Free practice tests
Not sure where to start? Find the right free test for your child's year and school. Every question is written by Selective Success Academy and marked on the spot, with a worked answer.
- EduTest practice test, 20 questions across the four multiple-choice sections
- HAST practice test, at ACER's Middle Secondary level
- Normanhurst Boys and Sydney Boys practice test, 9 maths questions where you type each answer
Application checklist
Use one copy for each school you apply to, and check each school's enrolment page for its dates, fees and closing time.
The steps
- Read the school's enrolment page: whether it takes your child's entry year, how it selects, and whether it sets a test.
- Make sure your family will be living in NSW by the start of the school year of entry.
- Apply in the year before entry (a child in Year 8 applies for Year 9 entry), before the school's closing date and time. Late applications are not accepted.
- Choose up to three schools. Send a separate application to each, and list the schools in the same order of preference on every form.
- Use the form the school asks for: the NSW Department of Education's general form, or the school's own.
- Register and pay for the test, where there is one: for the HAST, through the school; for the EduTest, with Edutest, separately for each school.
- Lodge the application the way the school asks (its online form, in person or by post), and keep every receipt.
- Sit the assessment, where the school sets one.
- Prepare for an interview, where the school holds one.
- Watch for the outcome: an offer, a place on the reserve list, or an unsuccessful result. An offer made by phone must be accepted or declined within 24 hours.
- When you accept a place, provide identity documents and proof of your NSW address.
The documents most schools ask for
- A copy of your child's birth certificate, citizenship certificate or passport, and any visa or residency documents.
- Any extra form the school asks for, such as its own application form, a supplementary form or a questionnaire.
- Recent school reports. Many schools ask for the last two.
- Recent NAPLAN reports.
- Evidence of academic achievements, such as competition certificates and results.
- Evidence of extracurricular activities, such as sport, music, debating or volunteering.
- Test registration confirmations and fee receipts.
- Copies, not originals, unless the school asks to see an original.
Download the checklist as a one-page PDF
For what each school asks for, read how to write a strong selective school application. For the interview stage, read selective school interview questions and how to prepare.