When is the selective high school test sat?

In Year 6, for entry into Year 7. The timetable and application process are set by the education authority each year and published on their site.

How much preparation is reasonable?

Enough to know the format and to have practised working under time. Beyond that the returns fall away quickly, and a child who has been drilled for a year often performs worse than one who arrives fresh and familiar.

What if my child does not get a place?

The test measures performance on one morning against a very large field. It is not a measure of ability, and the preparation itself — reading carefully, reasoning under time — is worth having regardless of the outcome.

Year 6 · Selective School and Opportunity Class

Year 6 selective school test practice

The selective high school placement test is sat in Year 6, and it is the most competitive assessment most Australian children will face before the HSC. Marks are not the point; rank is. That changes how to prepare. A student who reliably answers the straightforward questions and reads the hard ones carefully will place better than one who rushes everything hoping to finish, because the test is built so that almost nobody finishes comfortably.

The 3 sections, with questions you can try now

Each one explains what it asks of a child at this year level and gives you real questions from our papers with worked answers. No account needed.

Mathematical reasoning

Twelve Year 6 papers, 389 questions.

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Thinking skills

Ten Year 6 thinking skills papers, 360 questions.

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Reading reasoning

Nine Year 6 papers, 274 questions.

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Worth knowing at this level

Practise deciding what to skip. Knowing when to leave a question and come back is worth more marks at this level than any single topic.

Common questions

When is the selective high school test sat?: In Year 6, for entry into Year 7. The timetable and application process are set by the education authority each year and published on their site.
How much preparation is reasonable?: Enough to know the format and to have practised working under time. Beyond that the returns fall away quickly, and a child who has been drilled for a year often performs worse than one who arrives fresh and familiar.
What if my child does not get a place?: The test measures performance on one morning against a very large field. It is not a measure of ability, and the preparation itself — reading carefully, reasoning under time — is worth having regardless of the outcome.

Practise the whole thing

A free account opens the full Year 6 papers — single-topic sets for working on one weakness at a time, and full-length papers for a timed run. Everything is marked, and every question has a worked solution.

Create a free account All Selective School and Opportunity Class years

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