Scholarship Exams
Why do we need scholarship exams? For parents, it is for their child who can then skip the long waiting list, is admitted to the elite school and gets a reduction in considerable tuition fees. For schools, it is the quickest way to select students who will be functioning future citizens of the 21st century world. For children, it is an opportunity to understand whether the can fully exert their strength and potential under pressure.
What does it entail?
The scholarship entrance exam is comprised of four parts:
1. Written Test
There are currently three scholarship entrance exams used in Australia, although most private schools in South Australia choose the ACER exam to screen students. This test involves creative writing, opinion writing, mathematics and reading comprehension. It is important to note that this test has high requirements for a child’s English language, comprehension skills and critical thinking.
2. NAPLAN scores
For children who want to pass the scholarship exam and enter the 10% shortlist, their Reading, Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy scores must be in Band 6 (Year 3) or Band 8 (Year 5).
3. School reports
Schools reports are analysed in order to give a comprehensive view of the child’s ability in their current school, as well as their ability to adapt into a potential new school. In addition to high subject grades; classroom behaviour, social skills, teamwork and leadership skills are also important.
4. Interview
This is arguably the most important part of the scholarship entrance as this is where the child will be asked many questions on a range of different topics without prior preparation. Again, there is importance placed upon English language, comprehension and critical thinking as the child is questioned about their perceptions of schooling and life.
How can we help?
We are committed to ensuring that your child is prepared for not only scholarship exams, but any future interviews or testing they may undertake. Our tutoring materials have been selected for their high quality content and well regarded publishers. Each subject area has a clear focus on comprehension and the child’s ability to understand, think critically and respond appropriately. There is also a heavy focus on spoken English in order to build upon important language skills in a social environment. Our aim is to help students master, consolidate and expand knowledge in order to place them in the best position for their academic and future lives.