Hi! I’m a grade nine student, and I just received my call from Dr. Yanniw, the principal of OSA, today informing me on my acceptance into Old Scona. It has been my dream to attend Old Scona since grade four, and I was very nervous before, during and after the test. Before the test, I asked all my peers and older students who had taken the OSA entrance exam about what the exam was like, and they could not provide much information. (I purposely picked the latest writing day so that I could ask the test takers what the test was like) During the test, I was worried that I had not done my best work. After the test, I was worried that I was would not be accepted and would be regarded as a failure among my peers. I’m not kidding, I had dreams about getting accepted and nightmares on getting rejected. Anyway, getting accepted was a huge relief and I just wanted to provide any other OSA hopefuls with some sufficient information that I wanted to have about the test. But most importantly, school is not everything and OSA is not the key to a perfect future, so if you don't get accepted, don’t worry about it!
Old Scona Test:
This test is basically a test to see how well you handle pressure. The reading comprehension, as always, will have questions that will stump you, and you will have the desperate urge to ponder over it and erase and change your answer twenty times, but in this test, you cannot do that. The first answer you choose is probably the best and correct one. Just don’t doubt yourself or panic and everything will be fine!
All multiple choice, around 175 questions, takes two and a half hours. Don’t overthink, don’t panic, and don’t stay too long on questions even if you don’t know them. If you just try to figure out one single questions, there will not be enough time for the rest of the questions and you wouldn’t even have a chance to read or try those questions. However, in the event that the time is up and you still don’t have all the questions finished, just guess. ALWAYS GUESS, NEVER LEAVE ANYTHING BLANK!!!!!!
There are around 600 kids trying for Old Scona every year, and two days where students can take the test. For each test day, there is a morning session (9 AM) and an afternoon section (1 PM). At each sessions, there are about six classes of thirty, where the kids are arranged alphabetically. You will have to go to the room and wait until the examiner opens the door at around 1, after all the parents leave. Make sure to go to the washroom before you take the test, as they will not stop the time if you need to take a dump in the middle of the test. However, if you are a female and have a terrible female dilemma in the middle of the test, just quickly go to the washroom to take care of yourself rather than to freak out about it during the entire test period. If you don’t do anything about it, it’ll affect your test-taking ability. My advice is to be overly-prepared for these unexpected scenarios.
The examiner (just a teacher) will tell you to leave all bags and cell phones (turned off) at the front of the classroom. My examiner let us have water bottles at our desks, but other than that, we couldn’t have anything on our desk except for a pencil (or pencils), eraser and our student ID. MAKE SURE YOU BRING YOUR STUDENT ID! However, if you do happen to forget your student ID, the school will either ask your parents to bring it after the test or for you to bring it the next day after school hours. Anyway, the teacher will talk and explain the exam until around 1:20.
Some teachers, like the one I had, helped us calm our nerves by doing things like laughing yoga. However, he was very stern on the matter of cheating and wandering eyes, and he informed us that if we were caught cheating, we would be disqualified from the test.
Seven Sections (Every section is timed, and once the time is over, you can’t go back on previous sections or else you’ll be disqualified):
1: Reading comprehension, 26 questions, 25 minutes, don’t read, just do the questions. Around four pieces of writing. The first few questions will freak you out, but just don’t worry about them. Test makers purposely make the test the way they do to freak you out.
2: Reading comprehension (long): Two very long articles, don't read the articles just do the questions. 25 questions in 25 min.
3. Math: Five questions, four minutes. Gives your few numbers and a couple signs, you have to arrange them and find an answer that is provided in the choices.
4. Grammar and Sentence structure: around 25 questions, 25 min. Tells you to pick correct punctuation, combine sentences, fill in the blank, etc.
5. Math section: 25 questions, around 25 min. Just a bunch of math questions on algebra, exponents, order of operations (BEDMAS), slope (slope is measured by putting the # of units of y, over the # of units of x y/x) Be very quick or else you won’t have enough time to finish.
6. Find the pattern: five questions, four min. Gives you a pattern, and you have to pick the correct continuation or shape from the choices provided. Very easy, don’t sweat.
7. Folding paper, punching holes. Five questions, five min. Shows a paper being folded, hols are punched in, paper is unfolded, and asks you where the holes would be. Very easy, don’t sweat.
After you take the test, the relief is overwhelming and I suggest you eat out with your family or do something you really enjoy! Like eat ice cream! (Personally, my mom and I went to Marble Slab)
If you are accepted by OSA, they will give you a phone call between a set date or even a little earlier (like my case). If they do not feel that their school is suited for you, there will be a letter sent to you in the same time frame. The anticipation is suffocating, so don’t let it get to you! Just be happy and eat ice cream and apples, that’s what I did!
Well, I hoped my notes have helped you, and my advice to you is to just be calm and cool. If you do your best on the test, are a straight A student will hard-working habits and a positive attitude, there’s a large chance that Old Scona will be wanting you. However, if you don’t get accepted, don’t sweat about it; life has other plans for you. Getting in to Old Scona doesn’t mean you’re smart, and not getting accepted into Old Scona doesn’t mean you’re dumb. There are opportunities everywhere and if you just make the move to grab ahold of them, you’ll have a great future!
Best of Luck,
A fellow previous worrier and OSA hopeful :)