I am going for the selective entry exam this year and I would like to ask something. I have been browsing around on the ATAR NOTES Selective School Admission Test Server and have commonly seen this phrase "Keep it simple." Should I really keep my written expression simple? One of the people gave a really bad essay idea to show that even that essay if kept simple would get you a good high percentile in the test, is this true? Some other guy said to make your essay sound deep even if it isn't. So I am conflitcted as to whether to keep my story simple and boring which could be a bad decision or make it sound deep which also... could be a bad decision. An experienced person please give me your thoughts!
2022 Victorian Selective Entry Test Results
16 days later
hi all, these are the results in my mock exam, do you think i have a chance to get in?
Mathematics = High Average
Verbal Reasoning = Average
Quantitative reasoning = Above average
Writing Persuasive = Superior
Writing Creative = Superior
Reading Comprehension = Above average
my school is not really that comeptitive
Hey guys, does anyone who got in have any tips for the exam, theres less a little more than a week left and some extra tips would be great, thanks!
- Edited
I just sat the test on 14th July for the year 11 exam. Don't have great tips but here you go:
- Remember to sleep well before the exam day and DON'T study a couple of days before. I did it, and trust me, it really helps.
- On exam day, just pretend like you are solving a normal worksheet at home, I'm not too sure if this will work for you, but it did for me.
- After you complete 10 questions, mark them on your answer sheet. (The answer sheet is separate) otherwise, you might leave yourself with 1 min at the end to do it for 60 questions.
- For the creative writing bit, make sure you use at least one of the quotes/images provided, I nearly forgot. It's in the instructions, but you don't have time to read that!
- For the reading comprehension part, read the question first, then the options, and then the text. It wastes a lot of time if you read the text first.
- You WILL have to guess LOTS of questions, so make sure you make an educated guess. When you need to blindly guess (trust me you will have to due to time constrain) choose 'c' or the most recurring letter. Many people say it works. It's better than randomly selecting your answers.
- Try to come a bit early to your examination place. Get used to the environment. You'll be less nervous, and the less nervous you are, the better.
- To be honest, while you are waiting for the exam to start, everyone looks so smart. That can get a bit pressuring, but remember, they think the same of you. So you are really smart too
Give it your best shot. Have a good night's sleep, breakfast, exercise, skincare, or anything that you find relaxing. I hope you do amazing!
Hope this helps a bit
-Study-hard
Hi does anyone have any practice tests that will help for the exam, because the ones online are really easy, and it does not really help me learn anything
Study-Hard Thanks this helped a lot... also do we have to fill answers with a pen or can we use a pencil bc what if u need to change ur answers?
how many superiors do you need to clear the exam??
this is based of my school which isn't really that competitive.
777
Depends on what school you're trying for. I'd say that with 3 superiors, you'll probably get into the school you want. However there are some kids at Nossal that got in with only 1 superior, and maybe 1 or 2 that got in with no superiors but I think they got in through principal's discretion. But yeah 3 superiors with no averages will probably get you in.
Hello, have you already done an exam? My exam is literally in 4 days and I am so stressed! Is it possible to get in with atleast 1 superior and others as averages or high averages into Suzanne Cory or McRobs?
And is there any particular maths formulas that should be revised?
All help is appreciated! 
- Edited
any tips for reading comprehension and numerical? reading comprehension is definitely my weakest point and want to know if there is anything i can do to improve it within this short timeframe? also please share some tips for numerical or any other subject in general. it would be greatly appreciated!
- Edited
NSN
Yeah I did the exam last year and I currently go to Nossal. There's probably a very low chance of getting into Macrob with 1 superior and some averages. Macrob is like the hardest selective school to get into, you'd need like 2 or 3 superiors with no averages to get in. It also depends on your current school and how many people are applying from your school. I can't really speak for Suzanne Cory since I was never really interested in the school so I never researched anything but its definitely easier to get into than Macrob. 1 superior might get you but its still unlikely, especially if you have some averages. I'd say try to aim for 2 superiors with no averages, and you'll most likely get in.
In terms of maths formulas, if you've learnt everything in your Year 9 maths textbook, you'll probably be fine. The test wasn't too hard personally, it really just matters on how fast you are. Most people would've studied the same content for the maths test so what really matters is how fast and accurately you can answer the questions.
Ommahp Thank you so much! It is kind of you to share your past experience with others to help them! I really admire your efforts . And Congrats! You got into one of the 4 BEST SCHOOLS IN MELBOURNE 
(sorry its a year late)
This is an urgent question - Are you allowed to make up your own statistical evidence for the persuasive writing component? This is very controversial as some teachers have said yes while others say no. What would you recommend ?
Thanks a Lot! 
NSN
Thank you so much too, I really hope you can get in as well and good luck on the exam!
There wasn't a persuasive test last year so I'm not sure, but personally I would say no. Your structure and style of writing should be what stands out in this type of test where you don't know what the prompt is. I know that using statistics in persuasive usually is an advantage but I doubt that the assessors would be looking out for people that use them since they're not really judging for prior knowledge or anything. This is only my opinion though and I'm not actually sure if this is how it works but I think that if you feel the need to make up statistics during your test, then the rest of your essay and structure probably isn't as good as it could be. Statistics won't make or break your essay since a lot of people won't use any in their essay. So, I personally wouldn't use them, I would just focus on the other parts of the essay which I think are more important.
how to practice for numerical?
In verbal Reasoning do you know how to easily solve the odd word out questions or the ones with antonyms and synonyms, if you don’t know any of the words?
WhoKnows you should study common word roots, prefixes and suffixes to make an educated guess
eg: if you want to find a word similar to 'evil' out of the options:
- tangible
- caustic
- benevolent
- malevolent
- boisterous
you would choose 'malevolent' as the prefix 'mal' is added to a word to change the meaning to negative/bad