Formal of Sutton Mocks

[Daogroupie]

I think the Sutton mocks are a very clear indication of how you match up to the others sitting which is after all what it is all about. It is not how well you do but how well everyone else does that is important. Last year 910 children sat for 65 places at DAO. That was up from 835 the previous year. I expect it to be over one thousand this year as the recession bites and more people realise that DAO is a really good school full of children who went to private primaries who have parents who are confident enough in it to come out of the Indie sector. The last place to get in on 1st March 2010 was ranked 128. We know it went to 8th on the list a few weeks later so lets assume that the last rank to get in after dropout was 130. So that is 780 children you need to do better than to get a place this year and probably one hundred more in November for a place in March 2011.

So the best things about the Sutton mocks is seeing all the other marks and seeing your child in context. Last year the mock told me my dd was on track for VR with 86% and non VR with 83% but was obviously making silly mistakes in Maths with 73%. She got a 5A in SATS for Maths with 20/20 Mental Maths and 38/40 Paper A and 37/40 for Paper B so I know now and knew then that she knew the material but was rushing through it. We have really focused on that and I think have really nailed it as her SATS marks show. So the Sutton Mocks was a great big alarm bell ringing that something was wrong and we had to focus on it. Personally I think the Sutton Mocks saved us from disaster in her real entrance exams and I hope it will do the same for my younger dd. I plan for dd to do a English mock in September to check that mark as well.
Thank Gawd for mocks, that is what I say!

[Josa]

Thanks sherry_d for the info.

Thanks Daogroupie for confirming based on your experience how helpful these tests are

[nat]

[quote="Daogroupie"]Gawd! Are you sure the VR was 55 in 30 minutes. That was the only one my dd did not finish! She has to do 100 in 45 minutes in November so if it really was 55 in 30mins and she did not finish we have some SERIOUS work to do over the summer holidays!

You daughter didnn't finish the VR? My son didn't finish it either, even though I think it is his strong point. He usually scores 95-98 %. But I am so glad he didn't finish. It made him realse that he can't waste any time. Because he is good at it, he sometimes does day dreaming during tests. I feel so greatful to you Daogroupie. It was your post that inspired me into Sutton Mock.

In terms of resultls. How do we interprete it? Will we know how our children did agaist others? Let's say the results will be VR 115, NVR 130, Maths 136. Am I able to assess my son's chances from these figures? Ignoring the fact that I don't know how he will perform on the day?

[Daogroupie]

Hello Nat, Thank you for your note. I am really glad that you decided to do the Sutton Mocks. I think you will find the results helpful. You will get a percentage for each category and you will be able to see the results of everyone else but you will not know who they are as it is all done by candidate number. To link the result to your chances of getting into the school of your choice you need to work out what percentage of candidates get a place and then look at how that percentage links into your dc's mark in Sutton. So for example at DAO you need to be in the top fifteen percent of candidates to get a place, so you need a result in the top fifteen percent of Sutton to be in the ballpark for DAO. At HBS you need to be in the top twenty percent in VR and NVR to get through to the second round. So if you are in the top twenty percent in VR and NVR at Sutton Mocks then you have a good chance of getting through to the second round at HBS.

[nat]

Hello Nat, Thank you for your note. I am really glad that you decided to do the Sutton Mocks. I think you will find the results helpful. You will get a percentage for each category and you will be able to see the results of everyone else but you will not know who they are as it is all done by candidate number. To link the result to your chances of getting into the school of your choice you need to work out what percentage of candidates get a place and then look at how that percentage links into your dc's mark in Sutton. So for example at DAO you need to be in the top fifteen percent of candidates to get a place, so you need a result in the top fifteen percent of Sutton to be in the ballpark for DAO. At HBS you need to be in the top twenty percent in VR and NVR to get through to the second round. So if you are in the top twenty percent in VR and NVR at Sutton Mocks then you have a good chance of getting through to the second round at HBS.

