Hello,
I am currently in year 8 and I am taking the Melbourne High School exam on June 18. I have no idea whatsoever how selective school tests work… My brother is in Melbourne Uni but he never took any selective school exams. What does the exams (especially maths) cover? What year level topics does it cover? What are the things to watch out for? Are the practice tests very similar to the real ones? Thanks for all your help.
MHS Exam Help. Anyone Else Doing It / Has Done It before?
Comments
Thank you very much for your help. Were the superiors easy to get? And were the essays hard?
Superiors aren't "easy" to get, but it depends on your capabilities going in. I took that exam in 2008 and got in with two superiors; there will be plenty of kids getting all kinds of tutoring for this exam who will walk out with superiors across the board. If I remember correctly the essays weren't too difficult, one was analytical and I think the other was a creative piece where you had to include certain elements; one of mine was a door.
Sorry to be of little help. All I can say is do practice tests and see how you go; get tutoring if you think you're struggling. I believe the test is designed to assess "natural ability", but it certainly can be gamed.
Also, KaptnKaos is not wrong; the novelty will wear off fast - it's a high performance environment that will likely either push you to be better or make you lose heart. You will probably encounter some people who are much smarter than you, and if you're used to being the brightest guy in the room it will be hard at first. If that's the case, knuckle down and benefit from them. Based on what I've seen and experienced, a significant portion of MHS students develop the same kind of apathy you see from students everywhere and fail to reach their potential (even if they still do quite well).
Sometimes the external organisation that runs the entrance tests sells practice tests or past tests, worth investigating. To challenge yourself, I'd be looking at the year 9 NAPLAN Excel practice test books or the online tests at exceltestzone.com.au to see where you are at.
I sat and passed that test a long time ago. There were 6 tests, 4 of which were Language based and the remaining 2 were Mathematics based. I didn't go to any tuition centres or do any extra preparation for the tests, though a lot of places are coming up where they intend on preparing you for passing the test. I can't comment on the efficacy of those unfortunately.
From the English side of things, know your basic comprehension and revise your skills in finding grammatical and spelling errors. You'll have to write very fast, with one of the essay questions expecting you to write a minimum of 2 pages in 40 minutes.
From the Mathematics side of things, revise year 8 Mathematics really, really well and know a reasonable amount of year 9 Mathematics too. Geometry was a massive portion of the Maths assessments, so be prepared to investigate recurring patterns, shapes and the like.
Gee.. You're good, I did it in '02 and while I can recall there were different subjects, I can remember any particulars.
Good luck OP. Honour the work!
Thanks, I will try the exceltestzone.com.au site out.
Maths wise, you should try to find resources that have a lot of number patterns, and practice your quick arithmetic skills as this would save you time in the test. Have a look at past AMC tests as some of the methods to solving answers helped me quite well through both maths sections English wise, I think you should read the paper(editorial) and other texts to expand your general knowledge. I remember one of the essays I had to do was a persuasive piece about cats vs. dogs and I didn't do very well in that… Even if you are unlucky and don't get in, I think there is yr10 entry and also the one for JMSS.
Thanks KaptnKaos. I am not doing attending tuition classes too. I don't think they help a lot though.
Anyway, 2 pages in 40 minutes? That seems daunting enough but I read that you have to write 2 pages of analytical writing in 15 minutes. Either way, that is hard. I don't think I have ever done 2 pages in an exam in less than 40 minutes.
I did revise some year 8 mathematics (I'm in accelerated year 9 maths but I still forget some things) and I think I have to speed through my year 9 textbook since my maths class is really slow. Thanks for the geometry alert. I will try to remember that.I still remember one of the essays that I had to write like it happened yesterday.
There were 6 unrelated pictures, all black and white clip-arts, and the task was to write a minimum 2 page story that coherently links all 6 images, in the order of your choice, and the story must make sense. You were assessed on your creativity, how many of the pictures you included in your story, proper use of the English language and handwriting.
