests.
The objective of the achievement tests is to examine a student’s ability to apply the knowledge they have acquired through the school curriculum. The Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Persuasive Writing sections fall into this category.
The first two components will cover school coursework from your child’s current level at school, and even cover some content all the way through to a mid year 8 level. The exam questions will require the knowledge of multiple concepts, and ultimately demand students to display their understanding by applying their knowledge, rather than via rote learning processes.
So to be competitive in the exam, your child needs to not only be performing at the top of their class in their current year but to be well ahead of their current curriculum at school.
The other two components fall under the ability tests: Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning. These are not directly taught in schools. They test a student’s innate potential to learn new concepts or attempt questions that they aren’t familiar with.
Students are exposed to and need to make sense of questions that they will never have seen at their day-to-day school. These exams focus on the critical thinking and cognitive skills that successful students at Selective Entry schools must apply in their learning everyday to stay ahead of the curve and thrive in challenging environments.
In total, the exam is made of 5 components:
- Verbal Reasoning
- Numerical Reasoning
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Mathematics
To exceed and stand a competitive chance, your child will need to focus on:
- Boosting their conceptual understanding to be well ahead of the cohort
- Building their exam skills to tackle each component of the exam efficiently and confidently
- Managing their time and performance to score on exam day
Integral Education’s High Impact Learning Process is critically designed to address each of these areas with a plan individualised to your child’s needs.
Our exam experts can get you ready to tackle and excel at the selective entry process, setting you up for success.
