I recently got into the JMSS year 10 entry and something that was really hard when i was preparing for it was finding the right resources. John Monash doesnt disclose any information about their exams and there were only a handful of actually useful information online which i had to go down long rabbit holes to get. Additionally, you wouldnt even know if that information was correct until the actual exam. So in order to help future applicants i decided to put together a guide with everything you need to know for the exam because this was something i wouldve found super helpful when i was preparing for the exam myself. Disclaimer: JMSS may make changes to its exams, content and format may vary throughout the years so this guide is just an outline and is probably as close as you can get.

Mathematics: Multiple Choice, 60 questions, 30 min
Numerical Reasoning:Multiple Choice, 50 questions, 30 min
Science Reasoning: Multiple Choice,30 questions, 30 min
Science Interest & Communication:Written, 30 min
Science Analysis & Reporting:Written, 30 min

Mathematics:
Basics
Algebra
Surds
Indices
Equations
Linear
Non-linear Relationships
Pythagoras Theorem
Trigonometry
Geometry
Probability
Statistics
Financial Math
Rates & Proportion
Measurement
Kinematics
Sequences and Series
Logarithms

(Majority of these topic will be covered)
The test itself is not hard its just testing basic mathematics and calculations, some will be quite time consuming but the content itself will be year 8 and 9 level, throw in a few 10s. As long as you are up to date with everything school teaches and have a good foundation i dont think you would stuggle with it. Only thing that really separates a lot of people is time. there is only 30 mins, which means 1 question every 30 seconds. Most people that do the test dont manage to get it done in time and a lot of people i talked to say they only finished around 40 questions. Something a lot of people also do is do each question really fast and they end up getting all of them wrong because they werent looking for accuracy. My only advice is to get faster and more fluent and confident with the questions because the skill level is not that hard is time that is the issue for most people.

As for the questions, they are just simple multiple choice, i reccomend getting better at calculations as thats the most time consuming, memorising formulas, common squares etc. (if you need any more detail about the types of question lmk but i think its pretty straight forward) Also remember the formulas of your areas, volumes of unconventional shapes like cones, cylinders, sphere, etc. Do a lot of practice tests either online or using AI to stimulate.

As long as your year 8 and 9 and maybe 10 topics are okay than content wise you are covered. jsut get more familiar and faster at reacting and doing it. because by the time you are in the exam room, theres 5 mins left and you have 20 quesions unanswered, trust me youll be regretting it.

Numerical Reasoning:
Number Patterns
Series
Sequences
Matrices
Shapes
Boxes
Tables
Worded Problems
Time
Motion
Financial Math
Measurement
Statistics
Probability

When i was prepping for NR i was really stressed out about it but the acutal test was suprisingly better than anything i was preparing for and i think i wasted a lot of time on thigns that didnt show up on the test so i will outline everything you need:
Patterns, shapes and numbers are very common in the test, it is similar to any general ability test you might have taken when you were younger. Just focus on getting faster at spotting patterns (!! A lot of people write down a list of common patters, DO NOT DO THAT. the best way to get faster and recognizing patterns is to practice tests so your brain can recognize it) For most people and alot of the people i talked to, at the start of the test it seems like you are on the right track, getting through the questions quite fast but many people slow down at somepoint during it because many questions get tougher and also the adrenaline from starting the test dissapears. i didnt think itll happen to me but it did so beware.
AND i cant stress this enough TIME was the biggest issue for most of us many couldnt finish this one either. '
(again, if you want any more specific info on question types, formats, or anything just ask me and ill answer)

But this one is easier than it seems and something i realised was that the ones i was doing was alot harder than the actual test. What i regret was getting in my zone and slowing down a little bit so....

Science Reasoning:
Biology
a. Cells
b. Body Systems
c. Diseases
d. Ecosystems
e. Evolution
f. Genetics
Chemistry
a. Atoms
b. Periodic Table
c. Reactions
d. States of Matter
Physics
a. Forces
b. Kinematics
c. Mechanics
d. Electricity
e. Energy
Astronomy
a. Scale
b. Planets
c. Orbit
d. Satellites
e. Time
Geology
a. Plate Tectonics
b. Rock Types
c. Moh's Hardness Scale
d. Cartography
Experiments
a. Variables
b. Conclusions

question types:
Drawing Conclusions
Graph Analysis
Table Analysis
Estimation/Scale
Flow Charts
Contour Lines
Cross Sections
Science Equations

Additionally, there may be some questions asking look at graphs, predict the outcome, looking at shapes (of cells, diagrams etc) This was probably the only multiple choice where time wasn't a struggle. Whereas Maths and NR were hard because of the time limit this one is harder due to the actual knowledge. I made a huge double sided A3 sheet with everything that may show up and was a little dissapointed when lots of it didnt show up in the test but i still think the info on it was super usefull and a lot of it may show up on the test. this includes: Wavelengths, Iodine tests, pH scale, taxonomy (theres more so if you would like them all lmk) If your science knowledge is up to par than you should be good to go and i personally think this one is easiest to prepare for because all you have to do is review your science knowledge and you dont need endless practice tests. Most the questions were more about you ability to understand and extract info rather than extensive background knowledge though that can be super helpful and save you time. THIS DOES NOT MEAN NOT TO DO PRAC TESTS. DO THEM. I CANT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, DO YOUR PRACTICE TESTS. TIMED AND IN TEST CONDITION. I'd recomend doing ICAS past papers as they are quite similar to the real test.

