Selective School Transfer in NSW: How Year 8 to 11 Entry Works

The NSW Department of Education says Year 8 to 11 applications "are managed individually by each selective high school" (read 1 October 2026). Last cycle, the Department's window ran from 17 June to 24 July 2026. Dates for 2028 entry (exams in August 2027) are not yet published.

Who decides

Each selective school, for itself

Tests used

EduTest, HAST, a school's own, or none

How many schools

Up to three

When to apply

The year before entry

2028 entry (exams in August 2027)

Dates not yet published

Checked against the NSW Department of Education, ACER, Edutest and each school's own enrolment page.

This guide is for families planning entry to a selective high school in Year 8, 9, 10 or 11, sometimes called a selective school transfer or lateral entry.

Which test does each school use?

The Department does not publish which test each school uses. It says "some schools hold tests; others review school reports and other information". The table shows what each school's own enrolment page said on 1 October 2026 about its last round. Check the page again before you apply.

Schools and tests as at 1 October 2026.

HAST is the Higher Ability Selection Test, developed by ACER, the Australian Council for Educational Research. The EduTest is run by Edutest Pty Ltd.

Not in the table? ACER's list of HAST schools and Edutest's list of client schools both name schools that are not on the Department's list of selective high schools, so check that list first. If a selective school's page names no test, ask the school.

Free practice: try our EduTest practice test or our HAST practice test. Every question is written by Selective Success Academy and comes with a worked answer.

How the application works, step by step

The order below follows the NSW Department of Education, with what individual schools add. Dates are last cycle's, for 2027 entry.

1. Check each school. Read the enrolment page of every school you are considering: whether it takes your child's entry year, how it selects, and whether it tests. Your family must be living in NSW by the start of the school year of entry.
2. Apply the year before entry. A child in Year 8 applies for Year 9 entry. Last cycle the Department's window ran from Wednesday 17 June to Friday 24 July 2026, but schools can differ: Sydney Boys High School opened on Friday 12 June 2026. The Department's procedures say late applications are not accepted.
3. Choose up to three schools and use the right form. Send a separate application to each, listing the schools in the same order of preference on every form. Some schools use the Department's general form and some use their own. James Ruse Agricultural High School says the Department's form is not required, and invites applications after the EduTest results. At Chatswood High School, you use the EduTest registration instead of the Department's form.
4. Attach what the school asks for. The Department asks for a copy of your child's birth certificate, citizenship or passport, plus any extra forms the school asks for. Many schools also want school reports, NAPLAN reports and evidence of achievements. Our guide to writing a strong selective school application shows what each school asks for and how to make each part strong.
5. Register for the test, where there is one. For the HAST, you register through the school, not through ACER. For the EduTest, you register and pay with Edutest separately for each EduTest school. Each school sets its own fee.
6. Lodge it the way the school asks. Several schools take no applications by email. Normanhurst Boys High School wants the package in person or by Australia Post, and Penrith Selective High School takes it through its online form or in person, not by post. Check each school's rules and closing time.
7. Sit the assessment, where there is one. On the Department's timetable for 2027 entry, schools set out their requirements in July and August 2026, and assessments ran in August and September 2026. Sydney Boys High School tests only the applicants it short-lists.
8. Attend an interview, where the school holds one. Each school's approach is in the questions at the end of this guide. Our selective school interview guide lists which schools interview and how your child can prepare.
9. Receive the outcome. For 2027 entry, the Department's timetable puts outcomes in September and October 2026: an offer, a reserve list, or an unsuccessful result. If an offer comes by phone, you must accept or decline within 24 hours.
10. Start in late January. Successful applicants for 2027 entry start in late January 2027. When you accept, you provide identity documents and proof of your NSW address.

Your 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

1. Read the school's enrolment page: whether it takes your child's entry year, how it selects, and whether it sets a test.
2. Make sure your family will be living in NSW by the start of the school year of entry.
3. 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.
4. Choose up to three schools. Send a separate application to each, and list the schools in the same order of preference on every form.
5. Use the form the school asks for: the NSW Department of Education's general form, or the school's own.
6. 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.
7. Lodge the application the way the school asks (its online form, in person or by post), and keep every receipt.
8. Sit the assessment, where the school sets one.
9. Prepare for an interview, where the school holds one.
10. 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.
11. 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

Key dates

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.

