NCEA Explained
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NCEA Explained
All you need to know about New Zealand's local high school curriculum.
If you’re in Year 10 and looking to start NCEA Level 1 next year, or even if you are in Year 13 and preparing for your external assessments – it’s never too late to learn the ‘ins and outs’ of NCEA and what to consider when choosing subjects, studying for exams, or preparing to apply to university.
What we’ll be covering:
- What is NCEA?
- How do I begin NCEA?
- NCEA Levels
- What are standards?
- NCEA Subjects
- How to choose NCEA subjects?
- How do I achieve an NCEA certificate?
- NCEA Grading System
- Scholarship Subjects
- Is NCEA recognised internationally?
- Is the NCEA for you?
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What is NCEA?
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the secondary school curriculum designed and implemented nationally in New Zealand. NCEA is recognised by employers and used for selection by universities and polytechnics, both in New Zealand and overseas. NCEA is part of the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF) which ranges from Level 1 to Level 10, and includes certificates, diplomas, and degrees.
How do I begin NCEA?
Students become a candidate for NCEA certificates when their high school sends their results for an internally assessed standard to NZQA or when an entry is made for externally assessed subjects. Each student is then given a unique National Student Number (NSN) which allows the student to review their assessment entries, results and Record of Achievement.
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NCEA Levels
There are three levels of NCEA certificate – Level 1, which is usually taken in Year 11, Level 2 in Year 12, and Level 3 in Year 13. During high school, you will typically take six subjects in Level 1, six in Level 2 and five in Level 3.
What are standards?
Students can achieve two types of standards:
- Unit standards are competency based.
- These include qualifications related to hospitality, technology, or business administration.
- Achievement standards are New Zealand curriculum based.
- Subjects such as history, chemistry, maths, or English.
Secondary schools offer subjects made up of standards that are assessed to meet the NCEA requirements. Each standard is worth a certain number of credits (usually between 2 and 6) that are awarded when you satisfy the assessment for that standard.
Many secondary schools will allow students to study a variety of standards at different levels, depending on their academic ability. For example, a student who is in Year 12, completing Level 2 subjects can add a subject at Level 1 or complete more advanced Level 3 subjects. In addition, students may study multi-level courses with standards at more than one level, e.g., a mathematics course at Year 12 may contain Level 2 and Level 3 standards.
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NCEA Subjects
Each year, students can take a variety of subjects, depending on the availability of that specific subject at their school. All secondary schools offer basic subjects such as English, maths and science. However, only some schools will offer more specialised subjects like food technology, specific languages, and creative arts.
In each of the NCEA subjects, there are specific skills and knowledge that are assessed against various standards that are determined by NZQA. For example, a Level 1 Physics standard is: Demonstrate understanding of aspects of electricity and magnetism. This standard is externally assessed, which means that students would complete an exam at the end of the year based on the material learned during their Level 1 Physics course.
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How to choose NCEA subjects?
At most schools in New Zealand, all students will study English, Mathematics and Science in Year 11. During Years 12 and 13, there are no compulsory subjects. However, some schools require students to study English or another language-rich subject to meet university entrance requirements. Therefore, choosing NCEA subjects can be challenging, as some university degrees will require specific high school level subjects to fulfil entrance requirements for programs. For example, if you are interested in a career in medicine, some universities may require Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and English at Level 1, 2 and 3.
To choose an NCEA subject that’s right for you…
- Think about what subjects you enjoy or areas of interest
- Figure out what subjects you are good at and will excel in
- Determine what specific subjects you need for your future career
- Make sure that you have the correct subjects to achieve your career goal
- Talk with your career advisor if you are unsure about what subjects to pursue
And if you don’t know exactly what you want to do for a career, keep your options open and take a broad range of subjects, especially English, mathematics and science.
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How do I achieve an NCEA certificate?
To achieve an NCEA certificate in Level 1, students must achieve 80 credits at any level and fulfil literacy and numeracy requirements. To meet the literacy requirement, students must achieve a minimum of 10 credits in specific internal or external assessments that meet the criteria for literacy found here. Similarly, to meet the numeracy requirement, a student must achieve a minimum of 10 credits in specific internal or external assessments that meet the criteria for numeracy found here. To achieve an NCEA certificate in Level 2, students must achieve 60 credits from Level 2 or above and 20 credits from any level (80 credits total). In addition, the Level 1 literacy and numeracy requirements must be met before completing Level 2. To achieve an NCEA certificate in Level 3, students must achieve 60 credits from Level 3 or above and 20 credits from Level 2 or above (80 credits total).
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NCEA Grading System
In place of traditional letter grades, NCEA credits are awarded as Not Achieved (N), Achieved (A), Merit (M) or Excellence (E). Achievement standards are assessed using all four grades. In most cases, unit standards are assessed using only the Achieved and Not Achieved grades. Merit and excellence endorsements are awarded when the student consistently performs above the ‘achievement’ level. In addition, a student can receive individual course endorsements to show that they have performed well in a specific course.
