’We see student potential, not test scores’: A school for parents stressed by gymnasium admission

Gymnasium Livingston in Prague offers a more supportive pathway for families navigating the Czech education system.

Julie O'Shea

Written by Julie O'Shea Published on 22.01.2025 16:50:00 (updated on 22.01.2025) Reading time: 3 minutes

This article was written in partnership with Gymnasium Livingston Read our policy

Securing a spot at a Prague gymnasium is notoriously competitive, stressful, and confounding, especially for expat families unfamiliar with the Czech education system and its rigorous admissions process. 

Teens and preteens often prepare for a full year before taking the high-stakes entrance exam. But only a fraction of the thousands of hopefuls sitting for the CERMAT each spring score high enough to land a place at the school of their choice, leaving frustrated parents scrambling to find an alternative at the last moment.   

Not all gymnasiums prioritize CERMAT scores in their admissions decisions, which is an important consideration as you finalize your child’s top school choices by Feb. 20.

Innovative approach to Czech-English education

Gymnasium Livingston, a Cambridge International School in Prague 9 that builds on the success of its renowned elementary counterpart to provide an innovative program balancing Czech and English education, is looking to enroll students with potential. Various factors are taken into consideration during the enrollment process. Applicants will still need to take the CERMAT exam, but a low score is not a dealbreaker.

“We are looking at individual students and individual families. When people ask how many points on CERMAT they need to be accepted, I tell them CERMAT is only a small part of what we are looking at; what's most important is you,” says Justin Kilcullen-Nichols, Livingston’s Deputy Director. 

“You have 14- and 15-year-olds who have potential. They just need someone to spend a bit of time building up their confidence, showing them how to succeed and also not to be paralyzed by the possibility of failure,” adds Martin Holub, Director of the school.

To that end, Livingston spends a lot of time getting to know each student. The admissions team uses a globally-recognized cognitive test called CAT4 to get a baseline of a student’s overarching academic strengths and weaknesses before scheduling an interview to assess whether they’d be a right fit for the school.

Unlike the CERMAT, which tests a student solely on their math and Czech language knowledge, there is no preparation needed for the CAT4, which is used by hundreds of international schools worldwide each year to assess thousands of students.  

“It is looking at intrinsic potential in verbal and numerical reasoning. There is no pass or fail score to this. It is simply the launch point where we can ask questions,” says Kilcullen-Nichols. 

“We really do a deep dive into the students – past history at school, what they enjoy doing, what they want to do, problems they’re having, their hopes, their fear, their dreams – and we just see if we can work with them. If we can work with them, we will take them.”

Keeping options open: Study for Czech Maturita and Cambridge IGCSEs

Livingston Gymnasium offers parents disillusioned with the Czech education system a broader choice at a fraction of the cost of other leading private schools around Prague. Annual tuition is fixed at CZK 238,000.

As an accredited Cambridge International School and MSMT school, Livingston successfully integrates international curricula with the Czech RVP. Students can study for both their Czech Maturita and start with Cambridge IGCSEs, followed by an international diploma.

Starting in Grade 6, Livingston already started preparing its elementary school students for the switch to gymnasium with the introduction of a combined Czech-Cambridge curriculum.

“Students will study English, maths, and science in English, and the rest will be in Czech. The idea is that they build up an academic working knowledge of English, but they are also developing the essential skills that Cambridge provides,” says Holub. 

“Rather than rote learning – memorization and doing tests – this approach has more to do with investigation, inquiry and becoming a resilient learner.” 

February 2025 Open Days

  • Feb. 4, 2025 from 5 p.m.
  • Feb. 11, 2025 from 5 p.m.
  • Feb. 18, 2025, from 5 p.m.

Gymnasium students are taught through an innovative Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) program, using English within specific subjects to expand learning opportunities and achieve a high literacy level.

Livingston does not have a specialized curriculum geared toward, for example, maths or sciences. 

“I believe it’s immoral to limit decisions or limit options at an early age. If you speak to many teenagers, most of them will say they don’t know what to do,” says Kilcullen-Nichols.

“We leave all doors open. When it comes to the final two years of the gymnasium, then we offer detailed career advice and sit-down consultations with parents before we make informed subject choices. But still we keep everything broad right up into the last moment to open up universities to people rather than closing doors.” 

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