honestly henderson's just overcharges everything for no reason. the JAC mock test was much cheaper than any of the henderson's ones, and a much more realistic experience.
i definitely wouldn't reccommend doing the henderson's math workshop because it was a huge waste of money. i barely learnt anything, and they don't really give you any timed questions. it's all very laid back, and most of my time in that workshop was spent zoning out because i had nothing to do (the teacher was like fox-guarding the bonus material and wouldn't let us do it during class🤦 ). the experience was not very good, but that was mostly because i didn't get a good teacher.
however, their numerical workshop was really good. honestly still VERY overpriced, but i got a very good teacher and he taught us very good strategies for the test.
i can't comment on the English workshops because I didn't do them, but i've heard that they are pretty good.
the mock tests are okay as well. however, they overcharge by a lot (i think only one mock test is $375 and the math workshop was $2000 for 4 x 4 hour sessions) They make people do the writing separately instead of doing both essays in under 40 minutes in the mock tests, which I honestly don't think is a good idea, because then kids learn to rely on time warnings, whereas in the real exam there were no time warnings.
my opinion on jac is honestly pretty good. for TT8 (selective prep class) they overprepared us for the math side, but they definitely underprepare people on the English side (in terms of vocabulary). i'm doing pre-john monash classes right now, and honestly the Engilsh is too easy. the math is okay right now, and the science is also okay.
often there are no breaks, which if you do often is not good for your body. i assume this goes for many tuitions and even school sometimes, but it's so important to be fit and healthy, especially when prepping for an exam. so, if you're going to do henderson's, jac or some other tuition, then make sure you do extra exercise to compensate for the time spent sitting.
i guess the most important thing is to not get complacent just because you are doing tutoring. 99% of the kids that do selective go to tutoring, so it's crucial to do your own practise. tutoring centers can only give you the tools to climb the mountain of testing, but you have to be the one to climb the mountain.
this turned out really long, but i hope this helps anyone 👍
