VR exam for SWHerts and DAO identical?

[saffronLondon]

Hi
When I filled in the DAO registration form, it didn't ask whether DS is also sitting DAO entrance exam. My understanding was that if you did VR for DAO, you didn't have to do the SWHerts VR. Has that now changed??

[saffronLondon]

Sorry, heading should read DAO

[Tinkers]

I’ve changed the title for you.

[saffronLondon]

Tinkers, thank you!

[Daogroupie]

It is no longer the same exam.

Both SW Herts and DAO are using the same GL format for VR but it is not the same paper.

For four years they both used the CEM format and shared the same paper.

Their CEM contracts came to an end and they both moved to GL format but they are no longer sharing an exam. DG

[saffronLondon]

Daogroupie, thanks for the information. In your opinion, do you think both VR papers require practice in the 35 VR techniques?
We've been using Bond books at the beginning followed by CPG and Susan Daughtrey books. Any tips appreciated!

[Daogroupie]

VR is the FIRST ROUND for DAO.

This means if you don't crack VR your dc will not be in the 325 of applicants that will go through to the second round. So no matter how great their English and Maths is they will NEVER SIT those papers.

Only 28% of applicants got through to the second round last year. The lowest score to secure a place was 114. I know applicants in Potters Bar who had the same VR score (114) as other applicants two miles away.

Only the Potters Bar (114 VR) applicants reached the second round as, if the applicants are on the same score, the second round place applicants closest to the school will get the places in the second round.

So you are wasting your time preparing with English and Maths papers for DAO if your VR score is not strong enough.

This is not the case for SW Herts as only the total score matters and you never find out the breakdown between VR and Maths.

So a strong Maths paper will make up for a weak VR paper and you can still secure the school of your choice.

But for DAO only a very strong VR score will take you to the second round. I estimate the score will need to be in the high 120's to be one of the 325.

Last year 114 in Potters Bar got you through and 115 elsewhere but that was because the CEM was 100% English cloze and shuffled sentences and many students were weak at that.

This is not the case with VR. It has been around a very long time and it is easy to get good at it with focused preparation so there are going to be many more than 325 applicants who are going to be very good at it.

You need to broaden your range and do Athey and Walsh and IPS and Bright Sparks and GL and First past the post. You will find all of these in the forum shop next day delivery.

I expect it to be a much harder paper than any paper you can buy and a good percentage of the applicants will not finish as they will not have done enough preparation to work at the speed it will require.

Before CEM DAO used standard format VR and the paper was 100 questions in 45 minutes.

Then it was a score 115, not an amount of applicants who got through to the second round and the percentage getting through was far greater. They were marking 600 plus English and Maths papers which was not needed for 65 places.

So they have chosen 325 as five times the spaces available. Still many more than they need but nobody wants to do what Latymer did three yeas ago, which was run out of applicants and have to write to students who sat the exam and ask them to apply.

Some of those 325 will be very weak at English or Maths or both so it will be applicants who are strong in VR and at least one of English or Maths who will end up in the top 65.

It will be harder than it ever has been to secure a second round place in the DAO tests this year. And it will all about the VR.

So a different focus now is required for the DAO exams this year. DG

[ToadMum]

VR is the FIRST ROUND for DAO.

This means if you don't crack VR your dc will not be in the 325 of applicants that will go through to the second round. So no matter how great their English and Maths is they will NEVER SIT those papers.

Only 28% of applicants got through to the second round last year. I know applicants in Potters Bar who had the same VR score as other applicants two miles away.

Only the Potters Bar applicants reached the second round as, if the applicants are on the same score, the second round place applicants closest to the school will get the places in the second round.
DG

Are you absolutely sure about this, DG? If so, it would appear to be a clear breach of the Admissions Code:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... 19_Dec.pdf

Tests for selection

1.31 Tests for all forms of selection must be clear, objective, and give an accurate reflection of the child’s ability or aptitude, irrespective of sex, race, or disability. It is for the admission authority to decide the content of the test, providing that the test is a true test of aptitude or ability.
1.32 Admission authorities must:
a) ensure that tests for aptitude in a particular subject are designed to test only for aptitude in the subject concerned, and not for ability;
b) ensure that tests are accessible to children with special educational needs and disabilities, having regard to the reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils required under equalities legislation, and
c) take all reasonable steps to inform parents of the outcome of selection tests before the closing date for secondary applications on 31 October so as to allow parents time to make an informed choice of school - while making clear that this does not equate to a guarantee of a selective place.
1.33 Admission authorities must not adjust the score achieved by any child in a test to take account of oversubscription criteria, such as having a sibling at the schoo[

[saffronLondon]

Dao groupie, thanks for the comprehensive reply. We will concentrate harder on the VR. In your expert opinion, is it worth sitting lots of mock exams to perfect the technique and the timing?

[Daogroupie]

The lowest score to be in the 325 going through to the second round last year was 114.

There were too many applicants on 114 to all secure the remaining places in the 325.

So as specified in the admissions criieria, that if two or more applicants have the same score for the 325th place then the applicant closest to the school will receive the final place, only the Potters Bar students were in the second round. The students further away on the same score did not get a place in the second round.

Yes I am sure. I saw the results letters.

This is not the final place, this is a place in the second round.

This is also how QE does it for their place allocations. Some students this year on score 235 got a place on allocation day, some did not. They have now as the waiting list has reached score 234. Some on 234 have managed to get a place from the waiting list, some have not. They are ranked according to their distance to the school which with QE can range from metres to 30 miles plus as boys from Reading and Essex and many other counties apply. DG