NSW Selective High School Placement Test: a calm, official-first guide for parents

The NSW Selective High School Placement Test is the computer-based test for Year 7 entry, sat in Year 6. Here are the dates, format, eligibility, placement, results and a calm way to prepare, all sourced to the Department of Education.

Last checked 7 October 2026 against the official sources.

The NSW Selective High School test places Year 7 students in fully selective, partially selective and agricultural high schools, and in Aurora College's online classes. Entry is by one computer-based placement test sat in Year 6 (the Farrer Memorial and Yanco agricultural high schools admit boarders by applying directly to the school, with no placement test). This guide sets out what the Department of Education publishes, in plain language, and points you to the official pages for anything that may change.

Selective entry is through one computer-based test in Year 6, with reading, maths, thinking skills and a writing task. Applications for 2028 entry are expected to open in early November 2026; the Department has not yet confirmed dates. The Department says coaching is not necessary.

About this guide

ExamExplained is run alongside a tutoring business. The Department of Education says it does not recommend or endorse coaching for the placement test and that there is no credible research showing coaching helps a child gain entry. This guide is free, written for parents, and takes the Department's side of that question. We do not promise places, publish our own placement rates, cut-off scores or predictions, or collect or share anything about what appeared in a test.

The facts here come from the Department's own pages, and each page shows the date we last checked them. Where the Department has not yet published something for 2028 entry, we say it is expected and explain the pattern it follows. Department text is quoted briefly under CC BY 4.0, © State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2023.

Start here

What it is: What is the Selective High School test?
Dates: Selective key dates
Is my child eligible? Eligibility checker
The test: Selective test format
Schools: Selective high schools by type
OC or Selective? OC versus Selective
Questions: the parent FAQ answers more than 30 questions

Who sits the test

Children apply at the end of Year 5 or the start of Year 6 and sit the test in Year 6. It is open to students in public and non-government schools and home-schooled students, but families must be living in NSW by the start of the entry year, and since 2026 the test is held only in NSW. Families who are not Australian citizens or permanent residents (or New Zealand citizens) must also meet the Department's citizenship or visa conditions before an offer can be made. A family that expects to meet them before offers are released may still apply and sit the test. Each sibling must qualify on merit, and an OC place does not carry over: the Department says you will need to apply separately.

Results, equity places and gender parity

Parents receive a performance report showing a band for each section, not a score. Up to 20% of places are held under the Department's equity placement model, and from the 2027 intake coeducational selective schools allocate equal places to boys and girls. How placement works and reading the performance report explain both.

Sources

All sources are Department of Education pages, checked on 7 October 2026. The Department's selective high schools page is the main reference.

Department of Education wording on this page is quoted or adapted briefly under CC BY 4.0. © State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2023. Licence: CC BY 4.0. ExamExplained has changed and summarised the text and is not endorsed by the Department.

Understand the test

What is the NSW Selective High School Placement Test?The Selective test is the computer-based test NSW students sit in Year 6 to be considered for Year 7 places at selective high schools. Here is who sits it, what it decides and what to expect.
Selective test key dates: 2027 entry and 2028 entryThe confirmed dates for the 2027-entry Selective cycle, and the dates we expect for 2028 entry. The Department has not yet published the 2028 dates, so check its page before you plan.
Selective test format: sections, timing and writing taskThe Selective test has four equal sections: Reading, Mathematical reasoning, Thinking skills and Writing. It is computer-based, about 155 minutes of testing, with no calculator. Here is each part in plain words.
OC test or Selective test: a side-by-side comparisonA plain comparison of the NSW Opportunity Class test (Year 5 entry) and the Selective High School test (Year 7 entry): year, age, format, timing, writing, weighting, school choices and places.
Selective test questions parents ask, answeredShort, sourced answers to the questions NSW parents ask most about the Selective placement test: dates, eligibility, the test, preparing, applying, results and offers. Where the OC differs, we say so. Where something is not published, we say that too.
Selective test change log and how we track datesWhat has changed in the NSW Selective placement test since 2025, how ExamExplained re-checks dates, and a dated log of updates to this section.