Scholarship Subjects
Scholarship is a monetary award to recognise the top secondary school students in New Zealand. Scholarship exams are externally assessed and are an additional set of exams. They do not attract credits or contribute towards a qualification, but the fact that a student has gained a Scholarship appears on their NCEA Record of Achievement, which can be helpful in gaining admission to a university.
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The UCAT
The UCAT, or the University Clinical Aptitude Test is the medical school admission test required for many universities in Australia and New Zealand. The UCAT is designed to assess applicants for the aptitude, attitudes and beliefs required of a doctor. In order to defeat the UCAT - we should understand what it is. First off, it’s a two hour computer based exam. There are 5 separately timed subtests - Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Situational Judgement. In this blog we break down each of the sections and offer guidance on how to prepare for this important exam.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning is meant to assess your ability to read something and draw appropriate conclusions. You can see why this would be important to a doctor - you’re part of a multidisciplinary team and will have to communicate effectively. In addition, doctors have to keep current with new research and draw reasonable conclusions from published findings. Decision making involves 11 text excerpts with 4 questions each, meaning this section has 44 questions in 21 minutes - that means an average of 29 seconds per question. That doesn’t even take reading the stem into account!
Decision Making
Decision Making is essentially data interpretation from graphs, tables, text and charts. You don’t need to have background knowledge on any subject, because part of what they’re testing is your ability to understand new information. Can you think of a time a doctor might have to do the same? This section has 29 questions in 31 minutes - an average of 64 seconds per question. Compare the timing of section to verbal reasoning, it’s more than double. Consider the length of time per question as an indication of how much the test writers want you to analyse.
Quantitative Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning is a straightforward mathematics section - there are nine scenarios each with four questions. You’ll have access to an on screen calculator - which is functional but pretty clunky! You’ll have to strike a balance between using mental maths to be quick, and keeping your wits about you, and staying accurate. This section has 36 questions in 24 minutes - an average of 40 seconds per question. It’s not a lot of time to question your maths abilities!
Abstract Reasoning
Abstract Reasoning is used to evaluate your ability to locate patterns and understand logic, separate from your language abilities. If you’ve seen the guides online with pictures asking you to find a pattern - that’s abstract reasoning. This section is sometimes hard for students to grasp, because it’s such a different set of skills. It’s also probably the biggest struggle with time management. This section has 55 questions in 13 minutes - that’s only 14 seconds per question. Don’t even think about going into this section unprepared!
Situational Judgement
Situational Judgement assesses your judgement and character in different situations - the situations are usually clinical or education based. Either situations you’ve likely been in, or a situation you could be involved in future. Then you’ll have to evaluate the appropriateness, importance or consequences of the situation. It’s one way for universities to evaluate the characteristics that are important for future doctors! Situational Judgement has 69 questions in 26 minutes - an average of 25 seconds per question.
With so much to do - how can I set myself up for success?
Prepare
This sounds like a no brainer, but preparation is the most important thing you can do if you want to succeed on the UCAT. Going over questions is one thing but the most effective thing you can do is to practice under exam conditions. That means doing computer based exams - so when you get to test day, you know what to expect. Luckily MedView has a bank of questions.
Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Time is a precious resource when you’re preparing for medical school admissions - you have to continue doing well in your studies, prepare yourself for an interview, and master a new exam. There’s not infinite time - so you have to learn how to study smarter, not just harder. So many students waste their time by continuing to drill skills that they’ve already mastered. It’s important to identify the weak points that need more TLC.
Learn Skills
Each type of question requires a specific psychometric approach to understand and answer so quickly. Skills and strategies to identify the problem and solve the challenging question are essential for success. MedView has a range of 1:1 tutoring, group workshops, practice exams and questions alongside our spiral learning curriculum to help students develop the skills necessary to succeed in time conditions. Our UCAT students are 5x more likely to receive an interview offer.
Sitting full-length practice exams under simulated conditions is the most effective preparation for developing UCAT skills. As this will familiarise yourself with the extreme time pressures, as well as allowing you to practise concentrating on psychometric skills for two hours. It is also important to practice using the computer-based platform that will be used when you sit UCAT as well.
Seek Help
Find friends that have taken the test before and ask for their experience. Better yet, schedule a free Academic Assessment with MedView today! When you start your journey as a MedView student, you are allocated an Education Coordinator who has experience helping hundreds of students get into med school. They’ll help you stay on track with your goals, offer you support, and help you succeed on your path to medical school.
Next Steps
The UCAT is an important exam that is key to medical school admission for undergraduates. We recommend starting your UCAT preparation early and integrating it into your study load to give yourself the best opportunity to succeed. If you’d like to learn more about the UCAT or how to get into Medical School, check out our free eBooks and blogs!
- What is the UCAT?
- How Universities use your UCAT Results
- A Quick Guide to Australia Medicine eBook
- A Quick Guide to New Zealand Medicine eBook
- How to Prepare for the UCAT
- What UCAT scores will get me into med?
MedView offers a range of UCAT preparation courses as well as personalised 1:1 tutoring with our expert team. If you would like to know more about the UCAT and how MedView can help, get in touch today.
