In Australia, thousands of scholarship and selective entry placements become available to school students. Competition is very high for these places as they promise a place at a highly respected school and can save families tens of thousands of dollars. I am often asked by students and parents if there is a “secret recipe” to gain a scholarship or a selective school placement.
For more than 15 years we have helped thousands of students prepare for their scholarship and selective entry exams. In that time, we have come to recognise traits and habits of high performing students that receive a scholarship or selective school placements.
Be Proactive
Scholarship students like to be proactive in their learning journey. They understand the concepts they need help with and will always work with their tutors to gain a solid understanding of the concepts. These students are also never afraid to ask questions. Some students mistakenly believe the more worksheets and homework they do, the better they will do on the exam. However, this is not entirely true if they don’t spend the time reviewing the mistakes they have made on worksheets and take steps to properly understand where and why they went wrong.
Don’t Rote Learn
A very common strategy of scholarship students is they know rote learning questions is not the path to success. Rote learning might be okay for some things (such as memorising your times tables), but when it comes to scholarship or selective school exams, students must know how to problem solve. We often recognise students who mistakenly rely on rote learning as they will ask for endless samples of worksheets and essays.
Managing Stress
Stress or nervousness plays a major role in a student’s performance in their exam. A scholarship student understands that proper exam preparation, planning and strategy, there should be no reason to be overly stressed. A little bit of stress is good as it shows the exam is important to the student. Improper planning and lack of preparation are usually why students become very stressed as they are simply not prepared.
Natural Ability
A student who has natural academic ability has an advantage over other students. However, if you are a student who doesn’t have the same level of natural ability, this advantage can be minimised with hard work, correct study skills, utilising realistic practice exams, and guidance from their tutor.
By using the strategies above in conjunction with an overall program, a student is well on the way to success with their scholarship or selective school exam.