Entry by year level

The steps are the same for every year. What changes is which schools take that year, which HAST level your child sits, and a few attachments. Edutest says students are tested at their current year level.

How Year 8 selective entry works

Your child applies in Year 7, to each school separately, because every school runs its own process. Most use the HAST, at ACER's Junior Secondary level where the maths test is maths only, or the EduTest. Normanhurst Boys High School and Sydney Boys High School set their own tests. Places vary by school and year level.

Selective school Year 8 entry: every school, test and date

How Year 9 selective entry works

Your child applies in Year 8, and each school decides for itself. HAST schools use ACER's Middle Secondary level, which adds science to the maths test, EduTest schools test at Year 8 level, and Normanhurst Boys High School and Sydney Boys High School set their own tests. Places vary by school and year level.

Selective school Year 9 entry: every school, test and date

How Year 10 selective entry works

Your child applies in Year 9, school by school. HAST schools use the same Middle Secondary level as for Year 9 entry, EduTest schools test at Year 9 level, and Fort Street High School still sets no test. Year 10 is the last entry year at Sydney Girls High School and Blacktown Girls High School. Places vary by school.

Selective school Year 10 entry: every school, test and date

How Year 11 selective entry works

Your child applies in Year 10, and each school runs its own selection. HAST schools use ACER's Senior Secondary level, Fort Street High School uses the HAST for Year 11 only, and Sydney Boys High School adds a general ability science test. Several schools take no new students into Year 12. Places vary by school.

Selective school Year 11 entry: every school, test and date

How many places are there?

Places vary by school and by year level. In the NSW Department of Education's words, "Vacancies depend on student departures and each school is different." Each school decides its own, and the Department tells families to ask each school directly.

A school can only offer entry when it has room. If it has none, your child may go on its reserve list instead.

We will not guess at a number. Book a short call and we can talk through the schools that suit your child.

What the school report and portfolio do

Schools look at the application as well as any test. The Department says selection committees assess applications "based on academic performance as demonstrated in their application, and if applicable through testing". Each school decides what evidence it wants. "Portfolio" is a school's word: Girraween High School asks for "a portfolio of school achievements".

Last cycle, for example:

• Normanhurst Boys High School: the last two school reports, the last NAPLAN results and any awards, as copies. A selection committee reviews them with the entry test.
• Sydney Boys High School: a copy of each of the last two school reports, and in the school's words, "Do not supply any other documents." It short-lists from the written application, and asks for evidence only at interview.
• Girraween High School: school reports, the last two NAPLAN reports, two years of external achievements, such as the Australian Mathematics Competition, and activities such as music, debating or sport.
• Baulkham Hills High School: school reports, NAPLAN, results such as ICAS, evidence of activities, and a supplementary form your child must handwrite.
• James Ruse Agricultural High School: nothing until it invites your child to apply after the EduTest. Then two years of reports, with emphasis on English, Mathematics and Science, plus achievements and a form your child fills in by hand in black pen.

Several schools ask for two years of reports and achievements, so it helps to keep certificates and results together as they come in.

If your child is already at a selective school

The process for moving up to another selective school is the same as a standard application. Your child sits the entrance exam the new school requires, where it sets one, and submits a full application for review.

In the NSW Department of Education's words, "Students cannot transfer automatically between selective schools". Your child applies in the same window as other applicants, to up to three schools, and each school assesses the application through its own process.

How we help

Selective Success Academy is an independent tutoring provider, not affiliated with the NSW Department of Education, ACER, Edutest or any school. We run small-group tutoring and exam preparation for Year 8 to 11 entry, live online on Microsoft Teams:

• EduTest preparation, with guides to North Sydney Boys High School, James Ruse Agricultural High School and Baulkham Hills High School.
• HAST preparation, with guides to Girraween High School and Penrith Selective High School.
• Entrance exam coaching for Normanhurst Boys High School and Sydney Boys High School, with the two compared side by side.

Our mock exams and practice questions are practice material, not past papers.

