Hello,
I'm sharannya , studying in a Seal Program for yr 9 at my current school ( will be in yr 9 next yr). I REALLY REALLY want to get into JMSS because I want to persue science as a career and they have amazing electives. I have started preparing for the test since August, but I need more info for the interview process ( list of achievements). Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!

    cshar
    Hey Sharannya,

    I was actually school captain of John Monash in 2023 (im cameron btw) so I do know the interview process well.

    From memory, they ask you to provide a resume with all of your academic achievement and extracurricular activities (leadership, sport, music etc.). During the interview they then look at your resume and will ask you one or two open ended questions about this list. The teachers are looking for well rounded students who have had experience, not just in the classroom, but also participating in their school and local community, so if you can show evidence of this they will love you.

    They also ask other questions in the interview (however they change every year, so they are difficult to guess) that aim to test your quick thinking, ability to communicate, and moral character. For example, in my interview they presented me with two words, 'science' and 'scientist', and asked me to explain what one of those words meant to me.

    I hope this helps 🙂

    Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

      Thanks for replying Cameron! I'm really grateful for the insights you provided on this. I was also wondering about the written part of the exam and if there is any way to prepare for this. I'm currently going through my Maths and Science syllabus from school and some of the topics mentioned here at ATARNotes, but I'm not sure whether it will be enough to pass the test. And regarding time management, do you recommend doing practice tests from now? (and do you know any providers?).
      Thank you again for your time~ sorry for so many questions!

        a month later

        cshar
        Hey apologies for the late response (i may have been on holiday 😃)

        In terms of the written part of the exam, make sure you are confident with your prac report skills. i remember for one of my sections, they gave us an introduction (with background info) and a methodology of a prac, and they asked us to write an aim, hypothesis, discussion and conclusion which suited that information.

        Make sure you know:
        Independent and dependent variables
        Precision and accuracy
        Validity, reliability and repeatability of an experiment

        This content can be found in any VCE science textbook (generally chapter one).

        In terms of time management, I found the test to be fairly manageable (no where near as hard as the melbourne high/macrob test) because the philosophy of the principals is to find students with a genuine passion for science and learning, so they make the interview more difficult instead to help find individuals with these traits.

        As for the confidence in your ability to do well enough in the test, I remember going through ATAR notes forums when I was in your situation a few years ago. I read something that kind of stayed with me which was "if you have gone to the effort of finding this discussion page, you are already showing more determination and enthusiasm than most of the other applicants. This part of your character will shine through in your application, so while this process is stressful and difficult, you'll get in if you have what they are looking for."

        When I was preparing for the test, I used Strive for Excellence. Looking back, they weren't great because their questions didn't simulate the questions on my test very well. However, doing mock exams under timed conditions did give me experience and confidence going into the real thing, so I would recommend doing some prep that aims to simulate the real experience. As long as you have a good background knowledge in year 8-10 maths and science, you will be more than ok 🙂

        Oh and in terms of when you should start your preparation, I guess any time from now really. If I were to study for it again, I would ensure my fundamental maths and science skills were good, and then put a lot of emphasis on my prac writing skills right up until the actual test.

        Let me know if you have any more questions, and good luck for your application. My email is contact.domaineducation@gmail.com if you would like to ask anything more personal 🙂

        15 days later

        Hey, thanks for replying. Sorry for responding so late, I was actually trying to get my stuff together as the start of Year 9. But anyways, thank you for your advice. Also if it is possible, could you provide me some examples of clubs / achievements/experiences you were involved in (not too detailed tho 🙂 ) so that I can build on them.

        I currently attend JMSS tutoring at James an college. MY tution teachers tell me that the test will be easier than the mock tests that they give, Is this information true or is it just a hoax.

          JMSSaspirant
          The information is true. They give harder tests so that the actual test is much easier. This is what one of my JMSS friends told me. (I'm not in JMSS and I haven't written the actual exam yet)

            2 months later

            Hi, I am also doing the exam this yr for 2025 entry. I currently use strive for excellence jmss papers, can someone tell me if they are as hard as the actual exam?

            13 days later

            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.

            The previous replies in this forum are really informative, but I'm a bit worried about the interview in particular and am mainly looking for advice on this!!
            I hope someone will reply 🙂

              12 days later

              cyl_b
              hi there i am on the same boat do you have any tip or recourse you willing to share

                12 days later

                hey everyone im trying out for the jmss exam this year too, im a bit worried about the maths bit is i hard to do, im usually above standerd at maths in school but idk how ill do, and how is the science reasoning usually like, and when is everyones exam gonna be????

                12 days later

                hey guys, I was wondering if anyone had any tips, resources, advice, anything will help (I rlly want to get into jmss but i only have a week to prepare/study for it)!
                I average a 90% across my school grades and used to do many extracurricular sports 🙂

                  lifesfullofjoy:) i personally havent done it but i know someone who has done it and all this info is great if u get an interview so try focusing on the test

                  IDON'TGIVEUP I wish i did, but since i've never took the test before, i don't have anything to share unfortunately 🙁

                  hey, does anyone have the JMSS Information Night 2024 recording because for some reason the link won't work and when it takes me to yt it says set abt it being taken down for copyright reasons?

                  5 days later

                  DomainEducation

                  Hi!

                  I am a year 9 student who has tried out for JMSS. I have a 87.25 percent average in Science with one B+ and the rest As and A+s. I also have 92 percent grade average. Do you think JMSS will be ok with that?


                  Thank you

                  Sunnyy24 Probably not, what matters most would be the exam results you got from the JMSS test.