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What can you do before the year starts?
Before the year starts, it is vital that you understand that the journey to becoming a doctor is a long and arduous process. Medicine is a life-long commitment whose pathway extends beyond the 6 years of study. It includes a progression from a house officer to a registrar, and application onto training schemes if you opt for the surgical pathway.
The vast majority of people who apply for medicine, do not have a clear picture of what they want to do in the future. This uncertainty is not something to worry about now – you have plenty of time to figure out exactly what you want to do. There is something in medicine for everyone. If you are still uncertain about the medical pathway beyond the 6 years of study, I would recommend doing further research.
Another thing you can do over the summer break is to identify your motivation to become a doctor. If it’s for the money, you may not be in the correct profession - it will be at least 10-12 years until you start earning the big bucks that all doctors are known for! If you have an inherent nature to help people and seek to make our society healthier, then you are on the right track.
Once your head is in the right place, enjoy your summer! The year will belong, and you will have to make social sacrifices to make your studies a priority. Make the most of the time you have by seeing friends and family, as you will inevitably see less of them throughout the year. You are likely to experience burnout sometime during the year, so optimising your rest now is important.
The single most effective way to distance yourself from your competitors is to start early and hard. After you have rested throughout December and into the new year, it is time to get started and get ahead. The Flying Start Course offered by MedView was my ticket to success. It is a highly intensive programme starting in late January that covers the first 6 weeks of content for the three core papers in the first semester. The advantages of this course are numerous:
- The most valuable aspect of Flying Start is the content covered. As the first semester contains 3 out of the 4 core papers, it is so important to get a good start. An early lapse within the first few weeks can completely derail your entire year. Being exposed to similar content ahead of time builds your confidence and gives you the opportunity to begin learning before others.
- There is a radically different teaching style from high school to university. Flying Start emulates the style you are accustomed to, while simultaneously teaching university material. This eases your transition and places students into a more comfortable and familiar environment.
- You can meet other motivated people. You may have heard the horror stories of people sabotaging each other, taking their notes and hiding their bags. While these are mostly exaggerated, there will still be those who resort to other measures to gain an advantage. The people doing Flying Start will be motivated just like you, and eager to get ahead. Working together and building these strong relationships before the year starts means that you have a better support group in place. I have met several bright individuals who were passionate and together, we were able to navigate the difficult year and succeed as a group!
MedView believes in a holistic approach to medical school admissions, meaning we surround the student with a team of experts to help develop their candidacy and skills in all three major pillars in their journey to medical school, and now it’s even more accessible with the MedView Hub App!
Over the last decade there’s been a mass adoption of smartphones and a shift in the way people behave online and communicate. Australians are spending more time online, often using multiple screens, and consuming vast amounts of content each day. And it’s only going up!
Recent figures show that almost eight out of ten Australians use social media, and 87% of them use their mobile phones to access it. Fifty-nine percent of Australians access social media everyday or most days, and over a third of people check social media more than five times per day.
We often go online to chat with friends and family, share photos, or be entertained by cat videos. But the very same platforms we use to socialise can also be used to gather knowledge that we can apply in our offline lives. One of the areas where users can reap the benefits is online communities. MedView prides themselves on finding the best tutor, strategist or consultant for each student whether they be in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom and having an online community platform allows even more core benefits for our students in a shorter amount of time. Now students can access over 320 tutors, strategists and consultants and get answers to their Synapse questions, interact in exclusive workshops, and most importantly make friends. The meaningful relationships with other members of the community increases knowledge and collective wisdom.
The MedView Hub App is our own online community platform for students, parents, tutors, and alumni to create a network of opportunities to participate in smart, focused conversation on specific medical school admissions topics (unlike the Instagram and Facebook chatter).
Over the last decade there’s been a mass adoption of smartphones and a shift in the way people behave online and communicate. Australians are spending more time online, often using multiple screens, and consuming vast amounts of content each day. And it’s only going up!
Recent figures show that almost eight out of ten Australians use social media, and 87% of them use their mobile phones to access it. Fifty-nine percent of Australians access social media everyday or most days, and over a third of people check social media more than five times per day.
We often go online to chat with friends and family, share photos, or be entertained by cat videos. But the very same platforms we use to socialise can also be used to gather knowledge that we can apply in our offline lives. One of the areas where users can reap the benefits is online communities. MedView prides themselves on finding the best tutor, strategist or consultant for each student whether they be in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom and having an online community platform allows even more core benefits for our students in a shorter amount of time. Now students can access over 320 tutors, strategists and consultants and get answers to their Synapse questions, interact in exclusive workshops, and most importantly make friends. The meaningful relationships with other members of the community increases knowledge and collective wisdom.
The MedView Hub App is our own online community platform for students, parents, tutors, and alumni to create a network of opportunities to participate in smart, focused conversation on specific medical school admissions topics (unlike the Instagram and Facebook chatter).
Find out more and begin your journey to medical school by speaking with a MedView Academic Advisor for free today!
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