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Harris Westminster entrance exams 2019

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I look forward to the interview, I have to admit! I rarely ever get a chance to discuss my love for bioscience around people...I can hardly think what topic, of dozens, to base my discussion around. Just this week I began reading about a new finding from the 1930s of temporal lobes in monkeys. I guess I'll just pick what to talk about on the day. Mine's biology themed thankfully.

What does everyone else plan to do for their interviews? :smile: and what subject themes have they chosen to be interviewed on?
(edited 5 years ago)
Reply 41
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Original post by Sheaw
My mistake my source must be wrong, has to be 540 as @eggsandcows said. Either that or you broke the system lol

(Original post by stpnp)That can't be right, I got 516. I know the minimum is 377.

lol 540 seems about right, but what a strange way of marking! Both tests were 40 marks (for me at least - I did further maths and french), so that gives 80 marks total, but 540 isn't even fully divisible by 80!
Original post by stpnp
lol 540 seems about right, but what a strange way of marking! Both tests were 40 marks (for me at least - I did further maths and french), so that gives 80 marks total, but 540 isn't even fully divisible by 80!


Yup I’m not sure how they even calculate the score, I did further maths which was out of 40 and physics which was out of 30, it would have been much easier if all the tests had the same number of marks
Reply 43
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Original post by stpnp
lol 540 seems about right, but what a strange way of marking! Both tests were 40 marks (for me at least - I did further maths and french), so that gives 80 marks total, but 540 isn't even fully divisible by 80!

I think it might have something to do with their whole socioeconomic diversity thing like there's some sort of multiplier on top of the raw score if someone has been on free school meals or in care etc to make it evener. I know they do that kind of thing with the 11+ to make it fair for younger students.
Reply 44
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Original post by centrallynervous
I look forward to the interview, I have to admit! I rarely ever get a chance to discuss my love for bioscience around people...I can hardly think what topic, of dozens, to base my discussion around. Just this week I began reading about a new finding from the 1930s of temporal lobes in monkeys. I guess I'll just pick what to talk about on the day. Mine's biology themed thankfully.

What does everyone else plan to do for their interviews? :smile: and what subject themes have they chosen to be interviewed on?

That sounds really interesting! I really love biology but it doesn't really fit with my other subjects! I'm sure you'll absolutely ace it, as you seem super passionate! Mine's English lit (which no one else here seems to be doing), I plan to just ramble about how interesting literature has been in society, politics, philosophy and history, and how it links to everything I'm interested in. Bring in a bit of Oscar Wilde for the fun of it all.
What other subjects are you taking :smile:
Original post by ribbby
I think it might have something to do with their whole socioeconomic diversity thing like there's some sort of multiplier on top of the raw score if someone has been on free school meals or in care etc to make it evener. I know they do that kind of thing with the 11+ to make it fair for younger students.

I thought they were taking socioeconomic factors into account only at the actual offer stage, and not for marking the tests? But yes, I remember the exams beging 40 marks each or something like that. So I'm confused as to what other criteria they're using...
Original post by ribbby
That sounds really interesting! I really love biology but it doesn't really fit with my other subjects! I'm sure you'll absolutely ace it, as you seem super passionate! Mine's English lit (which no one else here seems to be doing), I plan to just ramble about how interesting literature has been in society, politics, philosophy and history, and how it links to everything I'm interested in. Bring in a bit of Oscar Wilde for the fun of it all.
What other subjects are you taking :smile:

I really am passionate, neurobiology is my primary interest beyond any other, ranging from cognitive angles and fMRI analysis of functional connectivity to just looking at cool pharmaceutical ligands and seeing what they do throughout the brain. I'm sure you'll do well too; literature and philosophy are very important to the development of scientific knowledge and method too! I have such a fondness for Japanese and Russian literature and drawing parallels between the two.
On that note, I'm taking Biology, Chemistry, English Literature and History of Art. I've never done art as a subject in my life, but I love Japanese ukiyo woodblock prints and their cultural relevance...and I love history as a subject in general...so I thought it works! Which subjects are you taking otherwise?

I aim to be a neuroscientist and that's what I love most, but you can't have proper science without an interface with the humanities :smile:
What is everyone doing for interview? Is anyone else doing english lit?
Original post by Cosmicxx
What is everyone doing for interview? Is anyone else doing english lit?

Biology! And @ribbby is doing English Lit too :smile:
I got a 381 and honestly, I am ok with that. Do you guys have any idea how many passed through to interview and how many took entrance examinations? I still don't think I got through. It's hard to register :smile:
Congrats to everyone who got through!!
I got in with 486 and I’m so confused lol- I was so sure I failed chem but I guess not?? I have an interview in biology and I’m kinda scared for what questions they’ll ask- apparently it’s ones they don’t expect us to know?
Original post by Mike_M202
I got a 381 and honestly, I am ok with that. Do you guys have any idea how many passed through to interview and how many took entrance examinations? I still don't think I got through. It's hard to register :smile:
Congrats to everyone who got through!!

I heard that last year around 750 out of 2000 people got through? I’m not entirely sure tho
Original post by Zaratomaa
I heard that last year around 750 out of 2000 people got through? I’m not entirely sure tho

At the exam they said about 500 if I remember correctly? I think ~2000 people applied this time. 750 being selected for interview sounds like a more accurate number.
(edited 5 years ago)
Ahh tbh I was dazed after the examinations and I completely didn’t catch that- that’d be such a tight cut! Everyone from my school managed to land an interview so it’s even more shocking- also do you know what’s determining the different interview timings? Is it based on subject?
Original post by Zaratomaa
Ahh tbh I was dazed after the examinations and I completely didn’t catch that- that’d be such a tight cut! Everyone from my school managed to land an interview so it’s even more shocking- also do you know what’s determining the different interview timings? Is it based on subject?

I think it's random because I know two people doing exams on Thursday at three but one's doing phsyics and the other is english lit. And same, eveyone I know who did exams got an interview so it feels like a lot of people are interviewing.
Original post by Cosmicxx
What is everyone doing for interview? Is anyone else doing english lit?

A friend of mine is! She's quite relaxed about it bc everything is up to personal interpretation, and so the questions shouldn't be stressful.
Original post by Zaratomaa
A friend of mine is! She's quite relaxed about it bc everything is up to personal interpretation, and so the questions shouldn't be stressful.

I wish I was this relaxed! I understand the point on personal interpretation though, at least everyone can have different perspectives and still have a right answer. When is she doing her's? And I'm sure you're going to do great in bio :smile:
Reply 57
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Anyone doing History for their interview?
Reply 58
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Original post by centrallynervous
At the exam they said about 500 if I remember correctly? I think ~2000 people applied this time. 750 being selected for interview sounds like a more accurate number.

if you look at their 2019 admissions policy, they say 'up to a maximum of 600 students will be invited to interview', and that marks achieved in the interview 'will be combined with the exam marks with the weighting 1 (interview marks): 4 (test marks) to get an overall score'. They also say 300 places will be available in year 12.
Good luck (to you and whoever else reads this)!
Reply 59
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Original post by stpnp
if you look at their 2019 admissions policy, they say 'up to a maximum of 600 students will be invited to interview', and that marks achieved in the interview 'will be combined with the exam marks with the weighting 1 (interview marks): 4 (test marks) to get an overall score'. They also say 300 places will be available in year 12.
Good luck (to you and whoever else reads this)!

So if someone scored 380 in the test does the nature of the 'weightings' make it impossible to get in? If so, why invite them for an interview?

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