Apply

Selective test eligibility: birth dates and entry yearWho can sit the Selective test, which birth dates apply for 2027 entry and what we expect for 2028 entry. The checker below runs in your browser and stores nothing.
NSW selective high schools list: how to read itA guide to the 2027-entry list of NSW selective high schools: fully selective, partially selective, agricultural and Aurora College, with boys' and girls' places, boarding and how many schools you can choose.
How to apply for the Selective test: step by stepA step-by-step guide to applying for the NSW Selective High School Placement Test: registering with your own details, completing eight sections, adding an optional photo, choosing schools and submitting before the deadline.
Should we apply for the Selective test? A calm guide for parentsA decision guide for parents of Year 5 and Year 6 children: what Selective involves, distance and travel, partially and fully selective schools, boarding, comparing with your local school, readiness and wellbeing.

Prepare

Preparing for the Selective test without coachingThe NSW Department of Education does not recommend coaching for the placement test. Here is what it does suggest: good attendance, familiarity with the format, calm routines, and free official practice.
Official Selective practice tests and how to use themThe Department of Education provides free practice for the Selective test: online computer-based tests, a resource hub, older PDF papers, Social Stories and videos. Here is where they are and how to use them.

On the day

Test day checklist for the OC and Selective placement testsWhat to bring, what is not allowed, when to arrive, what parents do, what happens if your child is ill, and what counts as malpractice. Adapted from the NSW Department of Education placement test page.

Results and offers

How Selective placement works: offers, reserves and equityHow NSW selective high school places are offered: school preferences, a single offer, reserve lists and bands A to F, the Equity Placement Model, gender parity, the selection committee, appeals and accepting an offer.
Reading the Selective Student Performance ReportWhat the four bands on a Selective Student Performance Report mean, what they do not mean, why there are no scores or cut-offs, and how to talk with your child about the result.
What if we miss out? Reserve lists, appeals and other pathwaysIf your child does not receive a Selective offer, here is how reserve lists and bands work, when an appeal is possible, the Years 8 to 11 route, and how to talk with your family about the result.
Entering a selective high school in Years 8 to 11Selective schools can take students after Year 7 through a separate, school-run application. Here is how it works, the 2027-entry dates, and what is expected but not yet published for 2028 entry.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Selective High School test?

It is the placement test for NSW selective high schools: fully selective, partially selective, agricultural schools and Aurora College online. Children sit it in Year 6, on a computer, in early May. It has reading, mathematical reasoning, thinking skills and a typed writing task.

When do applications open for 2028 Selective entry?

The Department has not published 2028-entry dates. Applications opened on 6 November 2025 and 7 November 2024, so early November 2026 is expected. They closed on 20 February 2026 and 21 February 2025, so mid to late February 2027 is expected. Check the Department's application page.

Which birth dates are eligible?

For 2027 entry the Department's usual range was 1 January 2014 to 31 July 2015. The range for 2028 entry has not been published and is expected to move forward by one year. Use the eligibility checker, then confirm with the Department.

How many schools can we choose?

Parents can choose between one and three selective high schools, in order of preference. The child receives an offer from only one school: the highest preference for which they qualify. They may stay on reserve lists for higher preferences.

Does my child need coaching?

The Department says it does not recommend or endorse coaching for the placement test, and that there is no credible research showing coaching helps a child gain entry. ExamExplained is run alongside a tutoring business; this guide follows the Department's advice.

What score do we need to get in?

The Department says there are no set minimum entry scores. Outcomes depend on how all applicants perform, the number of places and how many offers are declined.

What if we miss out?

A child with no accepted offer can stay on a reserve list until the end of Term 1 of the entry year, but a child holding an accepted offer is removed from higher-choice reserve lists after the reserve decision date unless the family declines that offer first. A declined offer cannot be got back, so read the Department's outcomes page before you decide. Years 8 to 11 entry is a separate application run by the schools. See the guide to what to do if you miss out.