Scholarship and entrance exams are comprised of Ability tests and Achievement tests.
Please note that John Monash Science School, has a different style of entrance examination. Please read the statement at the bottom of this page.

The Ability tests

Ability tests are designed to measure a child's ability to think, reason and solve problems, without necessarily relying on prior knowledge. Ability generally predicts how quickly a child will be able to learn and the level of complexity that they can comfortably deal with.

1.	Verbal Reasoning	30 minutes long
	Measures the ability to think and reason using words and language. This includes vocabulary, word relationships, classification and deduction.

2.	Numerical Reasoning	30 minutes long
	Measures the ability to think and reason using numbers. This includes series, matrices, arithmetical reasoning and deduction.

 

The Achievement tests

Achievement tests are designed to measure actual achievement or performance in some key academic areas. Achievement scores are influenced by a child's ability, as well as the application and practise of knowledge that has been learned.
 

3.	Reading Comprehension	30 minutes long
	Measures the capacity to read and interpret meaning from written passages, as well as correct, complete and punctuate sentences.

4.	Mathematics	30 minutes long
	Measures year-level appropriate mathematical knowledge, including items tapping numbers, measurement, algebra, space and data.

5.	Written Expression	15 minutes long
	This is a creative writing test that assesses the ability to convey ideas clearly in written form. Punctuation, creativity, construction, grammar, spelling and relevance to the task are assessed.

John Monash Science School (JMSS)

Statement on Entry Tests

John Monash Science School has received a number of enquiries about the format and content of the tests which will be administered by Edutest to determine entry to the school. In response to these requests, the following statement has been prepared. Please note that to ensure that integrity of the testing process, and equity for all applicants, no further information about the tests will be provided prior to the administration of the tests.

John Monash Science School is a specialist school which focuses on science, mathematics and associated technologies. The students who will benefit most from attending the school will be proficient in mathematics, be able to express themselves clearly in English, to apply scientific reasoning to problems and to think logically and coherently.

Therefore, there will be tests assessing the following:
• Academic potential
• Literacy
• Scientific aptitude
• Mathematics and numeracy
Some practice material is available on the Edutest website.

In relation to the test(s) of scientific reasoning, JMSS and Edutest, are not supplying any specific details of the format or content. Last year this component consisted of two short writing pieces, but there is no guarantee that this format will be repeated this year. JMSS does not want students to rote learn previously prepared responses, and therefore expect to change the format of tests regularly to ensure that the process is fair to all applicants.

What we have found, as a result of the tests last year, is that those who are successful are curious about science, interested in the world around them and well grounded in mathematics and English, and although these are not specific criteria for entry, they expect that this will also be true of those offered places for 2011.

We hope that there is a wide range of applicants for places at the school, and we wish you every success in the tests.

Peter Corkill (Principal)
Andrew Chisholm (Assistant Principal)
Sally Cheah-Johnson (Assistant Principal)