My pictures were:
- A McDonald's
- A prisoner with irons chained to his ankle
- A bundle of money
- A truck
- A house
- A car
My story went along the lines of the prisoner sleeping, to be woken by a key falling from a guard's pocket. The prisoner used a bed sheet to drag the key towards his cell, after which he ran behind the prison facility where there were numerous unbroken boulders (from their unfinished day of hard labour). He used the boulders to undo the irons he was chained to, making his escape easier and quicker. He then exited the prison compound via a drain channel, where he snuck into a truck that was delivering food supplies to the prison in his attempts to escape.
He hid in the truck's rear all down the freeway, until he could hear planes. He peeked out of the truck's rear and noticed that he was close to the airport. He jumped out at a red light and then headed for the airport on foot in search of a taxi (car).
He asked the taxi driver to go to McDonald's, but then realised that he had no money to buy anything. He used the bathroom there instead, then got in the taxi again to go home.
Once he reached home, he got money from his wife to pay the taxi driver. Then, the prisoner and his family started loading up their family car with everything they'd need to sustain themselves whilst they were on the run from the police.
They decided on going to… then I ran out of time.
Thank you. I will look into AMC tests. Cats vs. dogs sound very hard, at least for me. I like both… Is the year 10 entry harder?
I heard that there was less students doing the yr10 test, of my friends who did it, 5/7 got in and I would rate them smarter overall than than 2 guys I knew that got in during yr8. It depends on the test, you would expect most of the more capable ones to be selected in yr8. Looking at kaptnkaos' post, I also remember my other essays involved linking pictures as well…
Damn. Gotta say for a Grade 8er you are very literate (Assuming this is you writing, and not someone on behalf of you).
Thank you KeplersLaws. It is my writing, but I earnestly think I am not very literate. As far as my vocabulary goes, my mathematical skills are even further behind. I have a lot to do in 2 months. I doubt I will get in this school, but I will try to maximise my chances and try to create my own luck (study…). Thank you, though.
People say a lot of good things about MHS, but trust me - the novelty will wear off really fast.
H O N O U R T H E W O R K
loljoke, i only went to scummy second-rate mansfield state high
If Mansfield is second rate , what would Woodridge SH be 😃
I disagree quite strongly with KaptnKaos. I entered MHS in 2009 and graduated 2012. I was one of the boys that didn't do too well and I almost in fact, didn't get in (superior boys declined the offer for a place at MHS which created space for me under the 3% rule). The ethos and tradition at MHS was what made my years there amazing and well worth the hours of tutoring that I put in at a tutoring place in Hawthorn. From what I heard after I got in many boys went to what I would call Asian tutoring locations and these helped them. Mine was quite different, but yes the tutoring helped me immensely. And also in response to what Charlatan said about MHS boys becoming apathetic I would also disagree with this. Although a fair few did lose their drive, the majority and I mean everyone tried their best straight into the end. This is a school where you will want to do the homework and study because your mates are. Go for it son and give it your best, it's 100% worth it. I would definitely recommend finding a tutoring company to help you if you have set your sights on it. Sorry I can't answer your questions about the actual test, it was too long ago for me to remember!
Both my sons attended MHS. It was a great experience for them and they still love the school as do all of their friends. I am really impressed that you are making these enquiries and taking steps to enhance your educational experience, I had to push my sons every step of the way.
The MHS test in 2008 had 2 sections:
TESTS OF ABILITY (POTENTIAL) which comprised
Verbal Reasoning
Numerical Reasoning.
TESTS OF ACHIEVEMENT (PERFORMANCE) which comprised
Reading comprehension
Mathematics
Analytical writing
Creative writing
I sent both of my sons to a coaching college and agree with Charlatan that these tests can be "gamed". If your parents are willing to pay I would take a diagnostic test that would show the areas in which you are not as strong as others, it may not be the ones you think. You may also be able to also determine this from looking at your NAPLAN results and the comparison with your cohort. The second thing to do at the coaching college is a class in exam technique. It really is an art and not all techniques are obvious. Once you identify which areas are your weakest it is important to address these as there are minimum requirements for every component of the test. Some of the private school scholarships can be obtained through brilliance in one area but the MHS test requires competence across all. Find a coaching college that specialises in MHS entry test versus general improvement in school results. The costs can be high but remember that what you learn will help with all the other studies and exams you will need to do in the future.
