Applying to Year 11, what are my chances? (1 Viewer)

[kat1324]

Planning to apply for Year 11 2022 for Caringbah High School, currently in Year 10 now.
I got 4 As, all in core (Eng, Math, Science, History) Including an A10 in Maths (which only like 5 kids out of my 200 kid cohort get), then Bs in PDH, PASS, multimedia and Religion.
I got a lot of extra curricular (Soccer, swimming, cross country, debating, duke of ed).
This is my first time applying for a selective school so I have no gauge of my chances, I'm not the most sweatiest academic sweat and I'm only starting to prepare now when the test is 7th of August.
What can I do to prepare? I really can't afford to cash out on the ACER $50 preparation packs as I already had to pay $100 for the selection testing.

 

[jimmysmith560]

You definitely have a chance as your current academic performance is of good standards and you have participated in several extracurricular activities.

You should definitely revise all the content you've learned this year in preparation for your HAST, particularly maths and English as the areas that are tested in the HAST are reading comprehension, mathematical and scientific reasoning, abstract reasoning and written expression, meaning it won't be an easy test. Your revision should consist of completing practise questions for maths to ensure you're familiar and comfortable with all the concepts you've learned this year. For English, you should complete reading comprehension questions and ensure you're familiar with the literary and visual techniques you've learned this year. Doing so will allow you to become more comfortable with reading texts and extracting relevant information, allowing you to write high-quality responses.

I hope this helps!

 

[kat1324]

You definitely have a chance as your current academic performance is of good standards and you have participated in several extracurricular activities.

You should definitely revise all the content you've learned this year in preparation for your HAST, particularly maths and English as the areas that are tested in the HAST are reading comprehension, mathematical and scientific reasoning, abstract reasoning and written expression, meaning it won't be an easy test. Your revision should consist of completing practise questions for maths to ensure you're familiar and comfortable with all the concepts you've learned this year. For English, you should complete reading comprehension questions and ensure you're familiar with the literary and visual techniques you've learned this year. Doing so will allow you to become more comfortable with reading texts and extracting relevant information, allowing you to write high-quality responses.

I hope this helps!

Thank you! What kind of questions can I expect on the papers?

 

[jimmysmith560]

Thank you! What kind of questions can I expect on the papers?

No worries. I haven't done the HAST myself, but I believe you should expect some rather challenging questions within each test component that fall within the scope of the content you learned in year 10 (Senior Secondary test).

As mentioned earlier, the HAST is comprised of the following components:

• Mathematical reasoning
• Reading comprehension
• Abstract reasoning
• Written expression
  • Part One: Discursive task
  • Part Two: Creative task

The mathematical reasoning component consists of multiple-choice questions. You should pay close attention to your answers, especially in the case of trick questions, and ensure the options you did not select are wrong.

The reading comprehension component also consists of multiple-choice questions. In order to do well, you should read both the questions and the options carefully as some may be more correct than others. They seemingly differentiate some of the answers using wording that the student may not be able to notice, such as "might" vs "must".

The abstract reasoning component also consists of multiple-choice questions. This section is said to be more difficult to prepare for because it relies on logical reasoning, as opposed to what you know. Patterns seem like a concept that is assessed within this component. This is an example of a question that can appear within the abstract reasoning component:



The written expression component includes 2 writing tasks. Whether you may be required to write a creative and/or a discursive might differ from year to year. This is an example of a creative writing question that you can expect:

Often in books or on radio or television, a person in a story says 'Safe at last!' when they reach home or find hiding places.

Write a story which uses 'Safe at last!' as an important saying.​

This is an example of a discursive writing question that you can expect:

Is social media a distraction? Justify your answer.​

I hope this helps!

 

[=)(=]

Tips for Giraween year 11 test

 

[=)(=]

pls

 

[jimmysmith560]

Tips for Giraween year 11 test

Hey, I believe the tips I've given above also apply to students applying to Girraween High School as both Caringbah High School and Girraween High School require their applicants to sit the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST).

 

[vieveic]

Hi, I am also applying for Caringbah High School though I am sitting the HAST at Girraween High School and applying for year 9 2022. My year 7 final report was three Bs and four As and my year 8 semester 1 had English as a C (I did really bad in my speech), 1 B and 5 As.
I also have distinction in AMC, Piano grade 6, some languages championship awards, school music concert certificate, no sport and I don't have the year 7 NAPLAN because it was cancelled last year. I participate in the (though I don't have any evidence to support them as my school doesn't put these onto our reports) science club, knitting club, dance club and library prefect. I have never been the SRC and this is my first time sitting the test.

Do I stand a chance...

 

[011235]

In all honestly, it is pretty difficult to get into Caringbah High School in Year 9. On average there are only 1-3 positions available moving from Year 8-9 and many students apply. However, doing sufficient preparation for the HAST will help you immensely, @jimmysmith560's tips are very good.

For year 11 (Caringbah High School) on the other hand, I believe around 10-15 additional places are opened, + those who move schools, so there is a significantly higher chance of being able to secure a position.

 

[vieveic]

I think I will be aiming for Year 11 then. Thank you and also @jimmysmith560's tips were extremely helpful as well!

 

[jimmysmith560]

I think I will be aiming for Year 11 then. Thank you and also @jimmysmith560's tips were extremely helpful as well!

No worries! Good luck with your application!

 

[vieveic]

Thank you so much!

 

[wzsmartypants]

Hi, I am also applying for Caringbah High School though I am sitting the HAST at Girraween High School and applying for year 9 2022. My year 7 final report was three Bs and four As and my year 8 semester 1 had English as a C (I did really bad in my speech), 1 B and 5 As.
I also have distinction in AMC, Piano grade 6, some languages championship awards, school music concert certificate, no sport and I don't have the year 7 NAPLAN because it was cancelled last year. I participate in the (though I don't have any evidence to support them as my school doesn't put these onto our reports) science club, knitting club, dance club and library prefect. I have never been the SRC and this is my first time sitting the test.

Do I stand a chance...

im in the same year as u and a friend of mine applied for girra last year, ended up getting rejected but got into sydney boys. Girra is one of the most competitive schools to enter after year 7, my friend who took the test said that at least 300 applied. Beware of that and good luck, I'm pretty sure schools who require kids to take HAST test generally pick the top 20 students from HAST results then look at their cocurricular and reports/

 

[=)(=]

Is it easier to get into girraween or baulkhams for entry into yr 11

 

[wzsmartypants]

Is it easier to get into girraween or baulkhams for entry into yr 11

yes, that’s the case for every selective school, they open up new spaces in yr11. But there’s probably gonna be more people applying.

 

[jimmysmith560]

Is it easier to get into girraween or baulkhams for entry into yr 11

Considering the difference in ranks between the two schools:

• Baulkham Hills High School - ranked 2nd in 2020
• Girraween High School - ranked 27th in 2020

It might be easier to get accepted into Girraween High School than Baulkham Hills High School, although this can also depend on the number of students each school is willing to take in year 11. More spots offered results in a better chance of getting accepted, provided your application and performance are competitive.

 

[=)(=]

From your experience balkham hills easier to get into. I got basically straight a and a couple of distinctions.

 

[=)(=]

true

 

[011235]

By the way, there is no real harm in trying out for a Year 9 position and if you do not make it in, then trying again for Y10/11