This is a question we get all the time – when is the right time to start preparing for the selective school test?
If you have done some basic research about the selective school test you will probably know two things:
- The selective school test is really hard – even for adults!
- It is fiercely competitive – about 13000 students compete for about 4000 spots, meaning only about 30% of students will gain entry. Another way of viewing this is that it is not just a test of your child’s abilities, it is a competition against 12,999 other students to come out on top.
Understanding these 2 things, the question of when to start preparing for the test actually becomes relative because there is no real answer to this question.
When a parent asks me it, I turn it back to them and ask “well, how important is it to you and your child that they get in?”. The answer to this questions should then determine how much time you spend preparing for the test.
We have been helping students get into selective schools for more than 15 years now, and within that time we have seen the full range of students – from those that start working with a tutor in third grade through to those that join us 6 weeks before.
Naturally, with any test like the selective school exam, the more preparation you do, the better you are going to go. The student that has been working with one of our tutors for 3 years is far more likely to succeed than the student that only does 6 lessons.
And so, in considering when to being preparing your child for the selective test you should ask yourself, how important is it that he or she get in. If it is really important to you, then you should get started now. If you don’t mind and have other options, then you can wait.
We recommend most students start preparations at least a year before the test, but this ultimately comes down to your motivation, budget and your child’s existing abilities.
The beauty of what we do is that our selective school preparation program is one-on-one, so every lesson is tailored to your child. Rather than sending them to a packed classroom to follow a generic workbook, your tutor instead comes to you or meets with them online and helps them prepare for the selective school test specifically focusing on their unique strengths and weaknesses.
It is very hard for even the brightest students to gain entry to a selective school without some element of preparation. We have seen it so many times – a parent thinks they will be fine, or that they can help them prepare – and then 6 weeks before the exam they come to us exhausted and frustrated saying “I wish we had just worked with you sooner”. An Alchemy tutor is a partner in the preparation process – giving you the parent less stress, more quality family time and a happier home.
No matter your child’s age or skill level, we can work with them to get them into a selective school. The sooner you start, the greater their confidence will be going into that exam. The test is hard, and it doesn’t allow time for your child to sit there unsure of what to do – our preparation program will solve all of this.
Get in touch today and get started on their selective school journey!
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