General FAQ
If you have a specific question, such as your account or online profile, please contact us directly at info@newcenturyschool.com.au
Who are your teachers? Are they university students?
Our teachers are the best of the best. They are professional teachers currently teaching in private or government schools, or, are retired from these roles. All our teachers are qualified and experienced, and not undergraduate uni students.
What year level should I enrol my child in?
Because our curriculum changes with the exam seasons, you should always endeavour to enrol your child in the same year level they are in at their day schools. In class, students will encounter content that is usually a year or so ahead of their day school peers.
My child is excelling at school. Should I enrol in a higher year level?
We strongly advise parents to avoid this for two main reasons. One, this means the curriculum your child is studying will not line up with the exam seasons well. Academic difficulty is not linear; sequencing and timing are crucial to a student’s development. Two, it is very rare that a student is considerably ahead in all subjects, and enrolling ahead can negatively affect a child’s confidence and development over time.
What's on your online platform?
Our online platform, exams.institute, was developed to give students the resources, and build habits, that will guide them to success. Our worksheets, teachers’ notes, writing showcase, weekly exercises, online mock exams etc. are all hosted there.
My child is not academically excellent. Should I sign up?
Definitely! Many students do not attend our classes with the express purpose of achieving a scholarship offer. It is often a happy by-product of a student’s general academic improvement! We believe the healthiest mindset is to try and improve on your current foundation, and create a healthy development trajectory with some reasonable goals in mind.
Exam FAQ
If you have a specific question, such as how you should plan your exam season, please contact us directly at info@newcenturyschool.com.au
When is the scholarship exam season?
Most scholarship exams are held at the start of the year, in February. This exam season usually runs through to April. Most offers are at the Y5, Y7 and Y9 entrance years, which means your child should sit this exam when they are in Y4, Y6 or Y8. Some schools do not run their exams in this season, and instead participate in an early exam season. Many other opportunities do exist, such as offers at younger year levels, so speak to us individually if you are interested in them.
What is the Selective Entry exam?
This is an exam for students in Y8 (Y9 for JMSS candidates) to gain entrance into Victoria’s selective state schools – namely, Melbourne High and Mac.Robertson Girls, Nossal High and Suzanne Cory High in Y9 (Y10 for JMSS). From 2023 onwards, the exam writer has changed hands from Edutest to ACER but remains relatively similar in content.
Every year, more than 80% of our Y8s / 9s who sit the exam get placed.
What exam formats are there in the exam system?
Victorian scholarship exams are predominantly in the Edutest, ACER or AAST formats. Starting in the 2023-24 exam season, Melbourne Grammar, Scotch College and Camberwell Grammar will all be using AAST format exams.
To find out more about these exams and how they work, attend one of our parent seminars, or talk to us on campus, or at our offices.
How do I find out more about the exam system and what to expect?
There is a flood of information nowadays, not all of which is accurate. For most parents, the challenge is not a lack of information, but how to discern what is accurate and what is not.
To find out more about the exams, what is expected, and how best to plan an exam season, the best thing to do is to attend one of our parent seminars, or talk to us directly.
