If your child is in Year 5 in NSW, you may be hearing about “the selective test” a lot. It’s properly called the Selective High School Placement Test, and it decides most places in NSW selective high schools for Year 7. Here is how the NSW selective school test works, in plain language: who sits it, what’s in it, how places are offered, and where to find the free official practice tests.
What is the Selective High School Placement Test?
It’s the test the NSW Department of Education uses to offer Year 7 places in its selective high schools, which are “for high potential and gifted students in Years 7 to 12”. NSW has 17 fully selective high schools, 27 partially selective high schools (with selective classes alongside local classes), 4 agricultural selective high schools, and Aurora College, which runs online selective classes for rural and remote students. For Year 7 entry in 2027 there were 4,338 places, plus 90 at Aurora College.
Places are decided by the test. The Department says: “Student placements are determined by academic merit, based on their performance in the relevant placement test.”
Who sits the test?
Children sit the test in Year 6, for a place starting in Year 7. Parents usually apply at “the end of Year 5 or the beginning of Year 6”. For Year 7 entry in 2027, students usually had birth dates between 1 January 2014 and 31 July 2015.
Applications are open to children from NSW public schools, non-government schools, home study, interstate and overseas schools. From 2026, the test is held only in NSW.
When is the NSW selective school test?
The test is held in early May of Year 6. Here are the dates from the most recent round, for Year 7 entry in 2027:
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications open | 6 November 2025 |
| Applications close | 20 February 2026 |
| Placement test (one day only per student) | Friday 1 or Saturday 2 May 2026 |
| Make-up test | Friday 22 May 2026 |
| Outcomes | 19 August 2026 (expected) |
Last checked 17 October 2026. The dates for Year 7 entry in 2028 haven’t been published by the Department yet. In recent years, applications have opened in early November and closed in February, with the test in early May. Check the Department’s placement test page before you plan, and ignore any website that gives exact 2028 dates before the Department does.
What’s in the test?
The test has four sections, each worth a quarter of the result:
| Section | Questions and time | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 17 questions (3 with several parts), 45 minutes | 25% |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 35 questions, 40 minutes | 25% |
| Thinking Skills | 40 questions, 40 minutes | 25% |
| Writing | 1 task, 30 minutes | 25% |
Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills are multiple choice, and the writing is an open response. The Department says the questions “draw upon concepts from the NSW curriculum up to Year 6”, and that they test “problem solving and critical thinking ability” rather than knowledge of the curriculum.
A few practical things families often ask:
- It’s on a computer. “Students take the placement test on computers provided by the department.” The writing is typed too. Children don’t bring their own computer or mouse.
- It’s at a test centre. Children are allocated to a local centre based on their primary school, and “most test centres will be in local public high schools.”
- Working out. Each student gets two A4 sheets of paper for working out. Calculators aren’t allowed.
- A break. In the Department’s sample timetable there’s a 20-minute break with a snack between Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills, and students finish in the early afternoon.
Applying
There’s no cost. The Department says there are “no fees to apply and sit for the placement test”, and no extra fees to enrol. You can list up to three school preferences. Closing dates are strict: “No late applications will be accepted.”
If your child has disability or a medical condition, you can ask for reasonable adjustments, such as extra time, large print or specific seating. Ask in the application, because the deadline is the day applications close.
How places are offered
“Parents are offered a place based on test performance and the order of their school choices.” You receive an offer from only one school at first, your highest choice that your child’s result reaches. The Department also says “there are no set minimum entry scores”.
Two fairness rules matter:
- Equity places. Under the Equity Placement Model, up to 20% of places at each school are held for high potential students from low socio-educational advantage areas (10%), Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students (5%), rural and remote students (2.5%) and students with disability (2.5%). These students still need a test result within 10% of the school’s minimum for general applicants. There’s no separate application, and any places that aren’t filled go to general applicants.
- Girls and boys. “From the 2027 intake onwards, there will be an equal number of selective places made available for girls and boys at all coeducational selective and partially selective high schools”.
School attendance counts too: the Department may tell the selection committee about a student who misses too many days without a good reason.
Results, reserve lists and appeals
Families get a performance report that places their child in one of four bands: the top 10% of candidates, the next 15%, the next 25% or the lowest 50%. “The Performance report does not give individual test scores or placement ranks.”
If your child isn’t offered a place at first, they may be on a reserve list, and offers can come up to the end of Term 1 of the Year 7 year. Appeals are possible, usually within about five business days of outcomes, but test questions can’t be re-marked, and things like practice test results, NAPLAN, school reports or a “lack of test preparation” aren’t grounds for appeal.
The Department is honest about the odds: about “a quarter of students are successful in gaining a selective high school place”. Talk about that with your child before the test, so either result feels manageable.
How to prepare
The Department’s own advice is short: “It is important to know that coaching or tutoring for the placement test is not necessary. The test will not need your child to know any new or special knowledge.” It suggests a small amount of preparation, so your child is familiar with the format and the test software.
- Try the free online practice tests. The Department’s computer-based practice tests “simulate the actual placement tests”. Older PDF practice tests are from the paper-based version, so they don’t match the current format.
- Keep school and life normal. Parents “must not take their child out of school to prepare”. The Department encourages you to support your child to keep up their activities, see friends, eat healthily and sleep well in the lead-up.
- Read widely and write for fun. Reading and writing make up half the test, and they grow best through books your child enjoys.
- If your child is sick, keep them home. You can lodge an illness or misadventure request within five business days of the test, and approved students can sit the make-up test.
Questions parents ask
When is the NSW selective school test?
In early May of Year 6. For Year 7 entry in 2027 it was on 1–2 May 2026, with each student attending one day. The dates for 2028 entry haven’t been published yet, so check the Department’s placement test page.
Is the selective test on a computer?
Yes. Children sit it at a test centre, usually a local public high school, on computers the Department provides. The writing task is typed too.
What is in the NSW selective school test?
Reading (17 questions, 45 minutes), Mathematical Reasoning (35 questions, 40 minutes), Thinking Skills (40 questions, 40 minutes) and Writing (one task, 30 minutes). Each section is worth 25%.
Does the selective school test cost anything?
No. There are no fees to apply and sit the placement test, and no extra fees to enrol in a selective high school.
Are some selective places held for disadvantaged students?
Yes. Up to 20% of places at each school are held under the Equity Placement Model for students from low socio-educational advantage areas, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students, rural and remote students and students with disability. Offers are still based on test performance.
When do selective school test results come out, and can we see the score?
Outcomes come out in August. For 2027 entry the expected date was 19 August 2026. The performance report shows which band your child is in, not a score or rank.
Sources
- Placement test, NSW Department of Education
- Selective high schools, NSW Department of Education
- Application process, NSW Department of Education
- Outcomes, NSW Department of Education
- Fair access, NSW Department of Education
- Selective high school practice tests, NSW Department of Education
- Selective high schools and opportunity class placement procedures, NSW Department of Education