Thanks Daogroupie . I hope we will se the results before we go on holiday. I will keep checking their website.

[Josa]

Just checked ds's results and quite pleased to know that we are on the right track. At the same time it gives us a good indication on the subjects we need to focus more on and not lower our guard.

On another note ds's predictions didn't quite match his results so just goes to show that we can't really go by what they say

[supermum2]

I have received DS results. I think he must be the only one on this site to fail. He scored 317. I did show him his score as he pestered me. He is upset but then resorted to working extra hard on his work set.

Is there hope for DS in the Wilsons/Wallington test. DS scored NVR 73 VR 73 MATHS 71.

I know he is professional at silly mistakes. Some comforting words needed please. Any successes after such a poor would be appreciated.

I am welcoming comments on scores and possible potential.

The weird thing is that he scored all level 5s in year SATS. I am really confused now!!

[Plum]

Hi Supermum

Don't Panic!

DS sat the test last year and scored slightly lower than your DS but still got a guaranteed place to WCGS.

The main reason for sitting the Sutton Mock (IMO) is to give the kids the experience of sitting an exam in exam conditions in unfamiliar surroundings so that they won't be too intimidated when it comes to the real thing.

DS scored (if I remember rightly) slightly higher on the maths but only about 60 on the VR and even less on the NVR. But remember, these tests are MC, WCGS & Wilson's are not and the boys can pick up marks for workings out even if they get the final answer wrong. There was no NVR either in the real tests.

What the test did do for us was to give us some focus. This time last year, I drew up a weekly timetable for DS for the holidays, which we negotiated and both agreed to and which basically involved sitting 3 tests a week - Maths, VR & English plus 1 20 min essay (that's all they got in the WCGS test) - I gave him a list of titles and he had to pick one. This was all done to time so DS got used to working in a strict time frame.

Hope this helps - good luck.
Plum

[nat]

I have received DS results. I think he must be the only one on this site to fail. He scored 317. I did show him his score as he pestered me. He is upset but then resorted to working extra hard on his work set.

Is there hope for DS in the Wilsons/Wallington test. DS scored NVR 73 VR 73 MATHS 71.

I know he is professional at silly mistakes. Some comforting words needed please. Any successes after such a poor would be appreciated.

I am welcoming comments on scores and possible potential.

The weird thing is that he scored all level 5s in year SATS. I am really confused now!!

Hi Supermum
If he is in his 5s in SATS, it means he has got potential and a chance to get into a selective school. I mean how many children are in 5s in year 5? Not many.
Another thing is that you should rather assess his chances based on how he usually performs. I think it will be a better indication, because you do a lot of papers and can see a true trend.
In my case my DS's VR results in the mock do not reflect his ability. He scores very high at home (different types of papers) yet in the mock exam he got 73%. His maths result I think is a reflection of his ability. But maybe in your DS's case all subject for whatever reason don't reflect his abilities. You know what I mean? Maybe he didn't have a good day. Maybe he was slow. Maybe there were even different reason for different subjects. I know it would be nice to get a high score and be happy. But can we really rely on a high score?

[supermum2]

Hello Nat

We haven't really been many formal tests. I have been doing bond assessemnts with him and he generally scores ok around 80-85% 11 - 12+. I have been doing a few NFER maths since doing the Sutton mocks and he scores around 75% but once we look at the silly mistake he scores around 85% he has done all 4 of these once.

Since the replies I have recieved from this site I have ceased the worrying. In relation to the SATS I am not sure how these realte to grammar testing as a tutor once told me that the curriculum is much different.

he is 9 marks out from the 326 pass mark.. so I guess we should not worry, but also not be complacent. DS took the test on the first day the 6th June and since then we have been doing a lot of work.

I think this experience has shook him up a bit, as a very confident actor, he never really takes anything seriously, I think this reality has actually sunk in and therefore I think the experience has been worthwhile.

Hopefully the silly mistakes will be a thing of the past !!1