I have allot of practice materials from the college, and from the comments above, it appears that the test has not changed much. If you send me a private message on this site we can make arrangements.Thank you Yola for your help. I have sent a message to you. Thank you again for your help.
Thank you for all your help. I don't think my parents are willing to pay tuition fees. It's very expensive. I have lots of intelligent students at my school trying for Melbourne High (about 10 students). Does this mean I have to be 1st or 2nd in the year level to get in even if I get superiors? If so, I don't think I can do very well.
You do not think your parents will pay but have you asked them? Unless you know it would cause them distress you should.
You have asked for help from this community and that is good but also try others.For example, you may also be able to get help from your school library, maybe they have some useful materials. Do you know any students who sat the test recently?
The number of students able to enter a selective school is governed by the 5% rule, used to be 3%. The number of students that can enter a selective school from your school is not governed by how many sit the test or even how well they do but by the number of students in Year 8 at your school. Below is an extract from 2015 entry test information pack explaining this further. Read all the information as there are other ways to enter the school.
It is not helpful to allow negative thoughts about your chances. Performance on the day is subject to many factors. Even if someone else gains entry ahead of you they may reject a place so do not count yourself out as you never know what will happen. Even if you do not gain entry for year 9 try for year 10 that would still give you excellent preparation for VCE.
You seem very keen and if you spend time on doing practice tests and research exam strategy, I suggest at least one day per week. You will be able to find information on the web- look here also http://www.boredofstudies.org/.
Don't forget about the other selective schools, the information booklet has their details.
Do not worry about how many "superiors" you need, just do your best. One of my sons gained entry with 1 superior, 2 above average and 3 high average scores.
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/parents/sec…
The 5% Rule
Department policy allows for a maximum of 5% of students in Year 8 from any one school to be accepted
into a selective entry high school based solely on performance in the examination each year. For each
selective entry high school, 85% of the Year 9 enrolment will be filled in this manner.
Up to a further 10% of enrolments will be filled through an Equity Consideration category (refer to Equity
Consideration below).
Up to a further 5% of the enrolment will be filled through the Principal’s Discretion category (refer to
Principal’s Discretion on page 4).
3.1 Equity Consideration
Students whose parents have either a Commonwealth Health Care Card or a Pension Card, and who
qualify for income support benefits, are eligible to apply for Equity Consideration. Students who are
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders are also eligible to apply for Equity Consideration. Up to 10% of the
Year 9 enrolments at each of the selective entry high schools can be filled via this category.The 5% rule applies, being that all the selective schools combined cannot take an amount of students from your school that exceeds 5% of its Year 8 intake. How well you need to do compared to your peers depends upon your cohort's size. Past that there is the principal's discretionary category and year 10 entry. Both of these will (based on what I've seen) depend significantly upon your co-curricular background.
Also, reading Justin's comment and re-reading mine I'll admit I make it sound more negative than it is. The school has so much more to offer its students than just an environment of academic excellence. I maintain that it can be disheartening, and that quite a large number of students don't really put in the effort you might associate with a selective-entry school, but then I'm pretty sure Justin maintained a much larger circle of friends than I did so I defer to his expertise.
When I did it and now that was 7 years ago now, it was split into 6 parts. 2 essays, numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, reading comprehension, maths, persuasive writing and creative writing.
I found this with a quick google
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/secondary/Pag…
I think they were similar. I'm not too sure. It's not really a specific topic. It's kind of broad. I can tell you about the grading. Well from what I remember. Something to do with superior, above average, high average, average and below average.
I guess that's all I can really do to help. Good luck and I hope you get in!