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Good luck to all those preparing for January entrance exams!

97 replies

CheerLeader2017 · 22/12/2016 19:35

I remember being in this same position last year...Great words of wisdom from a Head Teacher in this article www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2016/12/21/preparing-school-entrance-exams-celebrate-childs-efforts-much/

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cornflowerblu · 23/12/2016 11:19

Thank you. Panic stations setting in

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MuseumOfCurry · 23/12/2016 13:33

We have three in January. Good luck everyone. Wink

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11Eleven2017 · 25/12/2016 00:53

Is this the thread for e. trance exams 2017?

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nocampinghere · 27/12/2016 10:22

exams next week, so cruel!
just managed to get dd to do a few 10 minute tests this morning.

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MaeMobley · 27/12/2016 22:53

we have four exams. I am trying to keep it light.

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santassausages · 28/12/2016 18:31

We've just got the one, but realised yesterday that it's less than 3 weeks away. Eeek. :(

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CheerLeader2017 · 28/12/2016 19:56

It's so hard to keep the momentum going, especially around Christmas and the holidays. As already mentioned, try not to stress your children out, keeping revision activities to short bursts and fun challenges. At this stage it's about encouragement and building confidence. I am sure they'll be fantastic, children can be pretty amazing when it counts.

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11Eleven2017 · 29/12/2016 08:54

Hi.. have seem this type of question on these papers. Not sure how to explain to DC how to approach it. Can any of you help?
Find the price of the adult/child ticket.
1 adult, 4 children go to fairground. Total cost £64. Child ticket is 25% less than adult ticket. What are their respective ticket prices.

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nocampinghere · 29/12/2016 09:48

my DD's exams are NEXT WEEK! eek... she's still asleep (or at least pretending to be. She knows when she gets up she'll be faced with some maths & verbal reasoning tests. willing them over now.

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nocampinghere · 29/12/2016 09:49

11eleven i'd do it as a ratio question. are the amounts correct in your example as it doesn't work easily as a ratio. maybe there's another way.

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11Eleven2017 · 29/12/2016 22:36

😂 nocampinghere no Ds has been doing that all week. On the final leg now. Three exams in total then the dreaded wait. So pleased to be nearly done... feel like the most hated woman in the house at the mo... the whole house has a grumpy aura ...no fun for anyone....😖😱

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nocampinghere · 30/12/2016 08:56

well dd has got up this morning and is cracking on with it herself, no nagging! maybe the realisation they are a WEEK TODAY has hit. Or maybe she thinks she should just do it and then i'll leave her in peace.

however have just gone through it and she's done really badly Sad arghhh. VR not her strong point!

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Stalingrad · 02/01/2017 08:46

Hello all. My DD has 3 exams looming, the first is next Friday. She has worked so hard but isn't quite getting the scores she needs for the school's she wants. I can't stand the thought of her confidence being destroyed. I suggested to her that we could pull her out of all the exams and she can go to the local comp but she truly believes she will pass and is desperate to sit the papers. I am dReading results day. This system is so messed up. Ten year olds she not be put through this.

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FanDabbyFloozy · 02/01/2017 11:28

@stalingrad - it's really hard to know what the standard is and at this stage, I'd encourage her lots and go through with it. We were in the exact same state with the state selective exams a few months back, but went through with them given she'd done the hard work and wanted to. In the event she was successful at a couple.

Few children get all the schools they want so they all face rejection at some level. They're surprisingly chipper about it.

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11Eleven2017 · 02/01/2017 11:57

stalingrad our whole Christmas has been ruined by all this prep this year. In the same boat. There are some days I sit back and say DS will be fine and others .... well... Confused
Our first exam is Friday. Mock tomorrow with his tutors... at this point I don't think there is anything more that can be done. They either know it or don't.... he knows it, but loves to daydream... very infuriating !!!!

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Stalingrad · 02/01/2017 12:01

Yes it's rather dominated our Christmas too. Cruel timing by the schools. Why not do the exams in Dec? If they really are against tutoring then that would make sense.

DD is utterly inconsistent. Some days she's hitting 75%or even 80% and others 60%. Her tutor says it's very unusual.

Yesterday I think we cracked symmetry so there is still time to concentrate on very specific consistent areas of weakness.

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Mirandawest · 02/01/2017 12:03

Not doing entrance exams but this is how I'd do 11Eleven's question.

