EduTest Tutoring and Preparation for Year 8 to 11 Selective Entry

The EduTest at a glance

What is the EduTest?

The EduTest is run by Edutest Pty Ltd, an independent testing organisation that conducts scholarship and entrance tests on behalf of schools across Australia, including selective high schools in NSW and Victoria. Edutest runs the test. Each school decides who gets in.

The test has two kinds of section. The Ability tests, Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning, measure reasoning "without necessarily relying on prior knowledge". The Achievement tests, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Written Expression, are "designed to measure actual achievement or performance in some key academic areas" (Edutest, read 1 October 2026). In our experience, both kinds respond to preparation. The Ability sections reward pattern spotting, pace and technique that school lessons rarely cover. The Achievement sections reward speed and accuracy on content your child already knows.

Edutest does not offer past papers. Its only practice product is online practice tests of 20 questions each, which it says "do not necessarily replicate the degree of difficulty in the actual testing". Our EduTest practice questions are written by Selective Success Academy.

The EduTest is not the Year 7 test, which is the NSW Department of Education's own computer-based test, sat in May of Year 6. Our guide to selective school transfer explains how Year 8 to 11 entry works.

Which NSW schools use the EduTest for Year 8 to 11 entry?

Last cycle (2027 entry), Edutest's registration pages said six NSW schools shared one selective entry exam. Each school name links to its own enrolment page, read on 1 October 2026.

Schools and entry years as at 1 October 2026.

Our entry guides: Baulkham Hills High School, Chatswood High School, James Ruse Agricultural High School, North Sydney Boys High School, North Sydney Girls High School and Sydney Girls High School.

One sitting for all six. Last cycle, a student applying to any of the six sat the EduTest once, at the school the family registered with first, and the result went to each school applied to. That school did not need to be the first preference, though Edutest says venue capacity can change where a student sits. Families still registered and paid with each school separately.

Other tests, other days. A school that uses a different test runs its own sitting. Last cycle, a child applying to an EduTest school, a HAST school and Normanhurst Boys High School faced three tests on three different days. See our HAST guide, our guides to Girraween High School and Penrith Selective High School, and our comparison of Normanhurst Boys High School and Sydney Boys High School.

What is in the EduTest, section by section

Section times, including the 5 minutes of planning for Written Expression, are published by Edutest (edutest.com.au/selective.html, read 1 October 2026). Edutest gives question counts only as a range, 40 to 60 for its real tests. The per-section counts and the section order above are from Selective Success Academy's own experience with this test. Edutest does not publish them, and they may change from year to year. Follow the instructions you receive for your child's sitting.

Verbal Reasoning

Edutest says: "This includes vocabulary, word relationships, classification and deduction." From our experience preparing students for this section, about half the questions test vocabulary, and the logic comes as elimination and ordering puzzles rather than visual ones. The question types we teach include odd one out, synonyms and antonyms, analogies, box words, coded language, syllogisms, ordering and scheduling, elimination grids, statement proof and minimum quantities.

Numerical Reasoning

Edutest says: "This includes series, matrices, arithmetical reasoning and deduction." In our experience, number patterns are quick and multi-step story questions eat time, all without a calculator. We teach sequences, grid patterns, money problems, distance, speed and time, ratios, work rates and map scales, and when to move on from a question.

Written Expression

Edutest assesses "Punctuation, creativity, construction, grammar, spelling and relevance to the task", and the task can be "creative, descriptive, narrative, persuasive, expository or informative." In our experience, the task can come as a set title with two pictures, at least one of which must be used, a format that suits a narrative. We prepare for every mode Edutest lists, and we mark practice writing against our own criteria, not Edutest's.

Reading Comprehension

Edutest says this section tests the capacity to "read and interpret meaning from written passages, as well as correct, complete and punctuate sentences". So grammar and punctuation questions sit inside it. At about 36 seconds a question by our count, including reading time, pace is the main challenge here, so we train reading against the clock from the first lesson.

Mathematics

Edutest says this section measures "year level appropriate mathematical knowledge, including items covering numbers, measurement, algebra, space and data", and its FAQ says students are tested at their current year level. In our experience it rewards speed and accuracy on familiar content. The scope moves with each entry year, so we build each year's course around what your child has been taught by then.

