Gifted & Talented Discovery Program - Exam 2009/2010
How do I register for the exam?
- Information regarding the Gifted & Talented Discovery Program Qualifying Exam will be distributed to all Science Alliance members, posted on this website and faxed to all high schools in NSW and ACT in October.
- On-line registration is now closed. Late applications may be accepted. Please contact Louise Freys, the Manager, School Programs and Undergraduate Recruitment, directly by phone (02) 9351 5268 or email if you have any questions about this or the program.
- To become a Science Alliance member and receive regular updates on all our programs and events visit: Science Alliance Membership
When is the exam sat?
Exams will be sent to all schools in late October. All exams must be sat at your school between 9 - 20 November 2009. Students and schools will be notified of their results in February.
Who can sit the exam?
Students how are currently in Years 8 and 9, who will be entering Years 9 or 10 in 2009 are eligible to sit the exam. If you have any Year 7 students who you feel would benefit from the program, please contact directly to discuss the possibility of their involvement.
The Exam
To qualify for the program students must sit a 40-minute exam. The multiple-choice exam consists of questions that are designed to test the student's ability to solve scientific problems in the areas of biology, chemistry and physics. All students sit the same exam. The exam must be sat under appropriate exam conditions.
Each returned exam costs $6.00 (GST is not charged).
A Sample Question
An unknown solution was sent to your laboratory for analysis. The supervisor’s instructions are that you need to determine whether the solution is an acid or an alkali (base) and he needs the results within 2 hours.
Unfortunately, you have just used the last of the indicators, it is late at night and you can’t obtain more indicators until the morning. You need to make your own natural indicator. So, you go to the refrigerator where you have left your dinner and remove the ‘red cabbage’ from your meal.
You cut the cabbage into slices, add water and boil this mixture for 30 minutes. This liquid, when decanted, is blue.
When the cabbage mix is added to the unknown solution, it turns green. The pH of the unknown solution:
(A) Is less than 7.
(B) Is equal to 7.
(C) Is acidic.
(D) Can’t be determined because further tests need to be done.