Science Interest & Communication:
The main purpose of this test is to look at your understanding of science and your ability to express your ideas and knowledge base. But most importantly your passion.i'll talk about this later do not overlook this is SO important
In a nutshell:
You will get a topic and you have 30 minutes and a blank page to write about it.
topics and styles vary from year to year but mostly consists of:

a problem with some context and then a question which you have to answer
a real life problem and how you would solve (sometimes involves listing all the problems with it and all the possible solutions)
what is insert science topic about
why is/does insert topic important/exist/getting worse or somehting along those lines

Those are just some of the questions you might recieve, additionally because im super nice here are some real past test topics:

What is the urban heat island effect?
Effects of deep sea mining
Hot air balloons
some years they give you a topic with some info about it, some years the give you a topic with no context(so if you dont know about it you are screwed), some years its a question, some years you get 2 options and you can decide what you want to do. Its all different and you dont neccesarily have to follow a specific structure, just do a few body paragraphs and it should be fine. What they are looking for most is how you express the information and the extent of your knowledge and the content. (again like all the other ones, if you want more info just lmk im just trying to keep everything short and sweet)

Science Analysis & Reporting:
This one actually needs a structure and what i found very difficult was looking for the correct strucrture becauce ppl online were being very vague. so im going to tell you exactly what it is:

hypothesis
method + equiptment
-discussion
conclusion
sometimes results whether in a graph/table or in writing
its your basic scientific report structure except you dont need to know all of it. Sometimes its in a question - written answer format other times its just a blank sheet. I am now going to go into detail about the things that acutlaly matter below:

(this depends but 90% of the time its like this)
they will give you a topic and say like: sally conducted an experiment on this this this, these are the results, write a hypoth, discussion and conclusion. They may ask for different things sometimes but it will looks something like this.
Things that actually matter:
Hypothesis: If blank thenblank because blank.
For example: If I increase the amount of fertilizer given to tomato plants, then they will produce more fruit, because nitrogen promotes vegetative growth and flowering.
So basically, give the condition, expalin what happens because of it, give a reason. Let me tell you that is the best way to write a hypothesis JMSS wise. TRUST ME.

2ndly, LEARN HOW TO WRITE A DISCUSSION. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. out of all the things they might ask you discussion is almost guarenteed. if you want to know my discussion format (which btw is smt a JMSS teacher taught me, then lmk and ill drop it)

3rdly, CONCLUSION. a lot of people make their conclusion way too similar to the discussion and it just sounds the same is not effective anymore. it breaks my heart that so many people write a useless conclusion so figure out how to write a good one. TIP: make sure that the combo of dicussion and conclusion blends together well and fits together nicely.

Some years they give u all the info and ask u to write a hypoth, discussion and conclusion, some years they make you do it all. it really depends to familiarise yourself with all of it.

Thats basically all the necessary information on the test coming from someone who sat and got in through the most recent one. Again there is so much i didnt include because idk if anyone actually cares. I know JMSS prep was especially hard for me bc i didnt know if i was doing anything right or i was just was just wasting my time so if you have any questions feel free to ask and i will answer in extreme detail for you guys.

Some final things i just wanted to add on here was TIME. okay? i cannot stress this enough, the actual test itself is not hard at all its just time limit. the best way to do this is just to do a ton of practice tests. Also even if you dont finish its totally okay as well i know people who didnt finish maths and NR, blew analysis and reporting but still got in. Additionally, PASSION. THIS IS SO SO IMPORTANT. JMSS is not looking for extreamly smart kids who are amazing at this this and this but they are looking for science passion. Thats also how half of them blow the interview (if you want interview info lmk lmao)

I'll keep it here just because litterally no one asked for anything haha. I personally didn't do too much prep on it, i only realised that i might be slightly cooked exatly 2 months before the test and even then i didnt do too much mainly bc i didnt know what to do which i sorta regret now. but as long as you have a strong foundation eevrything should be fine. Just tell AI to generate some test papers and i reccomend telling them to make it harder because they tend to make it easier and also so you can practice in tougher scenarios. Just try your best to stimulate the actual test conditions.
Thats all i have to say, i appolagise in advance if somethings arent clear just lmk and i will explain it for you in better detail. Any questions just ask, dont stress it, its super chill and youll do great!! final notes include using ai for practice tests, practice tests in general, time managment, brushing up on science knowledge, familiarising yourself with question types.

Okay thats all, again let me know if something doesnt make sense because i truly feel like everything i wrote makes no sense but in my brain it does so im more than happy to explain things or provide more detail such as sample questions, examples, question types, my notes that i used to study for jmss that i found helpful, structures, formats, anything at all. i wish you guys the best of luck in your tests and hope that yall all get in! Also if anyone wants info on interviews, or prep or anything just lmk. Dont stress it, it not very difficult, you just need a solid foundation. i only prepped for ₁ month and not seriously either so it will be fine.