Direct School Admission - General Ability Test

I sat for my last paper today. Higher Chinese Language (HCL) Paper 1 and Paper 2, to be exact.

PSLE was over, officially, at 11.20a.m.

Anyway, I'm so sorry for not updating for such a long time. I have been busy preparing for the BIG day. Today, I will touch on GAT. (for RGS and NYGH)

Actually, GAT isn't that hard. There are NO words...just diagrams.

NYGH
On 1st July, I woke up and brushed my teeth and did my homework, with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Well, how could I not? That was the first DSA test that I was going to take! At around 12p.m., Mother drove me to the test venue and wished me good luck. I have to say, I was a bit nervous.

Upon reaching that place, I was shocked to see many children and parents. I was like 'wow'.
This wasn't helping me to relax. If possible, it made me even more nervous.

Finally, we were seated and ready to go. To my pleasant (or unpleasant) surprise, they had provided a pencil and a ruler for us. Well, thank you very much. The nice folks also let us try on the first 2 questions (together of course) so that we would not start waving our hands frantically and scream, "Help! I'm STUCK!"

Ha. Just kidding.

There are two parts - the 1st part consisted of 60 questions while the 2nd part consisted of 30 questions. My advice is, don't spend too much time on one question. Just skip it or make a guess. Don't hyperventilate when you can't finish the paper. It's PERFECTLY normal. Maybe you could try shading random ovals, though I don't think it works. Part 2 consisted of more pattern-like questions, and be warned:
                                                         Don't jump to conclusions.
Sometimes, we might automatically assume that the answer is this, is that, but please don't fall into the trap of ASSUMPTION.

In fact, be careful when you are doing both Part 1 and Part 2. Just some tips: don't tell yourself what can't be what just because it doesn't sound 'logical'. Sometimes, after figuring the 'logic' behind the question, I had to resist the urge to face-palm. The 'logic' is so easy! However, it took such a long time for me because I just kept telling myself that it had to be something that sounded 'logical'.

Remember: There's no 'correct logic' in GAT. Try to think in different ways.

Please don't spend more than 1 minute on each question. Make a SMART guess.
Don't think too much or question your sanity. The truth is, the logic behind most questions is screwed up. I nearly laughed my head off when I finally understood some of the questions. Okay, I'm exaggerating. It's not funny. Follow your instincts. Make an intelligent guess. Think logically.
That's all.

RGS
Same thing. Don't panic. Don't hyperventilate. Just think and chill. However, you are only given 20 minutes. Good luck.

I managed to pass both tests. :DD YAY!

Introduction to Direct School Admission (DSA)

Time flies. Before I knew it, it was already July!

So much had happened during the past few weeks. I took the Nanyang Girls' High School (NYGH) GAT on 1st July and the Raffles Girls' School (RGS) GAT on 10th July. Yes, yes. I am applying for DSA to both schools. Trust me, parents/children, Direct School Admission is horrible. Taking tests and going for interviews are certainly NOT fun.

Anyway, back to our main topic. I don't think GAT is something that can prepared, so I guess all that you have to do is to sleep well. :D After knowing that there's something called DSA, my mother quickly urged me to apply, though I resisted. After all, I was not a big fan of DSA. To me, DSA is a new and foreign territory. It is something that I'm not used to. I simply did not know what to expect.
Mother told me that I was afraid of failure. I had to admit, I was. So, after much persuasion, I finally applied for it reluctantly and wasted several days writing my RGS personal statement.

 So, parents/children, think twice before you apply for DSA. I think DSA is good in the sense that you have a 'higher possibility' of getting into your dream school. For pupils (I'm talking about DSA via Academics) who have won many 'pro' competitions (SMBO, SMOPS, UNSW...), I think you should give it a try. Who knows? You might be what the teachers are looking for. I reckon the reason I did not want to apply for DSA is because I have won only a few competitions.

For other pupils who want to use 'Academics' (those who did not take part in any competitions), I discourage you to do so. Don't forget that taking tests also takes time off your tight schedule.

For pupils who want to use 'CCA', I'm sorry to say that I can't offer any suggestions since I did not use this route. Nevertheless, good luck! I hear it is very tough but if you are really good, I'm sure you will be given a 'Confirmed Offer' as well.

Parents/Children, don't be disheartened if you are rejected. At the end of the day, DSA is only a 'chance'. Study hard for PSLE! This is the safest way.

Introduction

Primary School Leaving Examination.

How the Primary Six students in Singapore dread these four words.

As everyone knows, the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is a national examination which is taken by all the Primary Six students in Singapore. After the results are released, every pupil will be posted to a Secondary School, except those who fail.

Needless to say, during that critical year in every child's life, the child will definitely be under a lot of stress. I'm sure a lot of parents will nag at their children for playing computer games, not doing their homework, oversleeping, and just not taking the examinations seriously.

Fortunately, for me, this is not the case. I have parents who are 'very lax', so lax that sometimes I wonder if they really care about the PSLE at all. Until now, my dad still doesn't know that the list of 'keywords' that every 'kiasu' parent knows: Direct School Admission (DSA), General Ability Test (GAT) and none other than the PSLE itself.

I can't really blame them, really. They are terribly busy. So, I have decided to rely on myself to study hard, persevere, and get good results.

Now, before I continue, I must tell all of you something. I can't really guarantee my study methods work. All of the methods suggested are only my ways of doing things.

My Dream School: Raffles' Girls School (Secondary)
Goal: 270+

Okay, I guess I should stop babbling and move on to what you guys are most interested in:

HOW I SURVIVED PSLE IN 2012

'Jiayous', everyone!

I would love to hear from you.

Laverne Zachary.

P.S. No impolite comments please. Thank you.

P.P.S. I might not update my blog very often. Sorry in advance!