How the EduTest is marked, and what the school sees

Edutest says: "Results are categorised into two sections: Ability and Achievement." Your child is compared with students in the same year level across Australia. Results go to the schools, not to parents, and each school considers them with the application on its own. Some schools give parents a report and some do not. Edutest says each school's selection can take 3 to 8 weeks from the test, sometimes longer. We do not publish cut-offs or target scores for any school.

• No marks are lost for a wrong or blank answer. "Points are not deducted for incorrect or unanswered questions", so your child should answer every question.
• Answers are shaded on an answer sheet, not circled in the question booklet.
• Answers in the wrong rows cannot be fixed. Edutest "is not able to manually score the test or adjust the position of answers".

On the day. Last cycle the test ran from 9.00 am to about 12.00 pm at North Sydney Boys High School and about 12.30 pm at James Ruse Agricultural High School. Edutest offered no other date for a child who could not attend. Special testing arrangements must be requested at least 14 days before, and the school decides. Remote testing for interstate and overseas students costs an extra $160 and must be requested from Edutest at least 3 weeks before the test.

How to apply for Year 8 to 11 entry, and when

Each EduTest school runs its own application, and its enrolment page is the final word. Last cycle (2027 entry), the steps were:

1. Read each school's enrolment page. Each school sets its own fee, closing date and conditions.
2. Register and pay for the EduTest with each school separately, through that school's own link, using the same email address every time and a Visa or Mastercard. Last cycle the fee was $180 at five of the six schools. North Sydney Boys High School's page does not show its fee.
3. Complete each school's application. The routes differed. Baulkham Hills High School and Sydney Girls High School asked for the NSW Department of Education's Years 8 to 11 form plus their own forms. James Ruse Agricultural High School invited applications only after the EduTest results, and Chatswood High School used the EduTest registration instead of the Department's form. For North Sydney Boys High School and North Sydney Girls High School, follow the school's own page when the next round opens.
4. Attach what each school asks for, as copies, not originals.
5. Sit the EduTest on the date the schools set. Last cycle's is in the table below.
6. Wait for the outcome, and attend an interview if asked. James Ruse Agricultural High School interviewed the students it shortlisted, and Sydney Girls High School could request one.

What to attach

The Department asks for a copy of the student's birth certificate, citizenship or passport, and its form asks for recent school reports. Schools add their own lists. Last cycle, Baulkham Hills High School asked for:

• the last three semester reports
• the most recent NAPLAN report, or the last two for Year 10 and Year 11 applicants
• evidence of external academic achievements over the past two years, such as ICAS or REACH
• evidence of extracurricular activities, such as music, sport or debating
• its own supplementary form, handwritten by the student

James Ruse Agricultural High School asked for documents only from the students it invited after the EduTest.

Last cycle's dates: 2027 entry (exams in August 2026)

These are the dates for 2027 entry. Applications for that round closed in July 2026. They show how the year runs. They are not the dates for 2028 entry.

Dates as at 1 October 2026, as published by each source in the table.

Schools do not all run on the Department's dates. Last cycle, Sydney Boys High School opened applications on Friday 12 June 2026. ACER and Edutest also leave the test date to each school, so a school outside these groups can test on a different day. Check the school's own enrolment page.

2028 entry (exams in August 2027)

No 2028-entry dates have been published yet. As at 1 October 2026, the NSW Department of Education lists only last cycle's dates, and no school we have checked has published a test date. Some schools have said when applications will open. Sydney Boys High School says its application forms for Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 in 2028 will be available from mid-June 2027. Penrith Selective High School says applications for Years 8 to 11 entry in 2028 open mid June 2027. The Department notes that dates can change, so check each school's own enrolment page regularly.

Edutest's own testing dates page listed no NSW school on 1 October 2026. Before the next round: if you created your Edutest account before 1 July 2026, Edutest asks you to create a new one with the same email address.

Preparing for Year 8, 9, 10 and 11 entry

Edutest tests students at their current year level, so the Mathematics moves on each year, and so do the reasoning and writing we expect. We tailor tutoring to each entry year.

