Hi there,

My boy is selected for the camp on 5/July.

Can anyone advise what kind of stuff will be tested, Maths and Science ?
And preparation is appropriate ?

Thanks

DS has 259. We live practically next door to VJC. So the natural choice of secondary school would be VS-IP?

But last year cop of Raffles Institution was 259 and this possibility has complicated life. The temptation to study in the brand name verses the distance to travel each day for 6 years - the debate would be boring to many. But our family will appreciate any inputs, even a link to some place where this topic has been discussed. Her older sister (ex VJC and currently NTU) thinks it will be like \"wasting 8 T scores\" if he does not opt for RI (VJC-IP cop was 251).
We parents are scared that if we opt and he scrapes through to RI, the son may feel trapped by the distance and travel later. We are not very resourceful in terms of hoping to move nearer, or assemble some faster means of transport any time soon.
Any thoughts would be appreciated, especially those which I can share with the kids to dissuade them from RI, the distance burden is going to be insurmountable in long run and all.
Thanks in advance.

My two-cents worth of thoughts:

First thing, is his 259 score expected or a surprise? Has he been consistently performing well? If that is not his usual standard then i think VJ would be a better choice. Personally I do not like the idea of a child having to struggle through school just because of gaining a place in a 'brand name' school. He will be suffering for the next 6 years trying to keep up with his peers.

Anyway, I think that VJ by itself is a pretty good brandname too.

Very sensible, clear-headed advice !

Joanne13,


It is based on your scenarios 2, except that the COP is fluctuating year to year (usually 1-2 points only) based on the last candidate that got in the school.

That is why it is advisable to put your 1st 2 choices what is your preference (even if COP is higher), next 2 choices around your score (likely to get in) and last 2 choices lower than your score (to cater for any surprises in fluctuation). Choice is entirely dependent on individual.

I am a practical person and I prefer kids to feel good that they get their 1st or 2nd choice school and start their new secondary school journey on a positive note. It is human that the kids have a hope to get into the 1st few choices when you put them on the list. When they see themselves being allocated to their last few choices, they feel the disappointment, and somehow feel that the school may not be as good or they are not good enough for the other schools. But the reality is the kid will end up in that school near their score and you don't want that feeling to stay for the next 4-6 years. Unless the kid has strong appeal credentials, it is quite impractical to build dreams that the kid can get into a school of 5-10 points above their score. Just my personal opinion but thought it will be useful to share with parents here.

>>> Very god advice indeed ! :thankyou: