How to get picked for wand choosing ceremony?

[bumbershoot]

And she was sorted Slytherin on a lot of facebook quizzes, and twice on Pottermore-- and to show she's really a Slytherin-- she wanted to be a Hufflepuff (she has a thing for Cedric), so she "lost/forgot" her Pottermore password after she was sorted into Slytherin so she could re-register and re-sort-- knowing she should answer the questions less than honestly to get into Hufflepuff. Yeah. Slytherin.

That's funny, but FWIW remember that the sorting hat takes your wishes into account.

The pottermore quiz, when it was revamped, became stupidly short and not really very accurate. If you google you can find ALL the questions they have, and taking that yields a much more accurate result. When I took the Pottermore quiz after it was revamped it wanted to put my in Slytherin and I know it was because of ONE choice. All the rest would have gone Ravenclaw. But that one question answered honestly (I want to say it was about animals?) skewed it.

There were a LOT of adults making new accounts when Pottermore changed their quiz. Because the sorting hat takes your wishes into account, but JK apparently forgot to tell the IT people that when they were making the quiz.

 

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

I got picked, I was 20 at the time and not wearing anything HP related. But I do think I was the youngest in the room. I have no clue why I was picked versus other people, but I'm not complaining! It was so cool...

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

Adding in our experience from October. Our family went early on an EE morning. We all had our house shirts on and the baby in his "I'm a Keeper" onesie. There were several kids in our group ranging from YDS at 2 to some young teens. There were 2 girls in Gryffindor quidditch clothes that were about ODS(8)'s age and they wee very excited. ODS was excited but I had told him everyone is excited and to just enjoy the show no matter who is picked. This kid (ODS) gets picked for all kinds of things, like the beast in ETWB every time we go, IMO he has a sweet and bright eyed look and maybe that helps, he is also just the right age.
Anyway he was chosen and I kinda felt bad for those two girls as you could see their disappointment. ODS loved it! DD(4 at the time) was sad she hadn't been picked but she would have frozen if she had been. In the store some very nice assistants helped match her with a wand. We had a great time.

 

[crostorfer]

We've been through no less than 20 times, and my daughter has never been chosen. She has been in costume, out of costume, up front, in the back, in the middle, to the side, smiling, frowning, looking at Ollivander, looking at the floor, looking at the wands, and we've been herded in with 25 other people at IOA, and been in with only 4 other people at the larger shop in US. Never. Been. Picked.

 

[humphreydog]

The performers are also salesmen/saleswomen. They will assess the group and choose someone most likely to buy the wand. Maybe you can wear a "I Collect Wands" t shirt.

 

[damo]

The performers are also salesmen/saleswomen. They will assess the group and choose someone most likely to buy the wand. Maybe you can wear a "I Collect Wands" t shirt.

Hmmm...my 90 year old mom was chosen. Not very likely she was going to buy the wand!

 

[NYCANC]

My DD was chosen last week on our 1st try! Which was wonderful since her 11th bday was that weekend.
We were in line and the group in front of us was the last one taken in so we had time to chat with the person working the queue. Then we chatted up the next person too as we waited. He told us just to act enthusiastic and happy to be there. My DD was placed all the way over by the staircase.
She was wearing a house shirt and bracelets.

 

[Mooghan]

I was chosen for my first time at Ollivander's! I was in an extremely small group, because I went during Disapalooza 2015 and there were only 5 other people in the room with me. It was an amazing experience, especially since I grew up with the books and movies.

 

[cyndik1111]

We went last March. Took my DD 12 and her friend 11. My DD got picked first time around. It was crowded and they were wearing robs, standing in the middle of the 1st row. Her friend was so sad she wasn't picked. So right before they closed we went back. There were about 8 people in the room. A different guy came down the stairs and picked my daughter (again). Her firiend couldn't container her disappointment. She looked as though she was going to cry. And my daughter also looked disappointed for her friend. After he did the show with my daughter, and we were about to leave, he put his hand on her friend's sleeve and said he thought she had forgotten something. He kept us in the room till everyone had left, and did a private show just for her. It brought me to tears I was so thankful.

 

[AngiTN]

I went to Ollivander's for the first time ever this past Saturday. Hadn't a clue what to expect, other than what I've read in this thread. Well wouldn't you know I was picked out of a packed room. Me, 50 something grandma. Out of a room full there for the Potter Weekend Celebration. I think DH and I were the only people in any HP area over the weekend that wasn't attending the event (we just didn't have enough time for the event and the parks). Anyway, DH thought for certain I'd set it up, that it was too big a coincidence that I am a big Potter fan and got picked the first time we walked in. It was fun and I was planning on buying a wand. Though I probably wouldn't have picked the one he did I went with that one. I'd have never been able to pick one myself anyway

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I was chosen for my first time at Ollivander's! I was in an extremely small group, because I went during Disapalooza 2015 and there were only 5 other people in the room with me. It was an amazing experience, especially since I grew up with the books and movies.

Me too! That was honestly one of the reasons I wanted to go to the DISapalooza party so much. I figured it'd be my only shot since I'd gone to the wand experience over and over at Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade and I was never chosen.

I kept getting in line and then backing out when kids would show up behind us. The team members were very encouraging and told me to just wait and try (they have nothing to do with it, it is all the assistant's choice). I kept making my bf leave and come back, finally we decided to stay and there were about 8 of us. 2 Slytherin girls all dressed up that were older teens, then a maybe 12ish boy and his parents.

I was wearing a Gryffindor hat and holding Hedwig and I actually got picked!

Best experience ever. Of course I bought my wand and it's still one of my prized possessions.