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.

Class times for each year level are on the timetable, and every course is on courses and prices. To talk through your child's options, book a short call with Ilia.

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

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Questions parents ask

Can you get into a selective school in Year 9?

Yes: the NSW Department of Education says students can apply for entry in Years 8 to 11 at all types of selective high schools. Your child applies in Year 8, during the application window. How many new students a school can take depends on how many leave. Book a call and we can help you choose schools.

How do I get my child into a selective school in Year 8?

Apply in Year 7 to up to three schools, sending each the form it asks for, and register for its test: for most, the HAST at the Junior Secondary level or the EduTest. Prepare for the test and the application together. Our Year 8 entry page lists every school.

How do I get my child into a selective school in Year 9?

Apply in Year 8, during the application window, to up to three schools. Each sets its own requirements: most want school reports and NAPLAN results, and a test, usually the HAST at the Middle Secondary level or the EduTest. Our Year 9 entry page lists every school, test and date.

How do I get my child into a selective school in Year 10?

Apply in Year 9, school by school. HAST schools test at the Middle Secondary level, EduTest schools at Year 9 level, and some schools add an interview or their own form. Our Year 10 entry page sets out each school's process.

How do I get my child into a selective school in Year 11?

Apply in Year 10. HAST schools use the Senior Secondary level, Sydney Boys High School adds a general ability science test, and some schools look at subject choices or hold an interview. Our Year 11 entry page covers every school that takes Year 11.

Do all selective schools use the same test?

No. Each school runs its own assessment. Some use the EduTest and some the HAST. Normanhurst Boys High School holds an entry test in literacy and numeracy at the school, Sydney Boys High School sets its own tests for applicants it short-lists, and Fort Street High School has no entrance test for Years 8 to 10.

How many schools can we apply to?

Up to three. You send a separate application to each school, with the schools in the same order of preference on every form. Each school may ask for different documents and a different assessment.

When do applications open for 2028 entry (exams in August 2027)?

No 2028-entry dates have been published yet. Last cycle, the Department's window for 2027 entry ran from 17 June to 24 July 2026. Sydney Boys High School says its application forms for 2028 entry will be available from mid-June 2027, and Penrith Selective High School says its applications for 2028 entry open mid June 2027. Check each school's own enrolment page.

Is the Years 8 to 11 test the same as the Year 7 test?

No. For Year 7 entry, every applicant sits one statewide test run by the NSW Department of Education, on computer, in Year 6. For Years 8 to 11 there is no statewide test, and each school decides how it assesses.

What happens if my child misses out?

If a school cannot offer entry, it may add your child to its reserve list, or tell you the application was unsuccessful. Reserve lists last only for that school year and may close after Term 2. The NSW Department of Education says you can ask for a review within seven days, but only on narrow grounds, such as the school not following its published process. Some schools, such as Girraween High School, set their own deadline. Your child can apply again in a later year. If you would like to talk through what comes next, book a call.

Is there an interview?

It depends on the school. Normanhurst Boys High School says an interview may be required before a final offer is made. Sydney Boys High School invites some of the applicants it has short-listed and tested. James Ruse Agricultural High School interviews the students it short-lists, online, without a parent present. Penrith Selective High School says interviews may be part of selection. Girraween High School interviews students who accept, with a parent, at its enrolment afternoon in early Term 4.

Does my child sit a separate test for each school?

It depends on the test. Last cycle, a child applying to any of the six EduTest selective schools sat the EduTest once, on Saturday 15 August 2026, but registered and paid for each school separately. HAST schools that share results coordinated one sitting on Saturday 8 August 2026, and a child sat the test at their first-preference school. ACER says schools with different test dates use different tests.

Sources

All read on 1 October 2026. Schools' own pages are linked in the table above, and some details come from documents those pages link.

• NSW Department of Education: Years 8 to 11 applications
• NSW Department of Education: application process
• NSW Department of Education: the Year 7 test
• NSW Department of Education: selective high schools procedures
• ACER: HAST student support
• ACER: the HAST program
• ACER: HAST sample question booklets
• Edutest: frequently asked questions
• Edutest: the shared selective entry exam, 2027 entry