Where to study

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work certification and licensesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

Australia · Entry test

Selective schools in Australia: the NSW and Victorian entry tests

Selective schools are government high schools that choose their students by an entry test. In New South Wales (NSW), children sit the Selective High School Placement Test in Year 6 for a place from Year 7. In Victoria, students sit the Selective Entry High Schools exam in Year 8 for a place from Year 9. Neither test has a pass mark. Offers go by test performance and the order of your school choices, with some places held for students from equity groups.

  • Year 6When NSW children sit the test
  • Year 8When Victorian students sit the exam
  • No pass markPlaces go by rank and school choice
Where to studyHow the test works

Updated October 2026 · Written from the NSW Department of Education and ACER selective entry pages

Key facts

At a glance

Who runs entry
The NSW Department of Education; in Victoria, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
NSW test
Computer-based, four sections, sat in mid-May
Victorian exam
Paper answer booklet, three parts, sat in June
Cost to apply
Victoria charges an application fee; NSW doesn’t list one
What you get back
An outcome and a report of how your child did, not a test score

How it works

How entry to selective schools works

  1. You apply online first: in NSW on the Department of Education’s application website, in Victoria on the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) portal. Neither state takes late applications.
  2. You list up to three schools in order of preference. You’re offered the highest choice your child qualifies for, and an offer can’t be moved to another school.
  3. In NSW the Selective High School Placement Test is sat on computers the department provides, at local test centres that are mostly public high schools, and only in NSW.
  4. In Victoria the Selective Entry High Schools exam is sat on paper at venues across Melbourne, with answers shaded or written in an answer booklet.
  5. Neither state gives you a test score. NSW shows which band your child reached in each section, and ACER sends Victorian families an exam outcome report.
  6. More offers follow as families decline places, so a place can still come after the first round.

Topics

What’s on the test

01

NSW Reading Test

The Reading Test in the NSW Selective High School Placement Test uses different kinds of texts, all read on screen, to test reading comprehension.

Key points (4)
  • Texts include non-fiction, fiction, poetry, magazine articles and reports (NSW Department of Education, selective high school practice tests page).
  • Every text is read on screen, and answers are entered on the computer.
  • Reading questions come in different contexts to test a range of skills (department’s student video).
  • The questions draw on concepts from the NSW curriculum up to Year 6.
02

NSW Mathematical Reasoning Test

Mathematical reasoning asks students to use maths they already learn at school to solve new problems, with no calculator.

Key points (4)
  • The department says the concepts are based on what children already learn at school, so they don’t need to study extra maths.
  • Questions are multiple choice with five possible answers (department’s student video).
  • Calculators aren’t allowed in this or any other section.
  • Questions can draw on a range of mathematical content, and working out is done on paper (department’s student video).
03

NSW Thinking Skills Test

Thinking skills tests general critical thinking and problem solving, and the department says no previous knowledge is needed.

Key points (4)
  • It assesses critical thinking and problem-solving ability (NSW Department of Education).
  • No previous knowledge is required.
  • Questions are multiple choice with four possible answers (department’s student video).
  • The department’s practice tests show the range of question types.
04

NSW Writing Test

The Writing Test is one set topic, typed on the computer. It’s marked on ideas, purpose and audience, and the language used.

Key points (4)
  • The test assesses the creativity of the student’s ideas and their ability to write effectively for a purpose and audience (NSW Department of Education).
  • Text structure, grammar, punctuation, style and vocabulary also count toward the mark (department’s student video).
  • Writing that doesn’t address the given topic is marked lower, however fluent or creative it is.
  • Each response is marked by two examiners, and by a third if their scores differ (placement procedures).
05

Victoria: Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning

The first part of the Victorian Selective Entry High Schools exam covers Year 8 level maths and reasoning with numbers, patterns and shapes.

Key points (4)
  • Mathematics assesses year-level maths knowledge and reasoning, and applying maths to real-world contexts (ACER, Prepare page).
  • Quantitative reasoning assesses thinking and reasoning with numbers, patterns and shapes, in abstract and real-world contexts.
  • Multiple-choice answers are shaded in a paper answer booklet so machine scanners can read them.
  • Calculators aren’t allowed in the exam venue.
06

Victoria: Reading and Verbal Reasoning

The second part tests reading comprehension and reasoning with words, concepts and logic.

Key points (3)
  • Reading assesses accessing and retrieving information, and integrating, interpreting, reflecting on and evaluating ideas in texts (ACER).
  • Verbal reasoning assesses thinking and reasoning using words, concepts and logic.
  • Dictionaries and translation devices aren’t allowed.
07

Victoria: Writing

The Victorian exam ends with writing: two tasks, handwritten in the answer booklet.

Key points (4)
  • The writing test has two tasks (ACER, Prepare page).
  • It assesses conveying ideas in precise language, with ideas organised coherently.
  • Candidates bring two blue or black pens for the exam.
  • Notebooks and extra paper aren’t allowed in the venue.

Test day

What to bring on test day

  • A printed admission ticket. NSW won’t accept one on a phone, and ACER won’t accept an electronic copy.
  • NSW: two 2B pencils, an eraser and a sharpener in a clear plastic bag, because pencil cases aren’t allowed.
  • NSW: school uniform, even on a Saturday, a clear bottle of water and a snack for the long break.
  • Victoria: photo ID no more than 18 months old, such as a school student card or a passport.
  • Victoria: two blue or black pens, a bottle of water and snacks for the break.
  • Not allowed in either state: calculators, phones and smart watches.