The adult price is X. Children are 75% of an adult so 0.75X.

We are told there is one adult and 4 children.

So this is X + 4x0.75X

So they paid £64 for X + 3X

4X = £64
X = £16 and child price is £12

Hope everyone's exams go well Smile

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CheerLeader2017 · 02/01/2017 12:03

@stalingrad, yes @FanDabyFloozy makes a very good point, we tend to over worry, more so than our children. You'll look back and see that whichever the outcome, it worked out for the best.
She has 3 exams, so will gain confidence as she goes along, making an improvement on her timing and answering techniques.
An idea for a strategy to adopt. This week focus on her stronger paper, getting that to a really good standard, then the following week, focus on her weaker subject, getting up to reasonable level.
Out of interest, are you preparing at home or using a tutor?
Best of luck! Don't get stressed. It is still all possible.

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Stalingrad · 02/01/2017 12:14

Thanks @CheerLeader2017 and @FanDabyFloozy. I know I mustn't stress, I just angry at the system! I am also pregnant and hormonal which doesn't help. I'm not showing DD how I feel. We are concentrating on maths this week as it's easier to isolate areas to improve.

DD goes to a very standard state primary and has had a tutor for one hour a week for two terms. When I look at the preparation that the private school kids get I do feel she's at a significant disadvantage. Her tutor even told me that kids from her primary always struggle with maths. I wish I'd brought in more tutoring sooner!

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MLP · 03/01/2017 10:01

Stalin, we are in a similar situation. DC has not done particularly well in the various tests we have done over Christmas break. English in 60s after starting of 70% plus. Maths is going nowhere - 50s.

Really don't think she will hit many of her private school choices, even though some of them aren't first tier academically. Will still have her sit the exams at this point as we simply don't know how she will fare - might surprise us and get an offer somewhere. We have a decent state school option which is looking very appealing. Currently at local state primary, which obviously doesn't help at all. Friends at prep schools, so trying to avoid those conversations re all the help they are getting.

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nocampinghere · 03/01/2017 10:09

do remember the schools know where your dcs are for primary and they do take the levels of preparation at the private preps into account. they will know if kids from x school usually do well when they arrive. they will know if kids from x prep school underperform vs their exam result

i'm not saying they don't have a massive advantage, clearly they do, but it's not as black and white as you might think.

we're on the home run too. avoiding doing papers, what she knows, she knows. i honestly don't even know which school i prefer, am trusting the process!

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cornflowerblu · 03/01/2017 11:58

Currently wading through a super hard VR paper. That's it for today.

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Newtssuitcase · 03/01/2017 12:07

It was the other way around here. DSs were both at the prep school for an independent senior school. The senior school offers 10 academic scholarship places.

Only one of the scholarship places went to a child from the prep school because at the prep they did very little work for the entrance exam, they just assumed the children would be fine barring some major catastrophe. The teachers were so laid back it was rather bizarre, although it did mean that the children were not in the least bit stressed by the whole experience.

The children from outside of the school did loads of revision and preparation work and test papers and as such did better on the whole in the exams.

Situation might be slightly different I guess if the prep in question doesn't feed into a school.

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santassausages · 04/01/2017 13:22

We all hate the VR with a passion. Some of the questions seem so bizarre that even as a (well educated) family we struggle. How 10 and 11 year olds are supposed to do them ....

Agree that it's all overshadowed Christmas. DD had three days off - Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing Day, but apart from that there's been test papers set by the school to complete. I haven't been able to bring myself to look at how she's done; I'll be glad when it's over.

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ChocolateWombat · 04/01/2017 17:04

Well, we've had ours today.

DC came out having had a fun day, having met lots of lovely children and saying the teachers were very friendly. Seemed to have managed the time and didn't seem distraught by any of it.

We are all relieved and considering a celebratory bonfire of Bond books, past papers etc......can't quite believe we can really put it all away now. DC has worked hard (as have I) so on effort alone deserves a place, but I know that's not how it works......but it would be lovely to get the place. Regardless, the process,mwhilst truly ghastly at points has certainly improved DCs maths and given an experience of preparation and exam taking that would be missing otherwise, so regardless of the outcome, we will be focusing on the positives that arise from it all.

Cream cakes for tea and a celebratory day out this weekend!

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