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Australia · Entry test

The NSW selective school test: the Selective High School Placement Test

Your child sits it in Year 6, on a computer at a local test centre in New South Wales (NSW), and Year 7 offers are based on how they perform. The NSW selective school test is officially the Selective High School Placement Test, run by the NSW Department of Education. It has four parts: reading, mathematical reasoning, thinking skills and writing.

  • Mid-MayWhen the test is held each year
  • 4Sections, each worth 25% of the result
  • Computer-basedOn computers the department provides
Read the department’s placement test page

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Who can sit the NSW selective school test?

  • Students are usually in Year 6 when they sit it, and aged between 11 years 5 months and 13 years when they start Year 7. For Year 7 entry in 2028, that usually means a birth date between 1 January 2015 and 31 July 2016.
  • Students from NSW public schools, non-government schools, home study, interstate schools and overseas schools can all apply.
  • The family must be living in NSW by the start of the school year of entry. Enrolment conditions apply if the student isn’t an Australian or New Zealand citizen, an Australian permanent resident or the holder of an eligible visa.
  • The test is held only in NSW. Students living interstate or overseas must come back to NSW to sit it, or they won’t be considered.
  • A child outside the usual age or school year needs evidence of their principal’s support for acceleration or repeating, sent within two weeks of applications closing.

NSW selective school test sections and timing

SectionQuestionsMinutes
Reading1745
Mathematical Reasoning3540
Thinking Skills4040
Writing130

Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills are multiple choice. Writing is an open response.

Three reading questions have several parts. The department’s student video counts 38 answers across the 17 reading questions.

There are several versions of the test so it can run on different days. Some items are common to every version to keep results comparable, and those items don’t count toward your child’s score.

What happens on test day

  • 9:30 am: students arrive and check in.
  • 10:05 am: Reading Test, 45 minutes, then a 10-minute break.
  • 11:05 am: Mathematical Reasoning Test, 40 minutes, then a 20-minute long break with a snack.
  • 12:20 pm: Thinking Skills Test, 40 minutes, then a 10-minute break.
  • 1:15 pm: Writing Test, 30 minutes. Students are dismissed at about 1:55 pm.

These times are the department’s example timetable; your child’s ticket shows the real ones. Students stay in the test room for the short breaks, get two A4 sheets for working out and can ask for more. The guide lists what to bring.

What to bring on test day →

Where the NSW test is held

The department allocates each child to a local test centre, mostly public high schools, using their primary school’s address, the centres’ locations and their capacity. Every student from one primary school sits on the same day, so keep both test days free until you know yours.

  • Your Test Admission Ticket, with the centre, date and time, appears in your application dashboard two weeks before the test.
  • You can’t change the centre or date unless there are reasons outside your control, and even then a change isn’t guaranteed.
  • Parents leave the school grounds once staff take the students to the test room.

If your child is sick or misses the test

  • Keep a sick child at home. A child who comes to the test sick may not be allowed to sit it.
  • Submit an illness or misadventure request in your application dashboard, usually within 5 business days of the test. Late requests aren’t accepted.
  • Upload the evidence with it, such as a medical certificate for the test day, up to 3 files. You can’t add more after you submit.
  • If it’s approved, your child may sit the make-up test or have their score adjusted.
  • Forgetting the date, a family holiday or school sport aren’t accepted reasons, and a child who misses both the test and the make-up test can’t be placed.
Make-up test date and key dates →

Adjustments for students with disability

You can ask for reasonable adjustments in the application, such as:

  • Noise-reducing earphones.
  • A fidget toy.
  • Medical equipment.
  • Wheelchair access.

The department suggests asking for the adjustments your child already has for formal school assessments such as the National Assessment Program, Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). The last day to ask is the day applications close, and approved adjustments appear on the Test Admission Ticket.

Sources: NSW Department of Education and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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