Exam Preparation

Guide
Selective Test [2018]

Christopher Chen [2014 Premier’s All Rounder

James Ruse Agricultural High School Graduate;
WSU Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of
Surgery]
Alpha One Coaching College
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Foreword
For the tips in this booklet, they are things which I personally do in preparation for my
exams and have proven to work for me for many years. However as everyone is different,
you may want to make changes to what is said. Nothing said in this booklet is set in stone
but more intended as a guideline especially if you are unsure what to do.

Changes to my recommendations may be necessary so if you don’t want to follow some of

the tips or if you know what works better for you, feel free to deviate from what is written.
However, other than that, the advice given in this booklet is based on widely available
and/or personal evidence and my past students have found it to be very helpful and I am
sure that you will get value out of it.

Pre-Examination Preparation Tips

Diet

In the days that are leading up to the exam, you will want to have a diet that is well balanced
and provides you with all of the nutrients that you need for proper brain function. Although
what you are eating 3 days won’t be as important as what you eat on the morning of the
exam, you still want to make sure your body is getting all the nutrients it needs.

I will go through what you should eat and what you should avoid on the morning of the
exam later however, for the few days before the exam, just ensure that you have the basics
such as your 5 serves of vegetables and 3 serves of fruit as well as protein-rich foods and
carbohydrates. For most children, with what their parents feed them, it is sufficient in all
these areas and you just have to make sure that you don’t go about skipping meals and
going hungry.

However, there are certain foods that I tend to avoid around a week before the test. These
are the high risk foods which have higher chances of making you fall sick. For example, I will
avoid raw seafood such as sashimi and if I am cooking meats, I ensure that they are fully
cooked and will sometimes slightly overcook it to minimise risk. With cooked foods, I make
sure that they are well refrigerated and if something has been left out in the summer heat, I
will avoid eating it. Although 9 times out of 10, you probably will be fine, it’s a safe measure
to avoid risky foods.

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Avoiding sick people

On the topic of falling sick, I tend to avoid people who are obviously sick at least a week
before the exam. Personally, my performance is greatly hindered if I have a cold or the flu.
Sometimes it is purely bad luck if you do catch something days before the exam, but try to
do your best to avoid it and one of the basic ways to avoid getting sick is to avoid people
who are unwell.

You don’t need to stay 100 metres away from everyone who’s got a cough, but try to be a
bit at least a few metres away from people who have a bit of a cough, runny nose, etc. Don’t
be afraid to kindly explain to a sick friend why it is important for you to not get sick in the
days leading up to the test. Also you can further decrease the chance of falling sick if you
regularly wash your hands and minimise the action of touching random surfaces.

If you are unlucky enough to become unwell before the test, make sure you spend plenty of
time resting and drinking water. Usually when I get sick, I won’t get better for at least a
week but I can make myself more mentally and physically strong by getting plenty of sleep,
water and healthy foods.

If you are sick, you may want to consider seeing a doctor and filling out a illness form after
the test.

Exercise

In the days before exams, I do like to do some light exercise to keep my mind clear and less
clouded. Physical activity releases chemicals in your brain which makes you feel good and
improve mood. It is very important to keep your mind in a positive framework just as
important as avoiding negative emotions and situations that result in negativity.

My exercise when I am stressed before exams usually involves just walking 10 minutes
down and back from the shops to buy some food. Alternatively you can walk around your
backyard which is a much safer option but just as effective.

However, do not over do the exercise and participate in intense activity. Generally you want
to avoid intense exercises which can drain your energy or cause damage to your body. If you
play an intense game of basketball, soccer, etc. you will feel very tired afterwards and also if
you exert more than usual, it is quite likely you will feel soreness in your muscles the next
day and for days to come. For some people, this can be quite distracting so the key is to do
some light exercise but don’t do anything that requires too much effort.

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Work load

In terms of the work load, this one will vary a bit from person to person. I personally like to
do some light work (for maybe 1-2 hours a night) in the few days before the test. The time
that I spend won’t involve anything super intense like doing a full trial test but rather just
doing questions so that everything stays refreshed in my mind. Although, I enjoy doing work
every day up until and including the night before the test, some students do prefer to simply
relax on the night before the test. This is fine but please don’t relax for like 3 days before the
exam because many students start getting a bit rusty on some of the harder topics even if
they don’t touch questions for a few days. Although relaxing for too much won’t mean that
you drop from a score of 230 to 210 but you may drop a few points and in this competitive
test, every mark will count!!

However, on the morning of the test, I won’t recommend that you do any studying as I
personally find that this does not benefit and only makes me feel more anxious. Just relax,
have a good breakfast and make sure you leave for the test centre with plenty of spare time.

Sleep Schedule

Sleep is extremely important and you need to get enough for your brain to function
properly. According to what is recommended, you should be sleeping between 8 and 9
hours. For a few nights before the test make sure you are sleeping adequate amounts as
well as during hours which match up with what time you have to wake up on the test date. If
you plan to wake up at 7am on the test date, try to get your sleep hours between 10pm-
7am every night for around 4 days before the test date. Obviously you will need to go to
bed a bit before 10pm to ensure that you are asleep by that time.

The main reason I try to synchronise my sleep schedule at least 3 days before tests is
because I personally find it very hard to change my sleeping hours by drastic amounts and I
need to condition my body to sleep at those hours. You may find it different for yourself so
do what you know will work for you.

Also on the night before the exam, it is a good idea to be in bed at least 1 hour before the
time you plan to go to sleep. Most students will inevitably be nervous and may find it a bit
difficult to sleep right away. Personally, as I get quite anxious before important exams, I like
to be in bed 1.5 hours before I should be asleep so I get plenty of time to calm down and fall
asleep.

Also do not eat or drink things which will hinder your ability to fall asleep. The main things
are foods which contain caffeine inside it. These range from things such as coke to coffee to

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energy drinks. Avoid these or you may be stuck wide awake for most of the night before the
test!
Exam Stationery

Looking at the table given on the government website, it implies that you can bring an
analogue watch or a digital watch as long as it does not emit any sound. Definitely bring a
watch as you may be unlucky on the test day and they might seat you very far away from
the clock and you will not be able to keep track of time.

Ensure you prepare everything you need such as the Test Authority Letter, water bottle,
snack etc. the night before the test and not on the morning of the exam otherwise you may
be in a frenzy if you can’t find what you need!

Morning of the Test

On the morning of the test, the key trick is to ensure that you have plenty of time with
everything you do. Whatever your morning routine is, ensure that you give yourself a bit
more time than usual so that you will be good for time even if something unexpected
happens. Also make sure you leave with plenty of time to spare. Usually I aim to get to the
test centre at least 30 minutes before what is stated on the information sheet. In some
locations, the morning traffic in the local area is absolutely horrendous and many times a 5
minute drive has ended up as a 25 minute trip for me during the morning when everyone is
trying to get to school (luckily not on test days).

Another big thing that you need to be careful about on the morning of the exam is the types
of food that you eat. Some foods are very healthy and full of nutrients which will keep you
full for hours while other foods will make you feel bloated, tired and want to go to sleep. It is
impossible for me to list all the foods you can and cannot eat but a general guide is to avoid
highly processed foods. This means that foods that have to have gone through a lot

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treatment before it is ready to eat. For example, a cheeseburger is highly processed while a
banana is not.

Below is a list of meals which are natural (good) on the left and processed (bad) on the right.
You want to go for natural foods rather than processed ones.

If you ever google good exam foods, you will notice a lot of websites recommend things
such as nuts and blueberries. Although these foods are quite packed with nutrients, I find
that they are not very filling. After eating a punnet of blueberries or handful of some nuts, it
is barely an hour before I get hungry again and it is very hard to eat an amount which will
keep you full for 3 hours or so.

So you want to go for natural foods which will actually keep you satisfied for at least 3 hours
until your break. I would recommend literally any food which is filling and is not heavily
processed but I will give you an example of a meal that I will eat on the morning of the exam.
For very important tests, I will typically go for grilled salmon, hard boiled eggs, yogurt and
maybe a banana. I will cook plenty and keep eating and stop once I feel that I am about 80-
90% full. I don’t want to stuff myself otherwise I will show up to the exam with a painful
stomach! Also I will not eat super early but I will time my breakfast so that it I finish it and
within 10 minutes I am out of the door on the way to the exam. The reason I do this is
because I want the food that I ate, to last me as long as possible and if I eat my food as soon

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as I wake up and then get dressed, pack and wash up after eating, my stomach will get
hungry earlier in the day.
Examination Tips
Timing

