On the Coast – Families Issue 99 I April/May 2019 | 页面 10

Preparing students
for selective school exams
by Sean McNally
I
believe that preparing students as candidates for
competitive public exams, requires so much more
than ‘teaching to a test’. In fact, using only this
method, can often inhibit and under-prepare,
even talented students.
Over the years, we have assisted many,
many students to successfully prepare
for all Selective Schools and Scholarship
tests. These include Mathematics,
English and General Ability.
Scholarship tests are, by design,
challenging. As much for the content, as
the style of inference-based questions.
I have always believed that sound
preparation for public exams, needs to
focus on exposure to as wide a variety of
generic questions as possible.
There are many publically available
resources similar in style to those in most
tests.
Deliberately choosing wide-ranging,
generic examples, provide the student
with a broader exposure to a wider variety
of questions. Becoming familiar with this
type of higher-order questions, can then
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provide the student with a ‘toolbox’ of
experience. This can often be the key
difference between effective and non-
effective time management during the
pressure-cooker environment of the exam.
Having a broader exposure to generic
questions, not only provides opportunity
to explore content but to feel better
prepared. For many students this feeling
is somatic and authentic and cannot be
duplicated by rote-learning answers.
One of the key pieces of feedback
received over the years, has been the
students feeling like they ‘have more
time in the exam’. This comes from direct
experience of ‘exam conditions’.
The great Roger Federer is a
wonderful example of this kind of
preparation. He is a champion, not
necessarily because of his skill (he has
loads of that, as we all know), rather his
ability to excel on most surfaces and in
a variety of conditions. In other words,
Federer’s preparation is broad and
extensive. He also trains under pressure.
The net result of this approach is that
his mind and body are more relaxed and
able to process information (tennis balls),
at a faster rate than his opponents. He
then has seemingly more time to execute
his shots. Be like Roger and don’t simply
‘study for a test’ but prepare yourself
with as many similar styled questions as
you can.
Sean McNally is a local educator, father, husband
and stand up paddler He has been involved in
education since 1983. Sean is a director of local
business, Focus Education and has just recently
joined the Grandfather Club."