Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Test Items from Singapore National Tests

I understand that somewhere in your website I can access past primary-level mathematics tests, but I cannot find them. Do they exist, and can I get access to them? I am learning about Singapore Math.
Lee, a math coach in Utah
These are not available online. Released items from the tests are compiled into a book every year. For example, the most recent book consists of released items from 2004 to 2008 tests. About three-fourths of all items are released each year. This book is not available outside Singapore. I believe this is an agreement between the copyright holder of the test items and the publishers. In Singapore, they are easily available in any Popular Bookshops. If you are outside Singapore, get a friend to help you buy a copy.
The national test at the end of primary schooling is the Primary School Leaving Examination. Students are tested on English, Mathematics, Mother Tongue Language and Science. For mathematics. most students do the Mathematics test. A small proportion do the Foundation Mathematics test which focuses more on basics and less on problem solving.
Students complete 15 multiple-choice items (20 points), 20 short-answer items (30 points) and 13 long-answer items (50 points) which includes some challenging tasks. The first paper (50 min) includes the multiple-choice items and 15 short-answer ones. The second paper (1 h 40 min) includes the other items. Students can use a calculator in the second paper. This format will be used for the first time in 2009. Previously, these items were in one 2 h 15 min paper and students do not use calculators (and the numbers are not tedious to compute).

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