Hi,
my name is Angel and i am curently in year 8 (going into year 9 next year) I really want to attend JMSS and presue in the science feild therefore i'm starting to practice for JMSS earlier than usual.I was wondering if I can get some tips on how it as like to sit the exam,where it was located to do the exam, how are the interviews like, if it was tough or easier than the selctive exam e.c.t
I am going to James an College at the end of October this year to do there program for the JMSS preparation and I wanted to know if the syllabus they tecah is helpfully for the exam,because I attend another tution for the selectives and there syllabus was completely of and Diffrent from the selctives exam and I wasen't able to get through

That's all I wanted to know,
Thanks in Adavance 🙂

how did u go on selective? Results wise, that way you have somewhere to build off

    6 days later

    Hi Angel,
    I've just received an offer for the year 10 cohort of 2025, and I am happy to help!
    For me the exam was in the JMSS building, but I heard some people also did the test in the Monash university campus (around 200 is my best guess). Personally, I found the JMSS test to be much easier than the selective (idk maybe that's because I didn't study for selective lmao). If I was to tell you what was on the test it was mainly just really basic year 9 maths, like trig (sohcahtoa) linear equations, finding the equation of a parabola and there were a few worded questions about like finance and ratios. For numerical reasoning it was just patterns and worded problem solving, I recommend checking out the Edutest practice numerical reasoning test as that is probably the closest thing to the actual test. For the science aspects it was rather simple, you dont really need much prior knowledge for test as it mostly consists of answering questions for tables and graphs, but If I was you I would brush up on my basic knowledge (just read over your textbooks and do a bit of Khan academy).
    As for the interviews, yes it was nerve wracking for me when I first entered the building, I was actually being interviewed in one of the first groups so I really absolutely no time to calm myself. Don't stress though, because after you do the icebreaker you start to really feel comfortable.
    There is two parts to the interview, there is the group interview and the one on one.
    Group Interview

    • You are placed into a group of around 5-6 people, and there are two tasks you need to complete as a group
    • The first task for me was that we were given a scenario/issue, and a sheet that had different methods of solving that particular problem. The catch is that we had a budget of 20 mil, and we given 5 minutes to basically work as a team and propose which methods on the sheet were (in our opinion) going to be the most effective. In my example, our group had to tackle overfishing, and we were given 20 mil to do our best job at it. On the sheet there were things like policing, which costed 15 mil, education, which costed 1 mil etc.
    • The second activity was pretty fun, as a group we had to construct a tower out of common household items and it had to be at least 30 cm tall and be able to balance a hand sanitizer on top of it (weird ik). Apparently the other groups had to like draw something with a pencil attached to a string.
      It is really important that in the group activities that you participate in the discussion, obviously don't shun the others, provide a healthy contribution. This is an assessed part of the interview ( I had around 4 people taking notes on my group) and it is really important that you make a good impression
      There is also a small maths puzzle that you are also required to solve. Don't worry, because if you did good enough on the test to be invited for an interview than this small test will seem like nothing (it was really easy lol)
      One on One Interview
      This is the most heavily assessed section of the interview process, and is where many people end up screwing up their entry, even if they do really good on the other parts of the interview and the actual test, you wont have a good chance of getting in if you don't do well on this part.
      Tips from me would include being confident, they really want to test your passion for science and ability to communicate your ideas. Remember, you need to convey your passion for science through your answers as they will not directly ask you. Act like you have been interested in science for a long time, and are also willing to learn new things. Also, relate your answers to how you can benefit from the school and how the school can benefit from you. saying something like "I would really like to explore the sciences further with JMSS" can show your deep interest in the school and will improve your chances.
      As for the questions, they are rather simple, with a blend of questions about you and questions about science as well. The questions I got were...
    • How did you get interested in science?
    • What are some other things you do outside of academia?
    • Choose a problem, climate change or overpopulation, explain why this is a problem and propose some solutions
    • Choose a scientific invention that is based on a scientific principle. Explain the scientific principle and if you know, explain how the invention works as well
    • If I was to go through your report right now, what would be an area that you would be the most proud of?

    If you get selected for an interview, you will be asked to bring a Curriculum Vitae (CV). This is basically a record of all your extracurriculars, leadership roles and awards written in the form of a resume. You do have time, so i would recommend joining a few science experiences, leadership roles and sporting teams to boost the quality of your resume!

    That is all from me, i have written quite a lot lol Good Luck!!

      15 days later

      Chobar were u in like the very first group or the ones a bit later on

          What date and group did you guys have your interview in?

          5 days later

          Hi i also got in for yr 10 cohort 2025, for the interviews they started around the start of august and it spans across about two weeks, so basically ur interview time can be anywhere in between those two weeks, and there are multiple groups each day. Some people had their interviews around 9:00 and some people have it in the afternoon. I had it in the morning and all the jmss students were still hanging around the lobby so there were a lot of ppl, and it was a bit more intimidating since literally everyone’s staring at you lol . But yeah you’ll have around ten days prep time between ur interview notice and the day of the interview to gather ur cv and practice the interview. Though I’d definitely recommend preparing for the interview in advance cuz ten days probably won’t be enough tbh.

          Hi Angel,
          I started preparing for my JMSS entrance exams in year 8 too and I got in from year 9 to 10 in 2022, it is not too early, but don't stress yourself about it too much. I didn't really do a lot of exams, mostly I just did my school's extension math questions, bombarded my school teachers with questions in both science and math, and read a lot of books I found interesting. I'd say, study what you find interesting, as well as consolidate what you have already learnt at school very well. Sitting the exam is also just like any other exam, the styles are very similar. Participating in ICAS and AMC is also beneficial, even though the math section is not as difficult, science section is similar. After all, it is a school and test for heavily focused on science, although math is a large aspect, I'd say being above average is adequate. The essays are harder for me as an English second language, so finding a tutor was helpful for this section. For me, what I found most challenging was the group interview, like Chobar said, you really need to focus on being a good team mate, listen to others and find a way to contribute without making others look bad. It was hard for me when I said something and people didn't really listen, but be patient, and sometimes, your true value shows when you are a good follower too. The one-on-one interview for me was easier, the most important thing is to be yourself, not sound like a robot. I was very genuine and honest about my interview, and they will question you as well on your life outside of science. For example, my interviewer asked me who were some great people I wanted to meet, which I did not answer in a way at all related to science, although there were a lot of other science related questions. For the cv, you do not need to work on it that much, you could start building it now, even if you don't get an interview, it is also good to keep a cv ready for any other opportunities of the future eg. work experience 🙂

          Hope this helps!

          11 days later

          Chobar that was the very first group mright cus i was in it asw

              ahm3d mb for the late replies, i barely go on here, if u have discord js add me on there d4rk_ap3x

                6 months later

                Chobar I just saw this now and thankyou so much for this do you have recorce that you can possibly share, because right now I don't have any recorces
                Thanks in Advance

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