Places at selective high schools in NSW and Victoria are limited and competitive. Good selective test prep means knowing the format, practising reasoning on unfamiliar problems, and sitting selective exam practice papers under real time limits. This guide explains how the exams work, shows sample questions and links to free selective practice tests and paid practice packs.
The NSW Selective High School Placement Test is now sat on a computer and has four sections, each worth 25% of the total. The first three are multiple choice; the Writing section is typed. These timings come from the NSW Department of Education practice test information. Check the Department's site for the current year, because formats can change.
45 min · 17 questions
Fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Tests inference, vocabulary in context and how well a student reads a whole text, not just a paragraph.
40 min · 35 questions
Multi-step problems that use familiar maths in unfamiliar ways. No calculator; rough working on paper is allowed.
40 min · 40 questions
Logical deduction, pattern recognition, spatial reasoning and critical thinking. No prior knowledge needed.
30 min · 1 task
One imaginative or persuasive response to a prompt, judged on ideas, structure, control of language and accuracy.
Timing is the real challenge. Averaged out, a student has roughly a minute per Thinking Skills question and a little over a minute per Mathematical Reasoning question. That is why selective entry practice tests should always be timed: knowing the content is not enough if a student cannot work at pace. See our guide to selective practice tests for how to run a paper and review the result.
These original questions show the style of reasoning selective exams reward. Try each one before opening the answer.
Answer: 120 litres. The 24 litres is 4/5 − 3/5 = 1/5 of the tank, so the full tank is 24 × 5 = 120.
Answer: (C). It restates the first sentence. (A) and (B) both claim more than the information supports, and (D) reverses the first statement.
Answer: 42. The gaps are 4, 6, 8, 10, so the next gap is 12 (the terms are n × (n + 1)).
Answer: That the keeper is anxious or cautious. The detail that the storm has passed shows the checking is no longer necessary, which is the clue to the keeper's state of mind.
Want more? Take the free sample quiz, or see our guides to verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning.
Preparing for either exam builds the same core skills: close reading, flexible maths and logical thinking. If your child may sit more than one test, practise the shared skills first and add state-specific timed papers closer to the date. Dates, registration windows and formats are set by the NSW Department of Education and ACER, so check their official sites for the current year. For a stage-by-stage plan, see selective test prep by year level.
This is the short version. Our year-by-year selective prep timeline covers what to do in each year from Year 4 onwards.
Our packs are independent practice material, not official exam papers. Use them alongside the official samples from NSW and ACER. Not sure what is available? Read about selective test papers and past papers, or grab the free Year 9 selective sample paper for Victoria.
A free selective practice test to experience the difficulty of selective school reasoning and comprehension questions.
Take Free QuizEdutest covers the same reading, maths and reasoning skills that selective exams test. Get full PDF practice packs with detailed solutions.
Get PDF Bundle - $89Selective entry practice tests are timed papers that copy the style of the real selective high school exam: reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, thinking skills (abstract and logical reasoning) and writing. Sitting them under exam conditions shows a student where they lose marks and how well they manage time.
Most families start 6 to 12 months before the exam. Early on, focus on reading widely and building reasoning habits. In the last 6 to 8 weeks, move to full timed selective exam practice papers and review every mistake.
NSW runs the Selective High School Placement Test, mainly for Year 7 entry (sat in Year 6), with limited places in some schools in later years. Victoria runs a centralised selective entry exam, administered by ACER, mainly for Year 9 entry (sat in Year 8). The skills overlap, but the entry year, test provider, sections and timings differ, so always confirm the current format with the NSW Department of Education or ACER.
Quality matters more than quantity. A sensible target is one full timed paper every one to two weeks in the final two months, with at least as much time spent reviewing mistakes as sitting the paper.
No. We are an independent publisher and are not affiliated with the NSW Department of Education, ACER or any selective school. Our packs are practice material written in a similar style. Use the official sample questions from NSW and ACER alongside them.
There is no fixed pass mark. Placement depends on a student's results compared with the rest of the cohort and the number of places available at each school.
No. Selective exams are harder and are built to test reasoning on unfamiliar problems under time pressure, rather than curriculum knowledge alone.