Chatswood High School Selective Stream: Years 8 to 11 Entry and the EduTest
Chatswood High School is a partially selective co-educational school. Entry to its selective stream in Years 8 to 11 is primarily based on the EduTest, and the school says your Edutest registration replaces the NSW Department of Education's application form. Selective Success Academy teaches the EduTest to selective stream applicants in live online small-group classes on Microsoft Teams.
- The test
- EduTest, for the selective stream
- Entry into
- Years 8, 9, 10 and 11, through one window and one test. No Year 12 entry
- How to apply
- Edutest registration and payment, then the school's own form for shortlisted students only
- Last cycle, 2027 entry
- Applications opened Wednesday 17 June and closed 3.00pm Friday 24 July 2026. Shared EduTest sitting Saturday 15 August 2026
- 2028 entry (exams in August 2027)
- Nothing published yet by Chatswood High School
Last checked 3 October 2026 against Chatswood High School's selective stream page, its general enrolment page and the NSW Department of Education.
Chatswood High School takes students into its mainstream classes, its selective stream or its support unit. This guide covers the selective stream only. Mainstream enrolment has its own rules, including a local intake area, set out on the school's general enrolment page. Is Chatswood High School one of several schools on your list? Entry differs from school to school, and our guide to selective school transfer sets them side by side.
How Years 8 to 11 entry works at Chatswood High School
Chatswood High School stresses that its Years 8 to 11 selective stream process is not the same as at other selective high schools. There are three stages: register and pay with Edutest, sit the test, then a shortlist and an application by invitation. The six steps below record last cycle's round, for 2027 entry, from the school's selective stream page. Look there for the next round.
- Register your child with Edutest and pay. Last cycle, registration and payment were made on the Edutest website before applications closed at 3.00pm on Friday 24 July 2026, and the cost was $180. The school says the details you give Edutest replace the NSW Department of Education's application form, and once you have registered you do not need to send the school any other forms.
- Register once for each EduTest school on your list. Last cycle, Chatswood High School shared one EduTest sitting with Baulkham Hills High School, North Sydney Boys High School, North Sydney Girls High School, James Ruse Agricultural High School and Sydney Girls High School. You register with Edutest for each school you want to apply to, yet your child sits the examination only once. Your child sits it at whichever of these schools you register with first, and the school notes that this need not be your first preference.
- Sit the EduTest. For students sitting the Saturday 15 August 2026 test at Chatswood High School, the school named its MPC (Multi-Purpose Centre) as the venue, entered through the lower gate on Centennial Avenue, where the closest cross street is Dardanelles Road. The school asked students to arrive at 8.30am to register, for a 9.00am start, and said final venue details would be confirmed close to the test date. Students needed two lead pencils, a black or blue pen and photo ID, such as a current school photo card, a library card or a passport.
- The school selection panel draws up a shortlist. The panel convenes to evaluate the test results, and students who meet the entry criteria are shortlisted. Parents hear by email, up to four weeks after the test, whether their child made the shortlist, and the school asks families to check junk and spam folders too.
- Shortlisted students apply to the school. Only students on the shortlist are invited to submit Chatswood High School's own application form, through a link in the invitation email, and to upload the documents listed below.
- Outcomes, in writing. Every applicant hears in writing if they were unsuccessful or have been added to the reserve list. The school may contact students on its reserve list during Term 4, and last cycle it said offers may be made up to the end of Term 1 2027. Statewide, the NSW Department of Education scheduled Years 8 to 11 outcomes for September to October 2026 last cycle, with new students starting in late January 2027.
Outside the six steps: applications for Year 7 in the selective stream go through the NSW Department of Education, not through Chatswood High School, and the school's general enrolment page says it takes no Year 12 enrolments. On interviews, the selective stream page is silent; the questions below say more.
If your child is unsuccessful at Chatswood High School, the NSW Department of Education's Years 8 to 11 applications page says you can ask for a review within 7 days of receiving the result, on the specific grounds it lists.
Hoping to look around first? Chatswood High School says it does not offer in-person school tours, and its homepage has a drone fly-through video instead.
What to attach
Nothing is attached when you register with Edutest. Last cycle, shortlisted students uploaded these to the school's application form:
- evidence of your child's citizenship or permanent residency
- the most recent NAPLAN result, Year 9 or Year 7 only, if available
- school academic reports for Semester 1 2025, Semester 2 2025 and Semester 1 2026
The proof-of-address documents on the school's general enrolment pages belong to mainstream enrolment. The selective stream page does not ask for them.
Key dates
Selective stream dates, last cycle: 2027 entry (exams in August 2026)
Chatswood High School published its own dates for this round. The selective stream page now carries the note that applications for 2027 have closed, so every date below belongs to the 2027-entry round, not to 2028 entry.
| Last cycle, 2027 entry | Date | Whose date |
|---|---|---|
| Applications opened | Wednesday 17 June 2026 | Chatswood High School |
| Applications closed, with Edutest registration and payment due | Friday 24 July 2026, 3.00pm | Chatswood High School |
| EduTest: arrive 8.30am, start 9.00am | Saturday 15 August 2026 | Chatswood High School |
| Shortlist emails sent | Up to four weeks after the test | Chatswood High School |
| Years 8 to 11 outcomes released, Department-wide | September to October 2026 | NSW Department of Education |
| Reserve list students may be contacted | During Term 4 | Chatswood High School |
| Successful applicants start, Department-wide | Late January 2027 | NSW Department of Education |
| Last date offers may be made | End of Term 1 2027 | Chatswood High School |
As at 3 October 2026, each row as published by Chatswood High School or the NSW Department of Education.
