The Selective High School Placement test is a exam taken by 6th year (March 2019) students (who are high achievors) every year in NSW. It is geared towards measuring a student’s capabilities and providing them with valuable opportunities to enter potential high schools.
The Exam
The Selective Test has four parts: three multiple choice tests totalling 40 minutes in length that focus on Reading, Mathematics (40 questions) and General Ability (60 questions) and a 20 minute writing test.
The Format
The number of questions, format of the exam and timeframe is vital in guaranteeing that the child will finish the exam in a timely fashion. Generally speaking, a single reading question will take up 30 seconds. This excludes passage reading. A mathematics question takes up to 1 minute and a general ability question takes 40 seconds.
Preparing for the Selective Test
A consistent habit of studying and completing sample papers is the best way to prep for the Selective Test. These sample papers can be obtained from numerous sources: the NSW Department of Education site, tuition centres and specialized online portals. Completing practice papers helps students improve their test-taking speed and provides valuable experience.
A Closer Look at All the Sections
Writing
During the actual test, students are provided with a stimulus. They must include this stimulus effectively into their answers. This stimulus can be a statement, an image, a question or a heading. A specific written form may be requested, i.e. persuasive writing. In order to perform well, students must practice using different textual forms and stimuli. This is crucial to achieving good results.
Reading
For the reading portion on the Selective Test, students are required to read small passages and then provide answers to various multiple choice questions. This helps authorities evaluate the students’ understanding of the passage.
We advise students to closely examine questions related to the text. This helps them find details they might need. We also recommend regularly referring back to the passage so that the best answers are chosen. Students can enhance their comprehension skills via comprehension-based practice exams or dedicated books and reading stories.
Mathematics
The mathematics portion assesses students’ knowledge of areas, shapes and co-ordinates. It also tests students’ foundation in subtraction, addition, division and multiplication, 3D shapes, patterns and volumes.
General Ability
To excel in this section, students must be confident in distinguishing relationships between letters, numbers, words and pattern sequences. When attempting to understand a complex question with heaps of information or in cases where you have to rearrange letters, we recommend visualizing the answer on paper rather than simply ‘thinking about it’.
To succeed in the Selective Exam, don’t overthink! Simply tick off the first answer that pops into your mind. It’s likely to be correct.
Improve your chances at succeeding on the Selective Test with Pen Education preparatory courses.
