Newstead test this Sat

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bromley mum
Posts: 1061
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:04 pm

Newstead test this Sat

Post by bromley mum »

DD did the test today and said she found it easy. Should I be worried? Any info on how you (or your DD to be precise) found the test would be helpful.
Lass
Posts: 88
Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:21 pm

Post by Lass »

Yes, my DD said the same and so did her friend. They both sat Kent tests also, and said Newstead tests seemed easier. They were expecting the tests to be really hard, as Newstead is so selective, but they finished all questions and found them generally to be quite easy.
crazydaisy
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:06 pm

Post by crazydaisy »

snap. DD said it was 'excellent' and guessed one question about what a 'swift' was right. They certainly seemed to make it really stress free for the girls, much more so than the Kent test. We all know the pass mark will be really high now, but maybe the elite who use this forum have a higher success rate than those who are :lol: less obsessional? Do you think we should put together some tips for Newstead ( like expecting the queues) for next years lot, as there was almost nothing for us?
Ang's mom
Posts: 154
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:17 am

Post by Ang's mom »

Wow..nice to know the exams were easy and congrats to all your lovely DD's. Next year my DD would be taking the Newstead exam.

crazydaisy..Thats a wonderful suggestion. Any advise/tips are very very welcome.

How many girls were there altogether. The catachment area was increased from 7 miles to 9 miles from this year. Did this reflect very much on the number of girls taking the exam ?
crazydaisy
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:06 pm

Post by crazydaisy »

These are just the things we did - others might have done differently. We got an 8.30 slot, so the week before I got DD into bed 10 mins before the time she was going to have to get up on the day., with lights out! Pancakes for breakfast. Programmed the satnav. Parked 10 mins walk away, and found huge queues even at 8 o'clock. (incidentally, got a ticket at Townley evening, the traffic wardens in Bexley know when the open eves are and are really strict) all very friendly, despite rain, but mum behind was giving her DD a really long list of instructions (do this, don't do that) about the test which we found quite distracting. Too late for last minute tips, we thought! She went in really quickly once queue started to move, almost no time to wish good luck. Met by NW pupil, and in groups of about 5 went to classrooms with about 14 children in. All nice and relaxed. Didn't need a snack. Given chocolate fingers for break by the school. Bit of a crush to collect at 11.30, with parents not sticking behind cones in car park as instructed! Needs only 2 pencils and rubber (DD had 4 and 2! - some were carrying huge bags of pencils and rubbers! :lol: ). Then it was all over!
Will post anything else I remember - anyone else got ideas for next year people?
originalbiddy
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2009 5:44 pm

Post by originalbiddy »

My daughter also said that it was easier than the Kent and Bexley tests. She did however say that although the content was easier, the time allowed for each question was shorter in comparison. So I would suggest those who wish to do it in the future practise tests in timed conditions to get up to speed.

Apparently the teacher said that there were 450 sitting the test in the first batch, so assuming they split it into two equal groups then it is reasonable to guess there were 900 girls in total doing the test. For 130 places that means 14% of the girls who sat the test will get through.

I seem to remember on our letter you couldn't choose which test slot you had, but they give out slots based on first come, first served basis. We handed our form in on their open day at the same time as a friend and we were given numbers 134 and 135 to attend the first slot. So if you have a preference for the early slot return your form asap, if you prefer a later start wait till nearer the closing date.

I've just asked my daughter for any tips and she has just said "Don't expect questions like the ones in the Newstead practise papers!". I had been warned about this beforehand as apparently they have been selling that same set of practise papers for eons, and they don't bear any similarity to the ones they do in the actual test.

As for tips on the day - make a copy of the letter with your childs number on as you need to give this to your daughter to show when she goes into the school. Whoever designed this letter overlooked the fact that the collection times are also on this sheet - I have no doubt there were a few parents suddenly realising when they got home they didn't know when to go back to collect. Also the school has no organised system of handing back 450 girls, (please Newstead if you are reading this why don't you put half a dozen cones in the car parked marked A-F,G-K etc so parents can stand at the right letter of the surname and their daughters can find them easily). So I would say to any parent next year take an unusual coloured umbrella or wear a bright coloured hat/coat so you child can spot you. Some kids came out tearful and it's so stressful if they then can't see a parent quickly in a sea of faces
bromley mum
Posts: 1061
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:04 pm

Post by bromley mum »

As the weather was horrendous I went to the school early and parked near there. DD sat in the car to stay dry while mum got wet! We handed our application with a friend so our DDs had candidate numbers which were close together. This meant that they went in together and sat near each other which made it a little less daunting. Every one I have spoke too found it easy. Now I am stressing about what this means as far as marks needed to get in are concerned.
Ang's mom
Posts: 154
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:17 am

Post by Ang's mom »

Thanks for the replies craizydaisy, originalbiddy and bromley mum.

Could any of you know if Newstead allows the girls to mark/write on the Question paper or were there spare papers given to do any rough work, if needed ?

How long did each paper last ? Was it 50 minutes like in the Kent test ?

Thanks.
Too much worry
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 4:28 pm

Post by Too much worry »

Dear all, Was anyone's DD in the room with candidate number starting with K in the first session at Newstead? If yes please could you check what timings were allocated for each section of NVR. Thanks!
originalbiddy
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2009 5:44 pm

Post by originalbiddy »

DD says there were 85 verbal questions and 75 non verbal.

She tells me they had 4 lots of 10mins to do the non verbal paper (18,18,18 and 21 questions per section). My daughter tells me it was 12 minutes for 6 questions at the Kent test, so Newstead entrants have to crank up their speed

She can't recall how long they were given for the verbal (although I think the letter said it was an hour for each test)

They weren't allowed to write on the question paper, but there was space near the practise questions to do working out, or you could ask for plain paper
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