ATAR Notes: Forum
National Education => Admissions tests => Selective Schools Admissions Tests => Topic started by: IndefatigableLover on August 20, 2012, 07:06:20 pm
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I don't really know where to post this topic so sorry if it's in the wrong section.
So my interview for JMSS is coming up soon (Less than 48 hours) and I'm just finished preparing my portfolio of achievements that I need to send in but I'm having a few problems in terms of answering interview questions. Like do you answer the questions with 10 sentences or just straight forward and relate it to how you can help/benefit from the school?
And also questions like 'Tell me about yourself'.. I don't really know how to answer that question too well since I don't know where to begin.. Would you guys mind giving your interpretation and how you would answer it?
Any suggestions are welcome :)
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Well I've never sat an interview of that sort but I would answer with detail. The way I see it, very easy to answer with too little, and you'd be hard pressed to answer too much. Any information about you is good for them. A good interview should be like a conversation imo.
As far as tell me about yourself - whenever I hear that question I think "tell me what you're passionate about." That question leaves you open to answer with anything. You could be like "I am nice. I like ice-cream" and continue to list all of your characteristics, however, if you talk about what you're passionate about, and passionately, then the person you're talking to can't help but to be inspired and drawn to you. It's also good for them because they get to see what truly makes you, you.
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If someone asked me, "tell me about yourself," i would personally be brutally honest and tell them my hobbies, passions, sports, etc. I don't necessarily think that you have to relate everything to how you can help/benefit from the school, i think the interviewers are just looking for nice and well-rounded people.
:P
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Well I've never sat an interview of that sort but I would answer with detail. The way I see it, very easy to answer with too little, and you'd be hard pressed to answer too much. Any information about you is good for them. A good interview should be like a conversation imo.
As far as tell me about yourself - whenever I hear that question I think "tell me what you're passionate about." That question leaves you open to answer with anything. You could be like "I am nice. I like ice-cream" and continue to list all of your characteristics, however, if you talk about what you're passionate about, and passionately, then the person you're talking to can't help but to be inspired and drawn to you. It's also good for them because they get to see what truly makes you, you.
Huh.. Didn't think of changing the wording of the question to be more specific. It's given me a different view to this question :D
If someone asked me, "tell me about yourself," i would personally be brutally honest and tell them my hobbies, passions, sports, etc. I don't necessarily think that you have to relate everything to how you can help/benefit from the school, i think the interviewers are just looking for nice and well-rounded people.
:P
I guess passion goes a long way then ;)
Nevertheless, I guess I'll try to answer to answer the question sticking to one topic so it's not jumping from place to place before moving along to my hobbies and other co-curricular stuff :)
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I don't really know where to post this topic so sorry if it's in the wrong section.
So my interview for JMSS is coming up soon (Less than 48 hours) and I'm just finished preparing my portfolio of achievements that I need to send in but I'm having a few problems in terms of answering interview questions. Like do you answer the questions with 10 sentences or just straight forward and relate it to how you can help/benefit from the school?
And also questions like 'Tell me about yourself'.. I don't really know how to answer that question too well since I don't know where to begin.. Would you guys mind giving your interpretation and how you would answer it?
Any suggestions are welcome :)
Seeing as it's a science school you might wanna do some quick research on some 'interesting' new science news and perhaps maybe pick out a scientist which inspires you (try not to be superficial here e.g. einstein, go for someone unique) and expect to be asked about your interests relating to science, including career pathways relating to science.
In my opinion, I'd cut to the chase, but try to include everything relevant.
Best advice i can give is be yourself, ask yourself why you really want to go to this school and give it all you got.
Good luck!
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Seeing as it's a science school you might wanna do some quick research on some 'interesting' new science news and perhaps maybe pick out a scientist which inspires you (try not to be superficial here e.g. einstein, go for someone unique) and expect to be asked about your interests relating to science, including career pathways relating to science.
In my opinion, I'd cut to the chase, but try to include everything relevant.
Best advice i can give is be yourself, ask yourself why you really want to go to this school and give it all you got.
Good luck!
Would the Higgs Boson count? Or are we talking about stuff like from the 'New Scientist' because if it relates to 'New Scientist' then I've got that part covered since I've been a member for about a year now..
Scientists? I look up to Victor Chang for his hard work and dedication to his work as well as Charles Teo since he is a person who truly cares for other people and no matter what crap people tell him (E.g Media and other surgeons) he just swats them away and continues his fine work.
As for why I want to go to JMSS? I feel that working with young people my age who share the same passion as I do in Science is something that I would greatly appreciate since we all have a common goal. Also being able to get real up close and personal with equipment at Monash.. It would be great experience and something that I may not experience at a young age.
