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ACER scholarship test reaches 50-year milestone

Posted on:Wednesday, 9th November 2011

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09 November 2011: In 2012, ACER’s Cooperative Scholarship Testing Program (CSTP) will undertake its 50th testing cycle. The test date will be brought forward three months and will now occur in February.

Established in 1962, CSTP is an annual program of scholarship testing used by schools across Australia to select academically gifted students for the award of a scholarship. Approximately 150 independent schools currently use the service for entry into the first, middle or final years of secondary school. The test is held on one day, and is a cooperative test, meaning that candidates can register with more than one CSTP school, but they sit the test once only. In 2012 the test will be conducted on Saturday 25 February.

ACER’s scholarship project director, Mr David Weeding, said that CSTP’s longevity is due to the annual review process that it undergoes each year.

“ACER’s scholarship tests use the best, most up-to-date methods to effectively shortlist the hundreds of scholarship applications that schools receive,” said Mr Weeding.

To mark the 50th anniversary of CSTP, ACER has recently launched a new Scholarships iPad app containing sample materials and interactive practice questions.

The Scholarships iPad app contains the following features:

Humanities, Mathematics and Written Expression Tests for each level
Automatic marking for the Humanities and Mathematics tests
An email feature, so that students can send the Written Expression Tests to a teacher or tutor for assessment and feedback. (Note: ACER does not provide marking or feedback for the Written Expression.)
A complete list of participating schools and a link to their websites for online registration in the scholarship testing
All questions are trialled materials and come from the same pool of testing items that are used in the tests. This is the only application for the iPad for which this is the case.

A free sample of the Scholarships iPad app is available from iTunes. Extended versions for each of the testing levels are available for purchase separately. Printed sample question booklets are also available.

In a break from tradition, in 2012 the test will take place on 25 February in line with requests from schools. Previously, the CSTP test date was in May each year. Schools wishing to participate in the February 2012 testing program must enrol with ACER as soon as possible. Parents wishing to take up the early bird discount for student registrations must register by 16 December. The final cut-off date for student registrations is 6 February 2012.

For further information visit www.acer.edu.au/tests/cstp

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Media enquiries: Megan Robinson, ACER Corporate Communications

Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
Phone: (03) 9277 5582
Mobile: 0419 340 058
Email: communications@acer.edu.au