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How long did you actually study for the Selective Test and did it help?

by Alex G. 473 views3 replies
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Alex G.OP
May 27, 2026

My daughter is sitting the Selective Test in March and I'm honestly a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out the best approach. She's in Year 5 now, so we have about four months. We've been working through a SELECTIVE TEST practice test we found online but I'm not sure if we're focusing on the right things. Her maths is strong but the reading comprehension and thinking skills sections are tripping her up.

I've heard mixed things about tutoring — some parents swear by it, others say a good study guide is just as effective if you're consistent. We bought one of the popular ones but she finds it a bit dry. Has anyone found resources that actually keep kids engaged? I don't want to burn her out before the exam even happens.

Also genuinely curious about exam tips from parents who've been through this before. Did your child do full timed practice papers, or more targeted section work? Any advice appreciated — first time going through this process!

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Jordan L.
May 27, 2026
We went through this two years ago with my son. Honestly the biggest thing was timed practice — doing untimed questions gives kids a false sense of confidence. Start timing from day one, even if the scores are rough at first. We did one full practice paper per week plus 20 minutes of thinking skills every second day. He improved about 15 percentile points over three months. The maths section rewards speed more than anything else.
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Brian Y.
May 28, 2026
For keeping it engaging — we broke sessions into 25-minute blocks with short breaks. Game-changer for our daughter who also found the workbooks boring. Some weeks we'd make it slightly competitive by tracking her own scores on a chart. She actually started wanting to beat her previous results.
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lisa.prep
May 28, 2026
Four months is actually a solid runway, don't panic! We only started six weeks out and it was stressful. One thing I wish we'd done earlier was focus on vocabulary — the comprehension section has some tricky word-in-context questions that aren't really about reading ability, they're just vocab. Flashcards for 10 minutes a night made a noticeable difference in the last month. Also make sure she knows the format cold so there are no surprises on the day.

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