How Do I Prepare for a Scholarship Test?
Ensuring their children get the best education possible by sending them to the best schools available is a huge priority for many parents.
However, just like most things these days, the cost of school fees are continuing to rise. The best schools have usually always been the most expensive, and the expense is growing year on year. That’s where scholarships come in.
Most elite schools offer a limited number of full and/or partial scholarship places to enable students of high merit to gain entry to top schools regardless of financial status. However, these highly competitive scholarship placements require prospective students to sit challenging tests.
You do not want your children to participate in these tests without adequate preparation - no matter how academically gifted they are. For the best chance at being offered a scholarship place, the right preparation and understanding of scholarship test requirements are key.
What Are Scholarship Tests and Why Are They So Challenging?
Elite schools are elite for a reason—they consistently produce top-performing students who are smart, skilled, and motivated to succeed. They want the best of the best to represent their school and maintain a culture of high achievement.
They generally understand that not all the best and brightest students can automatically afford tuition, which is why they offer scholarship places that are fully or partly subsidised and awarded through testing.
Scholarship tests are most often taken by students in Years 5 or 6 going into high school and sometimes by older students looking to move schools for their senior years. They differ between schools, but tests can be made up of multiple different sections, allowing the school to test different capabilities and learn more about each student. These may include:
Literacy and numeracy testing.
General cognitive and reasoning skill testing.
Written tests that include multiple choice, short answer and essay questions.
Interviews.
Review of other skills, interests and extracurricular activities (sports, art, music, etc.)
These tests are not easy to begin with, but the highly competitive nature makes it even harder to earn a spot.
How To Prepare For Scholarship Tests
While requirements will change slightly depending on the school, generally, good preparation should include the following:
1. Understand Exam Requirements
Insight into the exam or test process, what will be required by the students and what the school is looking for in test results is key to guiding preparation. This will ensure your child is focussing on the right places and maximising their time and work to align with the expectations of the school.
2. Use Practice Exams
There are often practice scholarship exams or even past exams available online to help with study prep. These will give students a great sense of what they can expect and the format of exams and can be used to practice a variety of exam style questions, as well as their time management and dedicating the right amount of time to each question.
3. Practice Interview Questions
If there is an interview portion of the exam, it is vital for students to practice answering questions, thinking on their feet and maintaining a relaxed and confident demeanour. It’s important to have answers to key questions prepared ahead of time, as well as practicing how to respond to unexpected questions. This includes practicing responses to both verbal and written questions, having examples that can be provided when asked and doing research about the school.
4. Engage A Scholarship Tutor
Scholarship tutoring is incredibly popular for those who are looking to sit scholarship exams at elite schools. A private tutor for scholarships can provide everything you need to prepare and coach for an exam, plus expert insight into the requirements for different schools that you may not otherwise find. Gain an advantage by streamlining test preparation and ensuring time and effort are being put into the right areas.
Academic Preparation Is Just The Beginning
While students need to ensure they’re prepared for the academic components of the test, it’s also equally important that they are emotionally prepared. Taking an exam can be incredibly stressful, no matter how intelligent you are.
This is where scholarship exam preparation tutoring is beneficial, as it will not only improve academic performance and readiness but provide students with the techniques, tools and skills they need to manage stress and feel confident going into scholarship exams.
Give Your Child The Best Chance at Scholarship Success
A lot of the stress around scholarship exams comes from a lack of preparation and fear of failure. The better prepared students are for what to expect, the more confident they will be in their own abilities - and the better they’ll perform in these exams.
Tutoring is one of the best ways to give them this self-confidence and ensure they have all the knowledge and tools they need to succeed in scholarship exams - or any exams. IB tutoring and HSC English tutoring have also been proven to help students achieve better results in final school exams.
If you’re looking to help your child successfully secure a scholarship spot at an elite school, contact Little Geniuses to learn how our scholarship tutoring services can help.