MHS entrance exam help.

[Eyes-_-]

Hey guys so I need some help and advice about the mhs exam. I'm not sure what to study and how long I should be studying everyday. Also another problem is that : I go to a small school and we have about 38 ppl in our year level. ( the 5% rule). What makes this a bigger problem is that 5 ppl from my school are trying and most I'm not worried about but one of them is smart and is really dedicated. It is making me stress even more. Also I have lots of maths study material and I do two hours a day if I'm able otherwise 1 or 1 and a half hours. I need some help with what I should do for reading comp, numerical and  renal reasoning. ATM I am doing year 8 and 9 maths syllabus and reading the news, I am doing the giant book of general ability tests and some reading comp questions. I go to JAC selective entry coaching. Any advice ? Will they round up the number of ppl able to enter from our school ? Also links to study materials would be helpful.
Thanks everyone and sorry for the long post. (I'm in year 8 and doing the exam to join in 2015).

[Orb]

I'm pretty sure if you have 38 people in your year level they will round it up to two if you get a sufficient exam score.

Don't be scared of the 'really smart' guy. Chances are you might end up beating him because you put in that extra step of effort.

Working two hours a day on maths is extraordinary at year 8 level. I recall that I struggled to get in one hour a day back then. The year 8 and 9 syllabus won't really help with the Edutest format that I think MHS runs (or so it did two years ago). You want to increase your exposure to exam-style questions which will ultimately benefit you.

Of course, this is just my opinion, but, in the end, if you listen to your teachers from James An, they have plenty of experience and will be sufficient in guiding you along the way!

Good luck with your exam!

[IndefatigableLover]

Wow I should show my sibling this so they can see how hard some people are working to get into MHS/Mac.Rob LOL (they're taking the exam this year as well but not doing the same amount of work as you...)

From what I've told my siblings, basically build up on your basics. Like build it up to the point where working out questions comes automatically for you. They're really fast exams (60 questions in 30min) so time is also a huge factor for most people. I think that's what JAC does best imo (teaches you how to work under timed conditions) but just build up on the basics!
And more importantly don't worry about the numbers game. If you worry about it too much then seriously you won't get in. Back when I applied for MHS I was worried about numbers (total of 7 acceptances with 20 people trying out [only 5 got accepted including myself LOL but I declined MHS]) and it screwed me over so much.... Just try your best and be proud in what you achieve!

If you want some more advice, I suggest you to browse Other as there are many past selective school threads which may not be from this year but are still relevant to you as well!

Best of luck!

[Eyes-_-]

Thanks you guys made me feel better. BTW the smart guy actually comes to my jac class so yeah. I will try harder just to make you guys proud.ppl day jac tests are hard. I usually get 60- 85 and I once got a 94%. Any tips for reading comp?  Again thanks, it makes me even happier that u both got into good schools.

[IndefatigableLover]

Thanks you guys made me feel better. BTW the smart guy actually comes to my jac class so yeah. I will try harder just to make you guys proud.ppl day jac tests are hard. I usually get 60- 85 and I once got a 94%. Any tips for reading comp?  Again thanks, it makes me even happier that u both got into good schools.

Personally I've never been to JAC but don't worry about the scores you get for JAC because it's not really a good indication imo...
When I took the exam in Year 8, comprehension was the hardest one for me actually (my mark was 'Above Average' LOL) but it was probably due to the fact that you have a piece of text in front of you that you read before circling in the answers.
You should definitely read the questions first when doing it so you know what to look for and try to get into the habit of 'skim reading' and focussing/identifying key words in the question given. I know when you do the exam you use pencil to shade in the bubbles but I can't remember if you could write on the exam itself (like underlining words for reference sake) but if you can do that then get into the habit of doing that!

[Orb]

Thanks you guys made me feel better. BTW the smart guy actually comes to my jac class so yeah. I will try harder just to make you guys proud.ppl day jac tests are hard. I usually get 60- 85 and I once got a 94%. Any tips for reading comp?  Again thanks, it makes me even happier that u both got into good schools.

HAHA don't work for us, work for yourself!

Eh, i guess i fall into the 'lazy-bum, fluke-artist' category. I never really started working hard until this year.

If JAC has the same scoring criteria, I used to get the 85-95% range for english and maths, but at the same time, friends who got 70-80 ended up in MHS. It's all about perspective.

[Eyes-_-]

Hey guys, so I am wondering what you did to get 90%-100%. What did you study how far did you go into maths yr9 or 10? The tests are mostly 50 or 60 questions. How did you do it with making more than 5 mistakes?  That is my goal but I still find it hard. I usually get from 60-80% which higher than most and by jac ranking gives me a superior. In the jac tests 90-95% is highest mark. Advice?

[pi]

On the actual exam you won't be getting a 80-90%, i can guarantee that.

I disagree. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I'd be very surprised if I got below 80% for numerical reasoning and maths back in the day, can't say the same for verbal reasoning and reading comprehension but 80%+ definitely happens.

