So you have an aspiring GEPer and are looking for GEP prep classes? Before we dive into the 4 topics you need to know for the GEP, let’s look at when the 2024 GEP Identification Exercise will be happening!
The Gifted Education Programme (GEP) is a highly selective programme that hand-picks the top 1% of the P3 cohort. The programme identifies gifted students at Primary 3 through a two-stage process: the Screening Round and the Selection Round.
2024 GEP Identification Exercise
Each year, the GEP identification exercise will happen in August and October respectively.
Screening Round: 15 August 2024 (Thu)
Selection Round: 15 – 16 October 2024 (Tue, Wed)
All students must take the GEP exam unless they opt out, around July when you receive a notification from MOE or school.
Results of the Screening Round will be released in early October (usually 2 weeks before the Selection Round) while the results of the Selection Round will be released in November
Format of the GEP Screening Round
From our understanding of the structure of the GEP paper, the Screening Round will take approximately two and a half hours, which is a long time for Primary 3 students who are not used to exam-taking environments.
During the Screening Round, students will take two papers – English Language and Mathematics.
Note: The GEP exam is notoriously elusive and may change its structure yearly.
Students will have 75 minutes to complete the English Language paper and the Math paper.
In the English component, three main question types will appear.
- Comprehension – with 2-3 passages
- Vocabulary – 15 – 20 Questions
- Cloze Passage – 2 passages with helping words
To ace the English component, students must possess strong inference, reading skills, and vocabulary. With limited time and multiple passages to trawl through, students must also be able to read quickly.
The Math Paper consists of 20-25 multiple-choice questions (4 choices) and 20-25 open-ended questions, testing on topics from the P1-P3 Math Syllabus.
Start your GEP prep with our GEP Sample Paper to get an idea of the types of questions that might be tested in the GEP!
4 Essential Topics for GEP Prep
Several topics, such as the ones we are going to list, are important for students to master as they prepare for the GEP.
Let’s get into it!
1. Model Method
For topics such as whole numbers, fractions, and money, most of the word problems can be solved using bar models. Bar models help students break down lengthy problem sums by drawing rectangular boxes to represent information and relationships. Models helps students to understand:
- Part-Whole concept
- Change concept
One of the key pitfalls common among Primary 2 students preparing for the GEP is that their inability to identify the subject with 1 unit and the relationship with the other subjects in the word problem!
2. Age
To truly master age problems, students need a strong understanding that age problem is linked to the concept of constant difference. Constant difference is when the difference between two subjects remains the same even after a change. As people grow older, the age gap between two people will always be constant.
3. Fractions
While fractions are introduced to students at Primary 2, the questions involving fractions at the GEP will require students to have a strong proficiency in fractions. Many students at P3 struggle with simplifying fractions (this is the only correct way to present your final answer!) and completing operations for fractions with different denominators.
4. Figure and Number Pattern
Figure and number pattern questions are those that follow a certain rule. This topic can be daunting to Primary 6 students, let alone Primary 3. Most students would be able to do figure and number pattern questions with the listing method. However, once asked to find the pattern of a large number, the listing method will take too much time to complete. This leaves them with little time to complete other questions.
Additionally, students also struggle with finding the figure number when given a term. This is because they are unable to work backward to find the figure number.
Are you looking for GEP Prep?
Rightly so, the GEP is a rigorous process to select students who are not stimulated sufficiently in the traditional curriculum. The GEP Math exam will not only test students on their mastery of various topics but also their ability to solve creative problems involving multiple steps.
Our all-in-one GEP Guidebook also covered the remaining top 10 essential topics needed for the GEP Math.
A systematic and comprehensive tool to help your child prepare for the GEP Math.
- 10 essential topics with comprehensive step-by-step explanations to guide your child’s thought process
- 100 additional challenge questions to help students develop their application ability
- Exclusive General Ability (GA) Guidebook and practice questions provided
The last chance to collect your GEP Guidebook is on 16 June 2024! Register for your copy to avoid disappointment!
Lastly, the GEP Prep is not the be-all and end-all. Most importantly, for students who are highly curious about Math, our programme is designed to develop their Math Olympiad Thinking Ability and apply problem-solving strategies to creative math challenges.
Find out more about our math olympiad courses!
