More Than Just Materials, The Power of Starting Real Practice Today
Nov 28 2025
A little while ago, for our Year 5 and ASAT students,
we have been providing Special Practice Tests.
The attached image shows the actual number of Year 5 students who participated in the Special Practice Trial Test offered by Pre-Uni New College for extra practice.
In reality, however, many families ask us to “please send more questions,”
but far fewer students actually make the time to sit down and complete them consistently.
As you can see from the image,
under the same conditions and with the same amount of time, there are students who chose to carve out time and complete the test.
The difference is not in “how many resources you have,” but in whether you are actually using them now.
1. Now is the time to build a routine
Please encourage your child to study as if the real exam were happening next week,
and with that mindset, start practising from this very moment.
Not “sometime this week,” but
“from today, at the same time each day,”
even if it is just a small block of focused time,
is far more valuable in the long run.
And simply sitting the test once and moving on
does not make a big difference by itself.
● For questions they got correct:
→ Help them check, “Did I really understand this, or was it a lucky guess?”
● For questions they got wrong:
→ Talk together about, “Why did I choose this answer? Where did my thinking go off track?”
This reflection process, done with a parent,
is what actually turns practice into progress.
2. Collecting more resources ≠ better preparation
Using what you already have is what matters
Through group chats, social media and friends,
many parents already have access to a huge amount of material.
But if your child is not actually spending time working through those questions now,
then all those files are just data sitting in a phone or computer.
No matter how much food there is on the table,
if we don’t digest it, it eventually becomes waste.
In the same way, if a child does not actually solve the questions and take time to understand why they got them right or wrong, that material never turns into real skill – and can even become a burden later.
3. Exams are fair, but offers are limited
Time is given equally to every student.
What differs is each child’s pace and learning style.
That is why it is so important to
set aside time now in a way that suits your child.
If we keep saying “We’ll start tomorrow… maybe next week…”,
the days when we could have acted
disappear very quickly.
Within the Selective High School system,
ultimately only a set number of students receive offers.
The few days before the May exam
are not the time to cram with brand-new material.
That period should be used to review what has already been practised and to manage rest and condition.
4. Preparation is a choice – and each family is responsible for its own choice
We fully respect the NSW Department of Education’s position that students do not have to prepare in advance. For some children, this may be appropriate.
However, how much and in what way to prepare
is ultimately the decision of each family.
Once a student walks into the exam room,
it is the practice they have built up over time
that shows itself most honestly.
In that sense, exams can be one of the fairest systems we have.
5. An hour on social media vs. 30 minutes next to your child – which helps more?
Spending time on social media checking other children’s scores, listening to other parents’ opinions and stories – these things feel like “gathering information,”
but in reality, they often do not help your own child very much.
Right now, the priority is simple: helping your child sit this exam as well as they can.
So instead of spending that hour reading about other people’s children:
● Please set aside even a small, intentional block of time today for your child to work through material you already have, including the Special Practice Test.
● During that time, let your child actually complete some questions and then talk together about “How will we think about this next time?” even if it is just one or two problems.
Those 30 minutes spent beside your own child are far more powerful than any “perfect” information or clever tip on social media.
In summary…
● The Special Practice Tests are already available.
● What matters now is not collecting more resources but:
Using what you already have, starting now – completing at least one set,
and reviewing together why answers were right or wrong. We sincerely hope that our students can walk into the exam room with a sense of prepared confidence, and for that, we kindly ask for your 30 minutes today – and your choice to use this moment well.
As we always say, whether your child is preparing with Pre-Uni New College or with another provider,
we sincerely hope they prepare well and achieve the results they are aiming for.
Once the exam is over, even if we feel regret,
there is usually very little that can be changed.
This exam system, unfortunately, is one where only those within a fixed number of places receive an offer.
In the end, the overall average or the difficulty level is not what truly matters.
Whether the test feels “easy” or “hard”,
opportunities go to the students who perform better than others on that day.
Thank you, as always, to all the parents
who care so deeply and consistently about their children’s future.
Tag
ASAT preparationExam routineNSW Selective SchoolsSpecial Practice Tests
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