By Kylie Sturgess     When applying for a job, we remind ourselves to be realistic. There's others in the running. We may not suit the requirements of the company.  There's only so much that we can do with our qualifications, only so much can be said during the interview and it depends on a variety of factors...

– which helps us reassess our goals if we don't get the position and enables us to work on improving for the next time. Yet sometimes it appears we're needing to keep our own resilience-building tips in mind when children apply for school scholarships.

Of course, being a 'stage mother' or 'pushy parent' is the last thing we want to aspire to! The opportunity to have the talents and capabilities of a young person recognised and have an institution help out with the financial burden is a fine thing. But like applying for a job, there are ways to assess the situation realistically and prepare oneself for the alternatives.

Firstly, see if the school helps prepare students for the exam adequately. Sure, when we apply for a job, we might not get morning tea, a tour of the facilities or an informal chat about what the job might offer. But quite a few schools, such as the one I used to teach at, do host a session prior to scholarship exams to 'settle the nerves' of applicants. A healthy breakfast, fresh air, knowing where the facilities are and checking that adequate materials such as pencils, erasers, instructions on what to do in case of emergency are all confidence-boosting elements for what is, after all, a rather stressful thing to face!

One aspect to consider is finding out exactly what form the test will take. Many institutions in Australia use the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) scholarship exams, which can come in different types – the website for the ACER in fact allows for people to buy practice papers (rather than purchasing, it may be useful to check if the school is willing to allow viewing of a copy of a practice paper, to understand the format or at least an outline of what is expected).

One such example is the Sample Purchase Material for the Cooperative Scholarship Testing Program (CSTP), one of the types used. There's also an online practice test that can be used too. Remember to check what sort of test will be supplied ahead of time if you are interested in the format that will be used, especially if there are special needs circumstances that will have to be taken into consideration.

A list of the schools that use ACER tests and the type of test that they will administer is given on the website for ACER – although many schools will probably feature this on their home page or reveal what type of test will be presented ahead of time. The date and time of the test-taking should also be noted. Schools are supplied the test materials for administration, while ACER then conducts the marking analysis and reporting, which allows for fairness and consistency across institutions. Do check ahead of time whether applications to sit the test are done through the school's website or if you have to apply in person at the school.

Whilst 'teaching to the test' should be avoided (as, like a run through audition, we cannot expect the same material to appear on the 'real thing'), it may be a comfort to know what sort of challenges a paper will present to children.

• Will there be a creative writing element?
• What strategies, such as brainstorming, thinking of a few topics ahead of time, structuring and timing a response, could come in use?
• Will there be basic mathematic and literacy questions?

Consider discussing strategies like checking the structure of multiple-choice questions, recognising that there will be 'distractions' (or close-to-the-right-answer) that will challenge readers and the importance of allowing some time to stop and check that an answer hasn't been skipped over. Multiple-choice tests online, which are age-appropriate, or quiz books, can help familiarise children with the style of answering, if they are not sure of the structure. ACER features a book for sale called 'Practice Now', for example.

Many of these tests emphasise that they are not about memorised facts, but are examining how a child 'reads widely and thinks critically'. Practicing under a timed condition about a topic and organising ideas to write a response that is checked for clarity of expression is not unusual in classroom situations, so emphasising that the situation will be akin to previous school experiences can be comforting.

Yet it is not often that a child is told that the results they get may make a significant difference to the financial burden of their education. Which is why, like a job application, checking all the alternative avenues is useful. Community-based scholarships, such as your church-group, Rotary, Smith Family, workplace or even cultural-group may have programs or bursaries that can help with fees.

The Australian My Future site features scholarship links for a variety of age groups and career-pathways. Naturally, talking to school counsellors about other options for government aid or career-path support networks will help (such as scholarships for hospitality, traineeships, even language-based awards).

When I helped my own school as a moderator for scholarship exams, we were told that the stress of the day had to be balanced with the opportunity for social support – even just friendly smiles and making sure all the students were supplied with adequate materials and well-signposted directions were a humble start.

Friends and family are an important sounding board for expressing any stressful feelings and help alleviate any anxiety about results. Like ourselves, when we phone a friend after a job interview, just releasing how we felt it went and planning alternatives if we don't get the result we wanted, we map out resilience-building tactics. It's never too late to apply for help with one's education and it's never too early to help a young person develop healthy conditions for similar challenges later in life.

About the author: Kylie Sturgess is a Education research assistant at a Perth university and is currently completing her M.Ed at the University of Western Australia. She has taught secondary education for ten years and is a researcher of paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs. Kylie is a podcaster for the top ten on iTunes science podcast 'The Skeptic Zone' and her articles and essays have been published in journals and magazines nationwide.

Link: http://podblack.com/

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