Year 8 entry: EduTest preparation in Year 7

Your child applies and sits the test in Year 7. All six EduTest schools listed Year 8 entry last cycle. We build EduTest fundamentals, speed, accuracy and exam strategy, so your child meets the format in class long before they meet it in the exam room.

Coaching focus: foundation skills, vocabulary building, exam timing under pressure.

See the Year 7 classes, for Year 8 entry

How Year 8 selective entry works, school by school

Year 9 entry: EduTest preparation in Year 8

Your child applies in Year 8 and sits Mathematics set at Year 8 level. All six EduTest schools listed Year 9 entry last cycle. Preparation moves from learning the five sections to competing on accuracy under time, with stronger writing and sharper reasoning.

Coaching focus: advanced reasoning, essay structure, full mock exam practice.

See the Year 8 classes, for Year 9 entry

How Year 9 selective entry works, school by school

Year 10 entry: EduTest preparation in Year 9

Year 10 entry suits a student who missed out at an earlier entry point, or who is ready for a selective school now. All six EduTest schools listed Year 10 entry last cycle. It asks for strong analytical reasoning, polished writing and fast, accurate Year 9 Mathematics.

Coaching focus: senior-level vocabulary, complex problem solving, refined writing.

See the Year 9 classes, for Year 10 entry

How Year 10 selective entry works, school by school

Year 11 entry: EduTest preparation in Year 10

Year 11 is the last entry year in the Department's Years 8 to 11 process. Sydney Girls High School "will not accept students into Years 11 and 12 after 2027", so it is not an option for Year 11 entry in 2028. Preparation emphasises analytical maturity and senior writing.

Coaching focus: senior reasoning, sophisticated writing, exam composure.

See the Year 10 classes, for Year 11 entry

How Year 11 selective entry works, school by school

What to look for in EduTest preparation for Years 8 to 11

Look for preparation built for the EduTest itself: timed practice in every section, regular vocabulary work, maths without a calculator, careful answer-sheet habits and writing marked with feedback. Our EduTest course is small-group tutoring, taught live online on Microsoft Teams and tailored to your child's entry year: 10 weekly lessons of two hours each, every term. What each term includes is listed with the price below. For this test in particular, we teach:

• timed practice from the start, because the real test is timed and Edutest's practice tests are not
• vocabulary every week, because we find it carries so much of Verbal Reasoning
• no calculator, ever, because Edutest permits none
• answer-sheet habits, because answers in the wrong rows cannot be fixed
• writing marked against our own criteria, with feedback on weekly homework and the mock

Every booklet, practice question and mock is written by Selective Success Academy for this exam. They are practice material, never past papers. Our EduTest mock exam papers are also sold on their own. If no time on the timetable suits, ask us: we can often organise another.

What EduTest tutoring costs

Prices as at 1 October 2026.

The live term course is 20 hours of teaching, so $900 works out at $45 an hour. It includes small group classes, lesson recordings, a full-length mock exam with a comprehensive review, marking feedback on weekly homework and the mock, lesson and homework booklets, and online messaging support.

A question bank gives your child practice. It does not contain any teaching hours, and it cannot tell you which school to apply to, what the school report needs to show, or when the application closes.

Every course is on courses and prices.

Results and reviews

Who teaches this

Ilia founded Selective Success Academy and is its head tutor. He has been through this himself: he missed out on selective school at first, then entered North Sydney Boys High School by lateral transfer. He became a North Sydney Boys High School Dux, finished school with a 99.90 ATAR and now studies Medicine at UNSW. His story was featured in The Sydney Morning Herald in April 2026.

What families say

Rated 5/5 from 90+ parent reviews

80+ selective school offers. See our students' results

Questions parents ask about the EduTest

How hard is the EduTest?

Edutest calls its scholarship and entrance tests "quite demanding", designed to identify the highest-achieving students. It says most students get only about half the questions right and many do not finish. That describes the test, not a pass mark. A paper that feels hard is normal, and it is not a sign your child is failing.

Who runs the EduTest?

