Have you ever noticed that your child is quick at grasping new concepts, diverse in their interests and maybe even bored or frustrated because their homework is too easy?

If so, congratulations. You might be raising an intellectually gifted kid who is a perfect candidate for the IGNITE program.

Learn how IGNITE can benefit your child’s future, what to expect from the IGNITE program’s ACER HAST exam, and what you can do to help your child prepare for their challenging test day.

IGNITE Program Basics: What Is It & How Does It Work

IGNITE is a specialised accelerated learning program for students in Grades 8-10 offered by public schools in South Australia. It’s designed for children with high abilities who perform well ahead of their peers and are not sufficiently challenged by the regular curriculum.

The IGNITE selected entry program offers your talented child flexibility to adjust their senior school years as they see fit.

Learners have two options:

1. Follow a compacted course and complete Grades 8-10 in two years instead of three. Your child can then choose whether they want to finish Years 11-12 in two or three years and take university-level subjects in their final year.
2. Follow an enrichment companion course. In this case, students complete Grades 8-10 at the usual pace but they learn subjects in more detail compared to their peers. They still can accelerate in the subjects where they excel.
   

That said, academic challenge is not the only goal of selected accelerated learning programs. By gaining entry into IGNITE, your child reaps many more benefits that go beyond the academic curriculum. They get a unique chance to:

• learn in a nurturing environment and collaborate with peers of similar abilities and interests
• master higher-order skills and competencies, including intercultural and ethical understanding, independence, and social awareness
• develop a lifelong passion for learning.

Gaining entry into IGNITE is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide your child with a high-quality education under the guidance of top instructors.

Unfortunately, this opportunity doesn't come easy...

What Does It Take To Get Into IGNITE Program In 2022?

There are three selective schools in the Adelaide area that deliver the IGNITE program:

• The Heights School (~6o spots)
• Glenunga International High School (~100 spots)
• Aberfoyle Park High School (~50 spots)

Brighton Secondary School offers an enrichment program under the name Think Bright, which is similar to IGNITE. But Think Bright students don’t have the choice of accelerating their learning but rather dive deeper into the curriculum through extension classes and extracurricular enrichment activities.

All applicants for the IGNITE program have to sit a challenging four-part IGNITE exam, held in February every year, followed by an interview. The entrance test is open to students in Year 7 and exceptionally mature Year 6 students for Year 8 entry.

There are about 200 spots available, and hundreds of intelligent students apply every year, which means the competition is fierce. Only the best of the best get through.

To add to the challenge, your child can sit an IGNITE exam only once. If they take it in Year 6 and fail, there’s no possibility of retaking the test in Year 7. You only get the one chance.

What’s In The IGNITE Exam (Test Format, Number Of Questions, Time Limit)

All three participating schools use the ACER HAST exam as a first part of the selection process.

Our students who have sat ACER HAST say that the exam is challenging. It's designed to spot exceptionally gifted and talented kids, so the questions are one or two grades higher in difficulty compared to your child's current year.

The ACER HAST consists of four sections: reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, abstract reasoning, written expression. Here's an outline of each subtest along with the number of questions and the time limit.

*The number of questions and time limit have been estimated from the ACER HAST Candidate Information Bulletin and other publicly available information. Please note that the authoritative body can change the number of questions and time limits from year to year so please refer to their websites for the most up to date information. Time per question is calculated by taking the time limit divided by the number of questions.

How You Can Help Your Child Succeed On The IGNITE Exam: 3 Must-Know Tips

You can't sit an exam for your child, but, as a parent, you're probably wondering what you can do to maximise your child's IGNITE test results.

Wonder no more! Here are three tips every parent must know to help their child succeed.

Don’t Rush Into The Test

Since the IGNITE program exam is open to students in Year 6, many parents decide to register their kids for the test as soon as possible. But here's the catch - the IGNITE exam can be taken only once. It means that your child gets only one chance to ace their test.

Plus, they'll compete with talented applicants who had an extra year to prepare for the test.

That's why we recommend parents to not be in a hurry and wait to sit the test in Year 7.

Improve on Weak Areas & Continue to Build Strengths

The final score is broken down into subtests. Your child needs to show exceptional performance on all parts of the test to be more confident of getting an IGNITE offer.

Knowledge is just a part of the exam. Even if your child excels at a particular subject, they need to learn exam strategy, practice their time management, and work on their "test-finishing" skills.

Don't Underestimate Good Preparation

In theory, competitive exams are supposed to test the child's innate aptitude and intellectual ability. Which is why test providers discourage parents from getting their kids any preparation before the test day.

In practice, all the areas tested in the exam can be trained and improved. Students perform better under time pressure if they know what to expect and what kind of questions they will have to deal with.

Most of your child's competitors will come to the test prepared, and some kids start their test prep even two years before they sit the IGNITE exam. It would be unfair to leave your child's success to the whim of destiny.

We've combined 8+ years of experience in the competitive exam industry with our personal academic achievements to bring you the best study materials ever.

With the most up-to-date instructional content, our secret proprietary exam strategies, test-like practice questions, and a strong focus on problem-solving, your child will be not only ultra-prepared for their test day but also gain valuable skills for future academic success.

Choose the way you want your child to prep below.