Before you go

  1. Check your child’s school year, age and citizenship or visa against the state’s eligibility rules before you apply.
  2. Ask for any disability adjustments or special arrangements in the application, before it closes.
  3. Try the official practice material so the format and timing aren’t a surprise.
  4. Print the admission ticket when it arrives: about two weeks before the test in NSW, about one week before in Victoria.
  5. Plan the trip to the test centre. In NSW, a child who arrives late doesn’t get extra time.
  6. If your child is sick on the day, keep them home and apply for illness or misadventure consideration by the deadline.
NSW Department of Education: Application processKey dates, the five steps and the application website for Year 7 entry. Victorian families apply through ACER’s selective entry site.

Study options

Where to study

The NSW department gives families its own practice tests and a student resource hub as free resources, and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has sample questions for the Victorian exam. Books, online test packs and coaching colleges follow, with prices where each one shows them.

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official and free
NSW selective high school practice testsOfficial practice tests, online and PDFFrom the NSW Department of Education, which calls them part of its free resources for the test. The online tests are timed and show right and wrong answers at the end. The PDFs come from older paper-based versions, so the online tests are the ones that match today’s format.
FreeOnline computer-based practice tests in the real test software, and three PDF sample tests with answer keys and explained answers
NSW Department of Education: Selective high school practice tests ↗NSW Department of Education: Online practice tests ↗
NSW Selective High Schools Student Resource HubOfficial student hubWritten by the NSW Department of Education for the students themselves, and named among the department’s free resources on its application page.
FreeInteractive quizzes, practice test items, test-taking tips and help deciding whether a selective school suits your child
NSW Department of Education: Student Resource Hub ↗
Official
ACER Victorian sample questionsOfficial sample questions (ZIP of PDFs)From the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), which runs the exam. ACER says the questions show the style and format but aren’t necessarily as hard as the exam. There’s no writing set.
Download, no fee listedSample Mathematics, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading and Verbal Reasoning questions for the Victorian Selective Entry High Schools exam
ACER: Victorian Selective Entry High Schools, Prepare ↗
Books
Excel Selective Schools and Scholarship Tests (Pascal Press)Practice books, Years 5 and 6Separate books for Mathematical Reasoning, Reading, Thinking Skills and Writing, plus a skills and strategies book and a book pack. Pascal Press says they cover all four types of test. They’re written around the NSW sections, not the Victorian exam.
$22.95 a book; Revise in a Month $32.95Nothing listed as free
Pascal Press: Selective School Tests ↗
Apps and websites
Test AcademyOnline NSW selective practice testsOne-time payments, no subscription. Essential has 30 tests each in Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills, and Complete has 50 each plus 100 writing prompts. WritingHub writing feedback is $149 on its own. Test Academy also teaches classes in Parramatta and online.
Essential $269 for 6 months; Complete $369 for 12 monthsA free plan with 6 tests of your choice
Test Academy: Selective practice tests ↗Test Academy: Parramatta and online classes ↗
In person
Matrix EducationNSW selective test courses, Years 5 and 6Courses run online or on campus over 9 weeks each term, with a 1.5-hour lesson a week on one section of the test at a time and three diagnostic tests a term. A January holiday Mock Test Intensive runs over four 2-hour days.
Not listedNothing listed as free
Matrix Education: Selective School Test tutoring ↗
North Shore Coaching CollegeVictorian Selective High Exam course, Years 7 and 8A 10-week intensive over two terms, with a 4-hour lesson each week, weekly tests and small classes, taught on campus. The college says it has 64 campuses across 5 states.
Not listedNothing listed as free
North Shore Coaching College: Selective High Exam course, Year 8 ↗
HendersonsMelbourne school entrance preparationPrepares students for Melbourne High School, Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School, Nossal High School and Suzanne Cory High School, as well as scholarship exams and school interviews.
Not listedA free consultation; its selective entry information session runs online
Hendersons: School entrance preparation ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

Study optionsApplications

More pages

NSW testNSW schoolsVictoria testResultsPractice testsPreparation

Offers and entry

Reserve listsEntry scoresYear 8 entry

FAQ

Common questions

What are selective schools?

In NSW they’re government high schools for high potential and gifted students in Years 7 to 12. There are four types: fully selective, partially selective (selective classes alongside local students), agricultural, and Aurora College’s online classes for rural and remote students. In Victoria, four selective entry high schools teach academically high-achieving students in Years 9 to 12.

How hard is it to get into selective schools in NSW?

The NSW department’s video on performance reports says about a quarter of students who sit the test gain a selective high school place. The level of performance needed is different at each school, because it depends on how many apply, how they perform and how many places there are.

Is there a fee for the selective school test?

NSW doesn’t list a fee for applying or sitting its test. Victoria charges an application fee, with waivers and reductions for some families. The Victoria page has the amounts and who qualifies.

Can you sit the test outside NSW or Victoria?

Not the NSW test: from 2026 it’s held only in NSW, so interstate and overseas students must come back to sit it. Victorian students may be able to sit their exam interstate or overseas in set cases, such as living and studying there, for an extra fee.

Does coaching help with selective schools entry?

The NSW department says coaching isn’t necessary and doesn’t endorse it, and ACER says Victorian students don’t need to practise or revise. The preparation page sets out the official advice.

What has changed for the 2027 and 2028 intakes?

Two NSW changes apply now. Since 2026 the placement test is held only in NSW, and from the 2027 intake co-educational selective schools offer equal numbers of places to girls and boys. The NSW test and entry scores pages explain each.

Sources: NSW Department of Education · Victorian Government · ACER and 6 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

Related

Related exams

UCATSchool and university admissionsGAMSATSchool and university admissions