NEWTs

For the most current NEWT subject prompts, go to the House Cup group and find the current NEWT thread.

Completed NEWT Spreadsheet

Completed OWL Spreadsheet (to see which OWLs you've done)

Checklist - are you ready to propose your NEWT? 

What is a NEWT?

Students who have successfully completed four (4) OWLs are eligible to attempt a NEWT. One NEWT can earn your House up to 450 points. NEWTs only involve Ravelry crafts: knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving, and/or dyeing.

NEWT size: A NEWT should be three to four months of consistent work for the student. 

NEWT shape: To earn a NEWT, the student must demonstrate full mastery of two NEWT Subjects by creating an item or items that fulfill the minimum requirements and stories for each NEWT Subject’s description. In addition, the two Subjects must connect to each other so that the NEWT as a whole must coordinate, relate, or complement in some manner or theme. Please note that “my knitting will keep me warm” will not be accepted as a connection between projects. ;)

We would prefer to see balance between the two subjects as it’s hard to show full mastery with just a small project. For some proposals, all of the projects do cover both subjects. For other proposals, some projects cover one subject and some cover another. It can help to think of each subject’s project(s) as being an OWL’s worth of work for the student.

Since NEWT projects are larger than OWLs, NEWT students have up to 4 months to work on their items. NEWT students must propose their NEWTs in the first three weeks of break month. Proposals are reviewed by the NEWT Examiners as a committee on a first-come, first-served basis, as quickly as possible. Once your project has been proposed, you may begin working on it (yes, even before your proposal has been approved.)

Please note that reductions in your NEWT workload will only be considered during the Proposal Period (dates 1–22 of break month) as this will mean reevaluating the size of the NEWT Proposal.

After the Change Request deadline has passed, except in extraordinary circumstances, we do NOT accept : 

• Changes in pattern, except to a very similar pattern and for a good reason.

• Changes that fundamentally alter the nature of your NEWT.

Swatches are not required for NEWT proposals; however, they are strongly encouraged. Swatches can be a way to discover issues with a yarn not working (for pattern, color, etc.) and can also help confirm the gauge and yardage assumptions which might affect milestone metrics. Since you cannot start your project before you propose it, your swatch cannot be the beginning of your project. 

If you begin your NEWT prior to approval, do so with the understanding that negotiations may alter your original proposal and thus negate any work you may have begun. 

Students are NOT permitted to sit for an OWL or DRAGON while attempting a NEWT. 

Students ARE permitted to attempt an Order of the Phoenix Mission while attempting a NEWT. 

Students may only attempt one NEWT per term, but may alternate between OWLs and NEWTs in different terms. 

Why are there no large changes after the proposal period ends?

One of the key tenets for NEWTs is that to reap the big points reward a student has to be willing to make a solid plan and stick to it for four months. Examiners do allow minor changes for things that cannot always be planned for such as a pattern with instructions that are not working or a yarn that is just not looking good with a particular pattern.

I think my NEWT might be too big, what can I do?

If it is before the proposal deadline (the 22nd of break month), talk to your Examiner. Changes that result in less work are taken very seriously and the Examiners will need to review the NEWT as a whole a second time to determine if the new plan is still NEWT-sized and fulfills all requirements. If the proposal deadline has passed, work reductions are not allowed. You may withdraw your NEWT and propose an OWL if the OWL proposal deadline has not passed.

Can I still do a NEWT if I have a lot going on next term?

You can, but we do still require that the work proposed consists of "two OWLs" of work for you. Small differences in overall workload from one NEWT to the next is not uncommon.

Why does it take so long to get an approval?

Every NEWT proposal is reviewed by all four NEWT Examiners on the team along with support from the Team Lead. Due to the collaborative nature of the committee process, sometimes it moves slowly, as the Examiners all have lives outside of the House Cup. They take the evaluation of each proposal seriously to determine if the work proposed is well thought-out, matches the student's skills, is not going to send them to St. Mungo's, and more. This does take some time. 

The good news is that with NEWTs, you may start on your projects as soon as you propose. You do take a small risk that the proposal won't be approved exactly how it started, so keep that in mind.

Can I include a single sock (mitten, slipper, any other item that typically comes in a pair) in my proposal?

No. As NEWTs are the most advanced of our Advanced Studies offering, students are expected to include at least 2 or more of items that typically come in pairs (socks, mittens, slippers, etc). Please note that the counting of paired items can get tricky with some of our prompts, so here are some tips. (Note that for simplicity where "socks" is used sub in any typically paired item):

Arithmancy Option 4 Multiples – for this option only, paired items count individually so your 10 items can be 10 socks, provided it is NEWT-sized for you.

DADA Option 4 Horcruxes – This option asks for 7 objects. A pair of socks can count as one of the 7 objects.

Divination Option 2 Props – This option asks for 6 items. A pair of socks can count as one of the 6 items.

Muggle Studies Option 2 Accessories – This option asks for 3 accessories. A pair of socks can count as one of the 3 accessories.

History of Magic Option 2 – Characters/Places/Events - One or more projects can represent the 5 characters/places/events. Paired items can represent one or more characters/places/events. For example a pair of socks can represent Fred and George Weasley. Paired items would need to be two or more.

Care of Magical Creatures Option 1 Paddock – One or more project can represent the 6 creatures. Paired items can represent one or more creatures. Paired items would need to be two or more.

For the other prompts, paired items can be two or more. For example, 3 socks, 5 mittens, etc.

Do the two NEWT Subjects need to be balanced? Do all of my projects need to cover both subjects?

Part of earning a NEWT is demonstrating full mastery of two subjects. We would prefer to see balance between the two subjects as it’s hard to show full mastery with just a small project. For some proposals, all of the projects do cover both subjects. For other proposals, some projects cover one subject and some cover another. It can help to think of each subject’s project(s) as being an OWL’s worth of work for the student.

For example, a proposal can include a large, complicated sweater plus a hat. Both the sweater and hat would need to cover both subjects or it would be very unbalanced.

Another proposal could have a sweater and three pairs of socks. The sweater could cover one subject and the three pairs of socks another subject

Why do you ask so many questions about proposals?

NEWTs require making a plan and sticking to it for four months. With the amount of time being devoted by the student, and the high points being earned, the Examiners want to make crystal clear that they understand exactly what you are proposing. They do not want to reject a finished NEWT because their understanding of the proposal was different from the student's. The more clear the plan is, the easier it is for the Examiners to imagine the final result.

My project is too big for an OWL for me, that makes it NEWT-sized right?

No, NEWTs should be the work of two large OWLs for the student. While your project may be too big for one OWL, you may need to add another project or two to bring it up to the size of two OWLs. NEWT Students have break month without the distraction of classes and extracurriculars to help make good progress on their NEWTs.

I've heard about a Research NEWT?

The Research NEWT is an opportunity to do a NEWT-sized project involving WIPs. It is a yearly offering in Spring terms.

The Badges!

You’ll find the links to the badges below. Just right click on the image to get all the usual options to save. Once you have surpassed six NEWTs you may combine badges to reflect the number you have completed if you like.