How to prepare for yr8 selective school (1 Viewer)

[stillthinking]

Hello all,
some background first: my son starting year 7 in 2019 in local Sydney govt school and wants to try for year 8 selective school.
Year 6 is completed in Singapore where at the end of year 6 a nation wide exam is held (much like HSC in NSW) and in this exam he had scored straight A* (91% and above) in all subjects. This exam is called PSLE and is extremely tough at this level.

My question/s -
1- Should we apply to schools which take entrance exams like normanhurst or just go with the ones we like? I feel that those taking entrance exams are serious in admitting students to yr8.

2-I see a lot of coaching and tuition for selective prep for primary school students, how to prepare for selective yr8?

Any other advise or insight for us. Please pour in your responses, any suggestions are highly welcome.
thank you all.

 

[c8]

the next opportunity to apply for a selective school is in 2019 usually in june-july.

1- go to schools you like, many schools will have entrance tests however that's not necessarily a gauge of the seriousness of admitting students. for example, sydney girls doesnt require entrance tests but manages to consistently rank highly. you seem as though you are looking more at schools that are high ranking so it's quite likely that the schools you choose (you can choose three) will require a test.

2- coaching has become very common for the preparation of the selective test for primary schools however, it is less common for years 8-11. there are books that have practice questions which familiarise you with types of questions like general ability, writing, literacy or comprehension, maths and science etc. since he did well in the PSLE this might be indicative of success in entrance exams. you should also try and encourage your son to join extra curriculars which are appealing to schools such as sports, debating and chess and collect any certificates he receives. excellence in school is also important as a report is usually needed with an application. this sets him apart from other students, particularly because many students in year 8 will also be applying (usually over a hundred students apply for top ranking schools with only maybe 5 people getting in)

good luck with applying!