How to apply for the Selective test: step by step

Applying is not hard, but it has several steps and one firm deadline. This page walks you through them in order. Applications are made by a parent or carer on the Department's application site. The steps are the same for the OC, except that OC families choose 1 to 4 classes.

Before you start

Check the key dates and eligibility. Have these ready:

• your own email address;
• your child's details as they appear on official documents;
• a clear recent photo of your child (optional, but encouraged);
• your list of preferred schools, from our schools page or the Department's list.

The five steps

Step 1. Register

Register on the Department's application site with your own details, not your child's. Use an email address you check regularly. The Department will use it to send notices and other messages. The Test Admission Ticket itself is downloaded from your application dashboard.

Step 2. Verify your email

The site sends you a message with a link. Click it to confirm your email address.

Step 3. Log in

Use your new login to open the application dashboard.

Step 4. Complete the eight sections

The application has eight sections, and you work through each one. One section lets you upload a photo of your child (optional, but encouraged). It is printed on the Test Admission Ticket to help staff check identity, so use a clear, recent colour portrait.

Step 5. Submit

Check everything, then submit. Saving your progress is not submitting. Look for a confirmation that your application has been submitted, and keep it.

Choosing schools

You choose between 1 and 3 selective high schools, in order of preference. Your order matters. How placement works explains why. Our schools page helps you read the list. If you apply for an Opportunity Class too, that is a separate application with up to four choices. See OC or Selective.

No late applications

In the Department's words, "No late applications will be accepted." Closing dates are strictly observed. For 2027 entry, applications closed on Friday 20 February 2026. For 2028 entry, we expect a closing date in February 2027, but the Department has not published it. Aim to submit weeks early.

Fees

The Department says there are no fees to apply or to sit the placement test, and no extra fees to enrol. Selective high schools do not charge attendance fees, except for boarding at agricultural high schools. If any site asks you to pay to apply, stop and check that you are on the official application site.

Changing your mind

You can change your school choices until the Department's deadline. For the 2027-entry cycle, that was 5 June 2026. After the test, you may have a clearer idea, so use this time. After the deadline, choices can be changed only in exceptional circumstances, with evidence (the Department's example is a family moving a significant distance within NSW).

Supporting documents

Some situations need supporting documents. Examples are requests for consideration after illness or misadventure, and appeals. These are made through the application dashboard. Keep your documents together and in digital form so you can upload them quickly.

Adjustments and special provisions

If your child needs adjustments, the Department's pages explain what is available and how to ask. We do not summarise them because the details can change. Please read the Department's application page, or contact the Department (dashboard message if you have applied, otherwise set@det.nsw.edu.au or 1300 880 367), early, well before the closing date.

Checklist

• Registered with my own details and verified my email.
• Confirmed the birth date matches the Department's range.
• Chosen 1 to 3 selective schools (or 1 to 4 opportunity classes for the OC) in preference order.
• Added a photo (optional, but encouraged).
• Submitted, not just saved, and kept the confirmation.
• Put the later dates in my calendar, including the last day to change choices.
• Checked my email for the Department's notice that the Test Admission Ticket is ready (about two weeks before the test), then downloaded it from my application dashboard and printed it.

After you apply, see the test day checklist.

Source: NSW Department of Education, application process page, checked 7 October 2026. The application site is run by the Department, and ExamExplained is not affiliated with it.

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.