Test guide

NSW Selective High School Placement Test

For Year 6 students applying for Year 7 entry to a NSW selective high school. A plain-English guide to what is in the test, how long each question gets, the key dates and how to prepare.

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What the test contains

The placement test is computer-based and held in May. It has four tests, each worth 25%. Calculators are not allowed in any of them.

Selective placement test, as published by the NSW Department of Education
TestQuestionsTimeTime per question
Reading17 (3 with several parts), multiple choice45 minutesAbout 2 min 39 s
Mathematical Reasoning35, multiple choice40 minutesAbout 69 s
Thinking Skills40, multiple choice40 minutesAbout 60 s
Writing1 open response30 minutes30 minutes for one piece

Source: NSW Department of Education, selective high school practice tests and placement test pages, checked 11 October 2026. Time per question is the test time divided by the number of questions; Reading questions with several parts take longer.

Key dates for Year 7 entry in 2028

Applications open
Expected early November 2026 — not yet published. Verify on education.nsw.gov.au before you plan around it. For 2027 entry, applications ran from 6 November 2025 to 20 February 2026. Source: NSW Department of Education news
Placement test
May 2027, in Year 6 — exact dates not yet published. For 2027 entry, the selective test was held on 1–2 May 2026. Source: NSW Department of Education application process

The department notes there may be changes to dates and activities. Always confirm on education.nsw.gov.au.

How AI Scholar Coach helps you prepare

What a new family gets today:

  • An NSW selective Year 7 goal you choose when you set up your child’s profile.
  • The free Skills Map — a diagnostic across reasoning skills that marks each one Strong understanding, Developing confidence or Building foundations, so you can see where to start.
  • Practice sessions by skill, with banked skills coming back for a review in three days.
  • Times tables and number facts, useful for a test with no calculator.
  • A parent view of your child’s progress.

With a Season Pass or Monthly plan: unlimited sessions, the AI tutor, AI feedback on writing with parent consent, timed practice tests and quests.

Try a sample question

An original question in the style of Mathematical Reasoning. It is not a real test item.

The mean of five numbers is 14. One number is removed, and the mean of the four numbers left is 12. What number was removed?

  1. A. 2
  2. B. 12
  3. C. 14
  4. D. 20
  5. E. 22
Show the concept and worked answer

Concept: a mean is the total divided by how many numbers there are, so work with totals rather than the means themselves.

  1. Total of the five numbers: 5 × 14 = 70.
  2. Total of the four numbers left: 4 × 12 = 48.
  3. The removed number is the difference: 70 − 48 = 22.

Answer: E, 22

See where your child stands, skill by skill

The Skills Map is free. No card needed.

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