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Yep. Bust that shit out at the interview and you will be fiiiiiii-innnnnnnne.
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Practice some lines and try to say them as passionate as possible like if they might ask you about your subject selection
"The subject I'm most passionate about is physics. In particular the conflict between the wave and particle model. It really interests me how de Broglie showed that everything, even humans have a wavelength. Interesting fact he has the same birthday as me."
Maybe a bit thick, but it would show your interests in the subject.
Be aware of what to answer to the question "Tell me 3 of your weaknesses".
Nothing is more impressive than being able to admit weaknesses and mistakes while being under pressure.
In year 7 I won a science competition in chemistry, the end of the speach of the judges at the ceremony was "Even under the high pressure of the interview he was able to admit a mistake he made "Oh I missed a pi" " - (We had to write a 15 pages report on our project and I had a formula of some volume stuff (can't remember) they asked me something on the same page as the formula and I said that sentence)
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Just show them that you're passionate in science (which you clearly are) but don't overdo it, and don't talk too much :P
I didn't even mention anything related to science besides which fields I enjoyed most, and what I wanted to do in uni. To this very day I still wonder how I got in after that terrible interview.... guess my portfolio saved me :D
Also they might ask you to describe a scenario in which you achieved/did something, what sacrifices you would make by coming to this school and of course the typical "Why do you want to go to JMSS" question
Yep. Bust that shit out at the interview and you will be fiiiiiii-innnnnnnne.
This. Good luck!
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If you get asked what your greatest weakness is, if you make an "off the cuff" remark about how you struggle in interviews, it's a great opener
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Practice some lines and try to say them as passionate as possible like if they might ask you about your subject selection
"The subject I'm most passionate about is physics. In particular the conflict between the wave and particle model. It really interests me how de Broglie showed that everything, even humans have a wavelength. Interesting fact he has the same birthday as me."
Maybe a bit thick, but it would show your interests in the subject.
Be aware of what to answer to the question "Tell me 3 of your weaknesses".
Nothing is more impressive than being able to admit weaknesses and mistakes while being under pressure.
In year 7 I won a science competition in chemistry, the end of the speach of the judges at the ceremony was "Even under the high pressure of the interview he was able to admit a mistake he made "Oh I missed a pi" " - (We had to write a 15 pages report on our project and I had a formula of some volume stuff (can't remember) they asked me something on the same page as the formula and I said that sentence)
I did a practice run of answering a few questions from Studential and I stuttered too many times or just thought too long on answering the question..
Subject selection is drilled into me (Asian Five) so that'll be a good thing for me to use :D
As for 3 weaknesses? I can admit list a few off the top of my head but that's a good question actually :)
Just show them that you're passionate in science (which you clearly are) but don't overdo it, and don't talk too much :P
I didn't even mention anything related to science besides which fields I enjoyed most, and what I wanted to do in uni. To this very day I still wonder how I got in after that terrible interview.... guess my portfolio saved me :D
Also they might ask you to describe a scenario in which you achieved/did something, what sacrifices you would make by coming to this school and of course the typical "Why do you want to go to JMSS" question
Phew.. luckily AN has helped me become more educated in how to reach my goals and stuff at uni ;)
Though this year is really different to other years since my year there were 1000+ people trying out and it's really competitive..
For the sacrifice question.. would I be able to say I rejected MHS because of financial situation and then lead to answering the question?
If you get asked what your greatest weakness is, if you make an "off the cuff" remark about how you struggle in interviews, it's a great opener
Wow this is good stuff :DD
I guess I can use this and just hope that I don't freak out on the day :S
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Just show them that you're passionate in science (which you clearly are) but don't overdo it, and don't talk too much :P
I didn't even mention anything related to science besides which fields I enjoyed most, and what I wanted to do in uni. To this very day I still wonder how I got in after that terrible interview.... guess my portfolio saved me :D
Also they might ask you to describe a scenario in which you achieved/did something, what sacrifices you would make by coming to this school and of course the typical "Why do you want to go to JMSS" question
Phew.. luckily AN has helped me become more educated in how to reach my goals and stuff at uni ;)
Though this year is really different to other years since my year there were 1000+ people trying out and it's really competitive..
For the sacrifice question.. would I be able to say I rejected MHS because of financial situation and then lead to answering the question?
I guess you could, but saying that could backfire on you because they might see you as that student who just wants to get into any select entry school and isn't all that passionate in science (just my opinion though)
They may also ask you what you would miss if you had to leave your current school, stuff like that :)
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they might ask u
what would u do if u were prime minister for a day
hate that question.