JAC is harder than the real exam.

As for the rounding given your cohort best to call them up and ask, the admin at MHS are quite friendly.

Good luck with it all!

[Eyes-_-]

Thanks Pi, I might try ring up MHS. BTW 80+ is really good, you mustve been really smart. Is doing reading comp and maths tests good enough prep or do i have to like go through every part of english like understanding context, poetic techniques.( I am just reading the topics from my JAC results). If the real test is easier than JAC I will blaze through it but a friend who is in MHS who did the test last year said the tests were alot like the JAC and not much easier. I find the practice test on the DEECD website easy and finished them with 10 mins to spare and in the end got 2 or 3 wrong. I am close to finishing the year 9 maths syllabus and completed year 8 already. After that i will just revise both. My friend who did the test in 2013 apparently used to get 90+ in all subjects and ended up with 5 sups and 1 high average. I would love advce from anyone that did the test in 2013 or 2012. ( if you dont have an account it is super easy to make one ). Please help me pass the exam

[Hannibal]

Hey guys, so I am wondering what you did to get 90%-100%. What did you study how far did you go into maths yr9 or 10? The tests are mostly 50 or 60 questions. How did you do it with making more than 5 mistakes?  That is my goal but I still find it hard. I usually get from 60-80% which higher than most and by jac ranking gives me a superior. In the jac tests 90-95% is highest mark. Advice?

You look to be in good shape haha, I am struggling to receive over 50% in all the maths tests at JAC. And that still puts me in the Above Average slot on there - LOL .

Edit: This is for JMSS class btw...

[Orb]

Thanks Pi, I might try ring up MHS. BTW 80+ is really good, you mustve been really smart. Is doing reading comp and maths tests good enough prep or do i have to like go through every part of english like understanding context, poetic techniques.( I am just reading the topics from my JAC results). If the real test is easier than JAC I will blaze through it but a friend who is in MHS who did the test last year said the tests were alot like the JAC and not much easier. I find the practice test on the DEECD website easy and finished them with 10 mins to spare and in the end got 2 or 3 wrong. I am close to finishing the year 9 maths syllabus and completed year 8 already. After that i will just revise both. My friend who did the test in 2013 apparently used to get 90+ in all subjects and ended up with 5 sups and 1 high average. I would love advce from anyone that did the test in 2013 or 2012. ( if you dont have an account it is super easy to make one ). Please help me pass the exam

I think what's best for you to do right now is to relax.

Getting in/not getting in won't mean the end of the world. There are plenty of people not existing in the Melbourne High School who end up with wonderful positions in life. Stressing too much about it will actually make your performance worse (or so it happened to me during a certain scholarship testing >.>). Being calm in both preparation and the actual exam will boost your confidence and  most likely your performance.

As for advice, would it help if I told you that I did no study whatsoever for the actual exam yet got 6 superiors?
In reality, you're doing more work than most people who are attempting the MHS exam. You're putting in more effort and demonstrating a great work ethic.

In my honest opinion, that's more important than your actual result. Be proud of yourself!

[Shenz0r]

If they still have those writing tasks, do as many of them as you can under time constraints.

You seem to be on a good track though.

Don't worry about how much you get wrong/right, worry about finding your mistakes and rectifying those.

[alchemy]

Hmm, the above advice is probably enough as one thing that can affect you in a bad way is worrying too much.

All I'm gonna say is DO NOT underestimate the essays; if it hadn't been for them I wouldn't have got in.
Keep in mind that maths isn't everything on the exam, and you shouldn't solely count on it.
The essays are tough under the time constraints, but can be especially rewarding if you write a decent one.

As an aside, may I suggest you apply for other schools as well (such as private school scholarships, if you already haven't). Many people do the MHS entry exam and ultimately realise (for some reason or another) they won't be able to attend. It's also good to have a back-up plan for anything, I guess.

Otherwise, good luck!

[Eyes-_-]

Thanks. I'm glad more pp are joining the post. Is it hard to get a sup in the essays? I do go to jac which means I do an essay every week. These holidays I am planning to do one per day. Also I find recently the 15 mins goes by faster. I think it is cause our jac English teacher sets the timer then starts talking for 5 minds. (trolololol).

[IndefatigableLover]

Thanks. I'm glad more pp are joining the post. Is it hard to get a sup in the essays? I do go to jac which means I do an essay every week. These holidays I am planning to do one per day. Also I find recently the 15 mins goes by faster. I think it is cause our jac English teacher sets the timer then starts talking for 5 minds. (trolololol).

I don't think it's hard to get a superior in the essays but that's only if you are calm and collected otherwise you won't end up getting a really high score. I know some people would disagree with me but when I did it, I took a couple of minutes writing a quick skeleton piece so I knew what I was writing (and not going on and on or repeating the same thing) which was a bad habit of mine back in Year 8/9. This would work more for Analytical I reckon but can apply for the other essay writing task as well.