Yes, it’s that time of the year again where the GEP admissions test are looming on the horizon.
Some parents hold the view that this is a test they shouldn’t prepare their child for, while others think they’d only be putting their child at a disadvantage because others would be preparing for it… (and so the debate rages on)
For those who think something is better than nothing, here’re 3 high impact brain workouts you could give your child to gear them up for the GEP Selection Test.
There are 3 components to the GEP Selection Test – English, Mathematics, and General Ability. You can think of the General Ability component as IQ questions or brain teaser type questions, and the other two are self-explanatory. Remember to keep these exercises fun and make them relish the challenge of solving tough questions. When done correctly, they’ll also double up as interesting ways to broaden your child’s horizons!
1. Chow down vocabulary lists

For regular English exams in school, you can usually infer the meanings of words from context and clues in the passage, since unknown words hardly appear in isolation. But for the GEP Selection Test, you will see a series of analogy questions in the General Ability component.
For example:
FOUR is to SQUARE as THREE is to ______
A. HEXAGON
B. OCTAGON
C. TRIANGLE
D. PENTAGON
If you don’t know what a triangle is, there is no way to infer the meaning because this word appears in isolation. So you need to have a wide vocabulary in order to tackle these questions effectively. Memorising new words (and what they mean) is the quickest way to increase your knowledge in the short time there is left to prepare.
Furthermore, there’s an entire section just for vocabulary in the English component of the paper. The options presented will be close in meaning, so you’d have to know the different nuances in meaning before you can pick the right answer.
Make a game out of it, and challenge your child to use the new words in conversations. That way, it will naturally be part of their vocabulary.