In terms of timing when you are sitting the test, I will not delve too deep into this as you
would have gotten plenty of practice through trial tests both at home and in class. However
I will mention a few important things that I like to repeat over and over. Just be aware you
have the following amount of time in each section for each question:

 Reading Comprehension: ~1 minute / question

 Mathematics: 1 minute / question
 General Ability: 40 seconds / question

If you are falling behind in time, please be very serious about the situation and strive to
catch back up on time. If you meet a hard question, don’t be afraid to skip it. Your goal in the
selective test is not to score full marks- it is to get as many marks as you can. Some
questions will simply be too hard for you and you should just guess those and try to score
100% on the questions that you know how to do. It will be very hard to do this when the
test is finishing and you do not have enough time to do these easy questions. You do not
want to be losing marks on questions that you know how to do!!!

Also on another note, I have attached what the timetable for the test day will look like:

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Water Intake

One of the biggest reasons people lose time during the test is due to the fact that they
suddenly feel the need to go to the bathroom. Many students who drink too much water
suddenly find themselves busting to go and they are stuck in the situation where if they do
go, they lose valuable time and if they do not go, they are distracted by their very full
bladder- making it easier to make silly mistakes because they are distracted.

To solve this issue, I have actually come up with a general guide for myself which I will share
with you. I will go through how much I recommend that you should be drinking on the test
day and at what time as well. I know this sounds a bit silly and you might not believe that I
have gone to lengths to think about how much water I drink, let alone keeping track of what
time I drink the water. However, I promise you that I use this method and I know that it
sounds a bit strange and you probably have to be a bit crazy to do it, but hey, whatever
works!

Below I have set up a table with how I usually drink water leading up to the exam and also
during.

Time How much water to drink

More than 1 hour before the test Drink plenty of water regularly to stay
hydrated
Less than 1 hour before the test Take small sips when desired
During the test Take small sips when desired
Less than 20 minutes until break or end of Drink plenty of water and as much as you
test want

Using the guide above, I found that it works quite well for me and it has prevented me from
ever having to waste time going to the bathroom. Also before walking into the test room,
make sure that you go to the bathroom even if you don’t have to. Also go during the big
lunch break!

This method may sound a bit intense but it is simply what I do for myself and if you are
happy with how you do things and it has always worked for you, please stick with it and do
what you are comfortable with. If you are concerned about the aforementioned issue, I am
sure my recommendation with be helpful.

Mid-exam Snack and Break

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During the test you will get a short 20 minute break to eat some food as well as get some
fresh air. In terms of food, you want to bring some snacks that, once again, are not heavily
processed and will last you at least the next 2 hours until the test is over. Once again, you
can literally eat anything as long as it is not highly processed and is filling. My go-to snacks
are bananas, whole grain bread and yoghurt. I will bring plenty of food and eat until I am
about 80% full. Once again you do not want to stuff yourself and although normally I try not
to waste food but on these exam days, I won’t be afraid to take home or throw out what I
don’t eat as long as I don’t stuff myself. Make sure you do bring enough food.

Another thing that I try to do is to get some fresh air and move around a bit. I found this
very helpful in clearing my mind and refreshing it for the second half of the exam. Don’t run
around aggressively or play tip with your friends because if you do fall over or injure
yourself, that won’t be very fun for you or your final selective mark!

One other thing I tend to do is to avoid talking about the test with other students. The only
thing that could result from this is that you might realise you did a question wrong and you
will start wasting time thinking about it. As an anxious person, I will continue thinking about
questions I messed up even when I walk back into the exam room and I know some of you
will as well. If you are busy worrying and thinking about the marks you lost, you are
spending less attention on the test currently in front of you, so I just avoid talking about the
exam altogether if there is a break halfway through the exam.

Following Instructions

Ensure that you follow all instructions given by the supervisors!!!

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Post-examination Tips
Illness or Misadventure Form

If you are sick during the exam, make sure to report it as they may modify your marks
accordingly. However, the approval process is very vigorous and it seems like they don’t just
freely add marks if you claim to be sick. So it is much better to avoid being sick but if it does
occur, don’t be afraid to apply for consideration. Here is the link to the government website
with all the relevant information:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-
classes/year-7/the-test/illness-or-misadventure

If you find this booklet to be useful and would like to find out more about us, please email us at
[email protected] or give us a ring on 0470 037 117. We will be more than happy to
schedule in a free meeting to discuss the best preparation strategy for your child. Also be on the
lookout as we will be launching our website very soon!!