Selective prep needs months, not a term
Selective Entry tests reward reasoning speed, careful reading, and writing under time. Those are trained skills. Starting in December gives Year 5 and 6 students a summer block plus Term 1, instead of compressing everything into the weeks before the test.
What December to February should cover
Summer is for foundations: reading longer passages, mental maths fluency, and writing a planned paragraph. It is not the time for daily three-hour papers. Two or three focused sessions a week, with rest days, build more than a boot camp.
Term 1 is for exam conditions
Once school is back, shift toward timed sections, reviewing errors, and writing tasks that look like the real paper. A tutor can keep this from colliding with normal class assessments.
Success isn't about studying harder; it's about studying smarter.
A December-start outline
- December: diagnostic and a simple weekly rhythm
- January: reasoning, reading, and writing foundations
- February: introduce timed sections
- March: full practice under test conditions
- Final fortnight: review errors, protect sleep, stop stacking new papers
Final Thoughts
A December start is not about doing more work. It is about spreading the right work across enough weeks that the student arrives prepared rather than exhausted.