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Phew.. luckily AN has helped me become more educated in how to reach my goals and stuff at uni ;)
Though this year is really different to other years since my year there were 1000+ people trying out and it's really competitive..
For the sacrifice question.. would I be able to say I rejected MHS because of financial situation and then lead to answering the question?
I guess you could, but saying that could backfire on you because they might see you as that student who just wants to get into any select entry school and isn't all that passionate in science (just my opinion though)
They may also ask you what you would miss if you had to leave your current school, stuff like that :)
Ah.. I might have to reword my answer but I'll definitely keep your thoughts in mind :)
they might ask u
what would u do if u were prime minister for a day
hate that question.
o.O
I don't think they'll chuck this question in a school interview.. but my answer would be to help get more funds for education and infrastructure around Australia (Plus refine the curriculum E.g VCE physics ;)) so we grow as an economy and let students have the opportunity to receive the right education.
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(Plus refine the curriculum E.g VCE physics ;))
Officially my favourite user now :D
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I don't think they'll chuck this question in a school interview.. but my answer would be to help get more funds for education and infrastructure around Australia (Plus refine the curriculum E.g VCE physics ;)) so we grow as an economy and let students have the opportunity to receive the right education.
yes they could.
thats what they asked me at MHS interview..!
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yes they could.
thats what they asked me at MHS interview..!
Haha sorry for doubting you Bhootnike :-X
I remember last year for MHS (Friend told me who's in Year 9 this year) the question was about the carbon tax so politics plays a part I guess... I'll keep the prime minister question in mind :)
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For MHS one of my friends was asked what he'd do if he could change the world. He replied "I wouldn't do anything, I like the world how it is."
Suffice to say, he was not accepted. Did end up getting 99.95 though.
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yes they could.
thats what they asked me at MHS interview..!
Haha sorry for doubting you Bhootnike :-X
I remember last year for MHS (Friend told me who's in Year 9 this year) the question was about the carbon tax so politics plays a part I guess... I'll keep the prime minister question in mind :)
hahah nah thats cool :p
yeah itll be something like that!
btw
if its anything like MHS, check out some of the newspaper puzzles (ex. sudoku), inc, 9 letter word !
and those comics you get.
i remember they gave us a comic from one of the papers, think it was the age.
and they wanted us to give it a title..
also discussions about, whether or not money brings happiness.
you may be thinking, but i have an interview?
- i thought this too, until i realised its like a group of 10 kids. at MHS anyways
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For MHS one of my friends was asked what he'd do if he could change the world. He replied "I wouldn't do anything, I like the world how it is."
Suffice to say, he was not accepted. Did end up getting 99.95 though.
LOL that last part made me laugh :')
Don't worry I've seen what the world has become and through words from my parents who went through the Vietnam war and stuff :/
hahah nah thats cool :p
yeah itll be something like that!
btw
if its anything like MHS, check out some of the newspaper puzzles (ex. sudoku), inc, 9 letter word !
and those comics you get.
i remember they gave us a comic from one of the papers, think it was the age.
and they wanted us to give it a title..
also discussions about, whether or not money brings happiness.
you may be thinking, but i have an interview?
- i thought this too, until i realised its like a group of 10 kids. at MHS anyways
Ah Sudoku's.. I sometimes play it on my Nokia 3120 classic ;O
And those sort of discussions I like but if it's a debate.. then I'm hopeless >.<
Yeah I realised it was going to be a group interview since last year but luckily my friend is has the same time and date as me :D
Though I'm starting to shiver when I think about tomorrow.. :S
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Though I'm starting to shiver when I think about tomorrow.. :S
Don't stress too much! Just from how you appear on the forum, you're a nice person with a strong passion for science and learning. Imo, they'd be foolish to not take you :)
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Don't stress too much! Just from how you appear on the forum, you're a nice person with a strong passion for science and learning. Imo, they'd be foolish to not take you :)
Aww thanks VegemitePi (I'm going to refer to you as this since this was the name I first saw you with :)))
Your encouragement means a lot to me and I hope I can translate how I appear on AN to an interview scenario..
But yes thank you everybody for your suggestions. It has really helped me get ready for tomorrow and I'll briefly fill you guys in on what happens tomorrow :)
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Good luck young Padawan, may the force be with you. :D
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I don't think they'll chuck this question in a school interview.. but my answer would be to help get more funds for education and infrastructure around Australia (Plus refine the curriculum E.g VCE physics ;)) so we grow as an economy and let students have the opportunity to receive the right education.
yes they could.
thats what they asked me at MHS interview..!
Talk about how you would increase the pay for people interviewing students for selective schools.
#Win.
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Good luck IndefatigableLover! We believe in you!!
