John Monash Science School Feedback

Nate

Hi everyone,

I am trying out for John Monash science school next year, but I wanted to know about the past students' experiences being there. How was the environment like? Did the teachers provide good feedback and improvements on assignments and tasks? Are there a lot of opportunities to explore the different fields within science? At information night and other events, sometimes students aren't entirely honest because they obviously are trying to promote the school.

Furthermore, I wanted to just ask about the preparation and examination. Wanted to know what science reasoning and science writing is? Are there any areas that is important to study as part of the preparation for the exam? I'M SO ANXIOUS!!

Thanks so much to everyone in advance 😅.

Ommahp

Nate
Hi I'm not currently a JMSS student but I'm trying out for next year as well and my older sister graduated from there and my other sister just got in for Year 11. Overall, my sister has had very positive experiences, I haven't heard a lot of negative things from there. I don't know any specifics about the environment although my sister says that there aren't any air conditioners in the building and they only have fans. And the school uses a lot of the Monash University equipment so you'll be able to use actual science equipment that students and scientists use which is a huge plus.
There was this old thread about the JMSS exam that goes into a lot of detail here
https://archive.atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=192649.0
but it's from the 2020 test which was during Covid-19 so the structure and questions might be different next year. I also heard that the exam is easier than the Selective School Entry Exam so if you ever did that than you'll know the sort of stuff to expect. Anyways, good luck!

hopeful

Nate

I heard JMSS teachers are really friendly, helpful and students are really well supported and are happy. If you have a love for science, maths and technology, then I think this is the school for you. I mean the future will be dominated by these 3 areas right?

The entrance examine to JMSS is not as hard as the other selective schools because these schools only relied on this one examine to offer students. The examine is just the first step to filter potential students for JMSS. The interview is the hardest hurdle. I heard some students got 4-5 superiors did not get accepted into the school because they did not pass the interview.

The selection process for JMSS:

1) 5 tests papers
Mathematics (multiple choices)
Maths numerical reasoning (multiple choices)
Science reasoning (multiple choices)
Science analysis reporting (writing)
Science interest (writing)

2)500 students out of 1000+ students will be selected for interview

3)Interview Part 1 - Group activity 4 students are placed together by the assessors to watch and
observe how you work as a team to solve a riddle, object etc..
Interview Part 2 - you will be taken to a room individually to solve a maths puzzle
Interview Part 3 - one to one interview (about 10 minutes)

4)CV - Two current schools reports need to be provided (so make sure its pretty reasonable 😀)
They want you to name 5 best achievements/awards and provide evidence
Any extra activities and leadership etc..

Once you done all the above, each students are being ranked. Based on the ranking, only the best 100 boys and 100 girls will get in.

Because of this reason, I believe the majority of JMSS students are more mature, all rounder, not just academics. I heard in the year 9 selective school examines, some students managed to get lucky guessing most of the multiple questions and get 4superiors and get into the selective schools 😅. Without interview, these students are lucky 😆

Nate

Ommahp
Hi, congrats to your sister that's an awesome accomplishment!

I did hear that John Monash uses equipment from Monash Uni so that's really cool!! And the old thread has some helpful tips.

Thanks for helping and wish you the best of luck for next year as well!

Charles

Hey, I graduated from JMSS in 2021 and started in year 10 (2019)

My experience at JMSS was very positive, my cohort was really supportive and I met friends that I still regularly keep in touch with in uni.

As a science school, I think it does a really good job setting you up for the STEM field since I'm doing a science degree at Monash majoring in the bio sciences and all the extra stuff my teachers taught me has come in handy. My biology teacher also taught me some really great studying skills that I still use in uni. The funny thing is that all the lab equipment I use at uni and the signs are identical to the stuff at JMSS lol so the transition from JMSS to Monash is pretty smooth.

Being a selective school, though, the students are competitive and care about studying/grades a lot which can get to you if you're comparing your performance to others. That affected me a lot in year 10 but I just accepted that it's okay not to be the best and that you can make the most out of this environment by learning from others more knowledgeable than you. Once I accepted that I realised I could learn so much more at this school than I could ever at my old school.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask questions, good luck on the entrance exam! 🙂

Nate

hopeful

That's so helpful!! These details aren't really shared so thanks so much for explaining the John Monash selection process and providing some insightful aspects on the culture at JMSS.

Wishing you the best and I hope you also continue to 'TryYourBest' 😀.

Nate

At John Monash, do they straight away allow students to start VCE subjects?

Currently my school doesn't have much science opportunities so I'm not quite familiar with a lot of the science subjects they offer.

Also, a bit of a silly question: how do the interviews feel like? I've heard many sad stories of students losing out during the interview round so is it like you should behave like a know-it-all or the diplomat...... like that stage of the entire process is the part i'm veryyyy worried about. Is it the type of questions they ask that make students faulter?

Charles

Nate

In year 10 you have the chance to do methods 1&2 if you sit and pass the readiness test in the year prior to starting at JMSS (you'll know more about it at the information night after you get in). There's also chances to do physics and chemistry unit 2 if you get high enough grades in semester 1 and then in year 11, you can do 2 3/4's if you get ₉₀%+ average in year 10 (not a hard rule). Hopefully that's still the case, at least I know those subjects are offered but the grade cutoffs may have changed.

The interview is pretty chill, I really liked the group activities and the interviewer was nice. They just ask you basic questions like leadership experience, why you want to come to JMSS, and give you a science-based question e.g. how can Australia produce more food for its growing population?

Btw, acting like a know-it-all is a good way to fail instantly the interview. No one likes someone who thinks they know it all, especially when they're still very young. Just talk to them like a normal person, smile, be enthusiastic, and your passion for science will show if you really care about it 🙂

Dhruv

Hey Everyone I am doing the Sir John Monash exam this year! It'll be really helpful on what things I need to learn in order to pass this test. This test means everything to me and I really want to pass. Can someone please let me know what should I learn in Math and Science in order to pass this test?

noori

Dhruv did u pass

cyl_b

Hi,
I'm a yr 9 student this year and am taking the test this year to get into john monash in 2025. I actually really want to get into the school since i know the teachers are much more dedicated than my current school, and i'm really really interested in the electives that JMSS offers as well as all the opportunities that a lot of schools can't offer.

I'm currently preparing for the test in june, but I'd REALLY like some advice on the interview, including the types of questions they ask (because i heard that they ask about recent science news but i'm not sure if it IS true), your passion in maths and science, and what they are looking for in a student.

I'm pretty worried about the interview in particular and am mainly looking for advice on this!!
I hope someone will reply 🙂