2028 entry (exams in August 2027)
As at 3 October 2026, Chatswood High School's selective stream page still holds only the 2027-entry round, marked closed, and no other page on the school's site gives a 2028-entry date. Neither does the NSW Department of Education, whose Years 8 to 11 page shows last cycle's timetable alone, and Edutest's public list of open assessments includes nothing for Chatswood High School. With the Department noting that its dates and procedures may change, the school's selective stream page is the one to watch.
The test
Edutest, an external provider, conducts the entrance test for Chatswood High School's selective stream. By the school's account there are five sections of 30 minutes each (Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Written Expression), and no calculator is allowed in any of them. On Edutest's own selective entry page, Written Expression also has 5 minutes of planning time.
Our EduTest guide takes each section in turn.
How we prepare students for Chatswood High School
At Chatswood High School the shortlist is drawn from the test results, and school reports and NAPLAN come in only once a student is shortlisted. That makes the EduTest the first hurdle for the selective stream, and our EduTest course is where students aiming for it prepare.
The course is a term of small-group tutoring: ten weekly two-hour lessons, live on Microsoft Teams, across all five sections Chatswood High School lists. The price table below lists what comes with each term. The lesson and homework booklets are written by Selective Success Academy for the EduTest: our own practice material, not past papers.
Chatswood High School's test-day rules shape how your child should practise:
- Without a calculator. Calculators are not permitted on the day, so it pays to work every Mathematics and Numerical Reasoning question by hand from the first lesson.
- In pencil. Students bring two lead pencils, so practise answering in pencil, at pace.
- To the clock. The school gives each section 30 minutes, so timed practice of every section matters, with Edutest's planning time added for the writing.
Chatswood High School's selective stream page also notes that Edutest sells online practice tests on its website. If you would like help working out what your child needs before the next round, book a call and we can plan it with you.
When you are ready to pick a class, the timetable lists our EduTest class times, and courses and prices covers our other courses.
Free practice and guides
- Free practice: our EduTest practice test, with worked answers.
- The application: what each school asks for, and how to make each part strong.
- By entry year: Year 8, Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 entry, every school compared.
Fees for our EduTest tutoring
| What you get | Price |
|---|---|
| Term course, live: 10 weekly lessons of 2 hours each, on Microsoft Teams | $900 a term, which is $90 a lesson |
| The same live course, booked at the early bird price | $800 a term |
| Term course, recordings only | $600 |
| Two term courses | $1,400 |
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.
Our students at Chatswood High School
Chatswood High School is among the selective schools that have offered entry to Selective Success Academy students, according to our records as at 2 October 2026.
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
Thank you to Selective Success Academy for the quality teaching and support provided throughout the year. We especially appreciate Ilia’s dedication, clear explanations, and positive approach to learning. His guidance has helped our child build both confidence and academic skills.
It was a good engagement with Selective Success Academy since last term. Ilia explains concepts clearly and to the level of difficulty required. The mock exams and feedback were helpful. A well-run program.
Ilia has been a truly supportive mentor at Selective Success Academy. His patient and well‑structured approach has helped make even the most challenging topics feel manageable and clear.
Rated 5/5 from 90+ parent reviews
80+ selective school offers. See our students' results
Questions parents ask about Chatswood High School entry
Which test is used for Chatswood High School's selective stream?
The EduTest. Chatswood High School's selective stream page says the entrance test is conducted by the external provider Edutest, and that entry to the stream is primarily based on the results of that test. Edutest's website, in turn, counts Chatswood High School among its client schools.
Do we fill in the NSW Department of Education's application form for Chatswood High School?
No, not last cycle. Registering your child for the entrance test with Edutest took the place of the Department's form, according to Chatswood High School, and no other forms went to the school at that stage. The school's own application form came later, and only shortlisted students were invited to complete it.
How many places are there?
Selective stream places at Chatswood High School vary by year level, and the school decides them. Its selective stream page explains why: whether vacancies arise depends on how many selective students leave, the school cannot create additional places in any year group, and it keeps reserve lists in case vacancies come up later. This guide gives no number for any year level. Book a call if you would like to go through Chatswood High School for your child's year level.
Has Chatswood High School published dates for 2028 entry?
Not yet. The selective stream page, read on 3 October 2026, still shows the 2027-entry round with the note that those applications have closed. Chatswood High School's last window opened on Wednesday 17 June and shut at 3.00pm on Friday 24 July 2026, and its EduTest sitting was on Saturday 15 August 2026. None of those dates applies to 2028 entry.
Do we need to live near Chatswood High School to apply for the selective stream?
The selective stream page does not mention Chatswood High School's local intake area. The one residency rule it names is that students and their families must be living in NSW by the beginning of the school year of entry. The catchment rule on the school's general enrolment page is written for mainstream enrolment. If you are unsure, ask the school before you register.
Do selective stream applicants at Chatswood High School have an interview?
The school does not say. As at 3 October 2026, its selective stream page makes no mention of an interview. A Deputy Principal interview is described on the school's mainstream enrolment page, as the step that finalises a mainstream enrolment, but the school does not say whether selective stream entrants have one.
Sources
Read on 3 October 2026, in the research for this page:
- Chatswood High School: selective stream entry
- Chatswood High School: enrol
- Chatswood High School: current Year 7 to 11 mainstream enrolment
- Chatswood High School: virtual tour
- Chatswood High School: why choose us
- Chatswood High School: contact us
- Chatswood High School: home page
- NSW Department of Education: selective high schools, Years 8 to 11 applications
- NSW Department of Education: list of selective high schools
- Edutest: client schools
- Edutest: selective entry high schools
- Edutest: remote testing
- Edutest: public list of open assessments (data feed)
Not sure which test or school suits your child? Book a short call with Ilia, or let your child try a lesson first.