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Thanks for your support guys :)
Alright so here's how my interview went:
I got there at 1pm and waited till 2:40pm to get to my interview (No sign of AsianFive for that period even from his description from himself:) I was the awkward asian guy with glasses, I think you tried to sell me a 3/4 guide LOL
and finished at 4:00pm. There were also a few MHS kids and a few Haileybury kids too :O
Nevertheless, the questions were quite basic but had multiple questions in them (E.g Question 1 had 3 smaller questions in them) and there was no chance to use any of the impromptu techniques that you guys said :(
There was this one part of the interview that I screwed up badly which I might be judged on since it was the only thing that needed to be 'worked'... I thought it was probability but more dodgier :P [Link to game to be posted soon after all interviews have been done)
And there were quite a few teamwork activities which were cool XD
Though now I have to wait 3-4 weeks before results come out and I'm not that confident since I screwed up the BIG part.. :'(
But again thanks everyone for all your help :)
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Thanks for your support guys :)
Alright so here's how my interview went:
I got there at 1pm and waited till 2:40pm to get to my interview (No sign of AsianFive for that period even from his description from himself:) I was the awkward asian guy with glasses, I think you tried to sell me a 3/4 guide LOL
and finished at 4:00pm. There were also a few MHS kids and a few Haileybury kids too :O
Nevertheless, the questions were quite basic but had multiple questions in them (E.g Question 1 had 3 smaller questions in them) and there was no chance to use any of the impromptu techniques that you guys said :(
There was this one part of the interview that I screwed up badly which I might be judged on since it was the only thing that needed to be 'worked'... I thought it was probability but more dodgier :P [Link to game to be posted soon after all interviews have been done)
And there were quite a few teamwork activities which were cool XD
Though now I have to wait 3-4 weeks before results come out and I'm not that confident since I screwed up the BIG part.. :'(
But again thanks everyone for all your help :)
I don't get it. If you went to MHS or Haileybury why would you want to go to JMSS?
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IndefatigableLover, if someone like you feels that they may have screwed up a couple of parts, I'm confident that many more screwed up a LOT more than that :) Good to hear most of it went well :)
There were also a few MHS kids
TRAITORS (and noobs)! :O
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I don't get it. If you went to MHS or Haileybury why would you want to go to JMSS?
Yeah I was wondering that too.. maybe people just love science too much ;)
Or they live in South-Eastern suburbs... either way the main schools in my timeslot (1:30-2:30pm) were:
Sacré Cœur, Korowa, Highvale, Melbourne High and Haileybury.. (my school doesn't count since I was the only person there from my school)
IndefatigableLover, if someone like you feels that they may have screwed up a couple of parts, I'm confident that many more screwed up a LOT more than that :) Good to hear most of it went well :)
Haha thanks VegemitePi :)
My sheet of paper was just scribbles from the working out T_T
Edit: Fixed spelling for Sacré Cœur
Edit 2: Added time for 'Timeslot'
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Wow, Sacré Cœur and Korowa. I don't know of any girls that have ever left that school for a non-private school. Speaking from experience. :S
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Wow, Sacré Cœur and Korowa. I don't know of any girls that have ever left that school for a non-private school. Speaking from experience. :S
LOL same.. there was a girl in my group that was from Korowa and the Sacré Cœur girls were talking to themselves.. >.<
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Sorry for the necromancing but I thought you guys might like to know the outcome of my application to JMSS... and thankfully my application was successful.
So thank you everyone for your kind help. I couldn't of done it without you :)
I'm also considering writing a guide or a student's perspective on the JMSS test because some things were pretty different from what I have heard. It'll be up when I get back from my study trip in Beijing (Hopefully up by the end of the month).
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Wew! Go IndefatigableLover. So, are you gonna stick it to the principal and do Bio anyway?
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Wew! Go IndefatigableLover. So, are you gonna stick it to the principal and do Bio anyway?
Yep I'm going to do Bio next year at JMSS. I was always planning to do it in Year 10 but I believe this year there's a test for it in October which I will be unprepared for since my class is WAY behind on Biology stuff... so I might not be able to do it next year :(
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which I will be unprepared for since my class is WAY behind on Biology stuff
Pah, move ahead of your class. Do thirty minutes of Biol every day or something. Your only limits are the ones you put on yourself so, quit it. Lol.
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which I will be unprepared for since my class is WAY behind on Biology stuff
Pah, move ahead of your class. Do thirty minutes of Biol every day or something. Your only limits are the ones you put on yourself so, quit it. Lol.
Haha I'll sneak a Biology book whilst in China and study instead of Chinese ;)
And if any problems come up then I guess i can just post my questions on AN :D