Edutest Pty Ltd, an independent testing organisation with a mailing address in Camberwell, Victoria. It runs scholarship and entrance tests on behalf of schools across Australia, separately from the NSW Department of Education, which runs the Year 7 test. Each school that uses the EduTest sets its own fee and conditions and decides who gets in. Edutest sends results to the schools, not to parents.

Is ACER's test or the EduTest harder?

There is no official answer. Neither ACER nor Edutest compares its test with the other's, and both build their tests to pick out the strongest students. The EduTest has verbal and numerical reasoning, reading, mathematics and writing. The Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST), developed by ACER, the Australian Council for Educational Research, covers mathematical and abstract reasoning, reading and writing. You do not choose: each school decides which test it uses. See our HAST guide.

How many questions are in the EduTest?

Edutest says its real tests have between 40 and 60 questions each, but it gives no exact count for each section of the selective test. Four sections are multiple choice, 30 minutes each, and Written Expression is one task of 30 minutes plus 5 minutes to plan: 2 hours 35 minutes in all. The counts in the table above are based on our experience preparing students for this test.

Which schools use the EduTest?

Last cycle (2027 entry), six NSW schools shared one Edutest selective entry exam: Baulkham Hills High School, Chatswood High School (for its selective stream), James Ruse Agricultural High School, North Sydney Boys High School, North Sydney Girls High School and Sydney Girls High School. A student sat it once and the result went to each school they applied to. As at 1 October 2026, no 2028-entry date had been published.

Can a student sit a selective test in Year 9?

Yes. Students can apply for entry in Years 8 to 11 at NSW selective high schools, in the year before entry. A child in Year 8 applies for Year 9 entry, and a child in Year 9 applies for Year 10 entry and sits that school's test, if it has one. Check that each school on your list takes students into the year you are applying for.

Are there official EduTest past papers?

Edutest does not offer past papers. Its only practice product is online practice tests: sets of four 20-question tests for each year from Year 4 to Year 11, untimed and without a writing task. Edutest says they "do not necessarily replicate the degree of difficulty" of the real test. Questions from any tutoring provider, ours included, are that provider's own work. Try our EduTest practice questions.

Does my child sit the EduTest more than once?

Not for these six schools last cycle. Edutest said a student applying to any of them would sit the exam once, with the result going to each school applied to. A student may sit it only once in a testing cycle. Nothing has been published yet for 2028 entry. A school that uses a different test, such as the HAST, runs its own sitting.

Is a calculator allowed?

No. Edutest permits no calculators in any of its tests, and no rulers, dictionaries, working-out paper, mobile phones, smart watches or fitness trackers. Last cycle, James Ruse Agricultural High School, North Sydney Boys High School and Chatswood High School asked students to bring photo ID, two lead pencils and a black or blue pen. Follow the instructions you receive for your child's sitting.

How many schools can we apply to?

Up to three selective high schools, according to the NSW Department of Education, with a separate application to each and the schools in the same order of preference on every form. For EduTest schools, you also register and pay with Edutest for each school. Our guide to selective school transfer covers schools that use other tests.

Can my child move from one selective school to another?

Not automatically. The NSW Department of Education says students cannot transfer automatically between selective schools. A student already at a selective school applies to the new school in the usual way, and sits the EduTest if that school uses it. After an unsuccessful application, the Department says to submit a new application when applications open again.

How many places are there?

Places vary by school and by year level. The NSW Department of Education says vacancies depend on student departures, that each school manages its own, and that families should contact each school about vacancies. That is why we never quote a figure. Book a short call and we can talk through the schools on your list.

Want the whole picture as a document? Ask for our free information package and sample exams.

Sources

Every official source on this page was read on 1 October 2026.

• Edutest: selective entry, practice tests, practice test questions, important information, registering, frequently asked questions, tests for parents, parents, contact, remote testing, 2027-entry selective exam registration, testing dates, parent account
• Schools: Baulkham Hills High School, Chatswood High School, James Ruse Agricultural High School, North Sydney Boys High School, North Sydney Girls High School, Sydney Girls High School
• NSW Department of Education: Years 8 to 11 applications, the Year 7 test, selective high schools procedures
• ACER: Higher Ability Selection Test