WA Gifted and Talented and the ASET: 2028 intake dates
Applications for the 2028 intake open 13 October 2026 and close 6 pm on 5 February 2027. The ASET for Year 6 applicants in Perth metro, Bunbury and Albany is on Saturday 6 March 2027. Here is the official process, who can apply and what it costs.
Last checked against the official sources.
For the 2028 intake, applications open Tuesday 13 October 2026 and close at 6 pm on Friday 5 February 2027. The standard-conditions ASET for Year 6 students in Perth metro, Bunbury and Albany is Saturday 6 March 2027 (regional WA tests Monday 8 to Tuesday 9 March 2027). The Department does not endorse private coaching.
The process in five steps
The Department of Education describes the pathway as: explore the programs, submit an online application, sit the Academic Selective Entrance Test (ASET), receive a performance report, then wait for placement offers, which are sent in rounds depending on program availability and demand.
The Department says placement starts from Year 7, with limited vacancies possible for Years 9, 10 and 11. Arts applicants also complete auditions or workshops, and languages applicants may be interviewed.
Official dates for the 2028 intake
- Applications open: Tuesday 13 October 2026.
- Applications close: 6 pm Friday 5 February 2027.
- ASET, standard conditions (Perth metro, Bunbury, Albany): Saturday 6 March 2027 for Year 6 students and Sunday 7 March 2027 for Years 8 to 10.
- ASET, regional WA (excluding Bunbury and Albany): a date range of Monday 8 to Tuesday 9 March 2027.
- ASET in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide: the Department lists March 2027, to be confirmed.
- ASET, adjusted conditions (Perth metro): Tuesday 16 to Tuesday 30 March 2027.
- Offers: the Department lists Round 1 in late June 2027, Round 2 in late July 2027 and unsuccessful notifications in August 2027.
The Department says key dates are updated regularly and subject to change. You can register interest at its online portal, which is not an application.
Who can apply and what it costs
The Department says participation is limited to children whose usual place of residence is Western Australia and who are Australian citizens, permanent residents or visa holders with an equivalent local school enrolment entitlement. Interstate and overseas applicants should only consider applying if they expect to meet these criteria in time for school enrolment.
The applicant guidelines for 2027 entry (the latest published, dated 27 November 2025) say there is no cost in the application, testing and placement processes for currently enrolled WA students tested at their closest available centre. Interstate and overseas applicants pay ACER, not the Department. For 2026 testing ACER charged A$200 for interstate and A$250 for overseas applicants, and the 2028 amounts are not yet published. The guidelines for the 2028 intake are not yet published either, so check them for the number of applications a child may make. The key dates page sets 6 pm Friday 5 February 2027 as the deadline for adjusted testing conditions and ASET exemption requests. See the overseas and interstate page.
What the ASET covers
The ASET has four components: reading comprehension, communicating ideas in writing, quantitative reasoning and abstract reasoning. The Department's ASET Handbook gives the order and time for each: reading comprehension 35 minutes (multiple choice), communicating ideas in writing 25 minutes (written), quantitative reasoning 35 minutes (multiple choice) and abstract reasoning 20 minutes (multiple choice), with a 10-minute break between the writing and quantitative reasoning tests.
The performance report
After testing, families receive a performance report. The Department says it shows a standardised score for each test and a Total Standard Score, and that standardised scores are not percentages or percentiles. For academic programs, placement depends on the Total Standard Score. Read the official report page for the current minimum and how results are used.
Coaching and preparation
The Department states: "We do not endorse or recommend any form of private professional coaching or tutoring services and have no affiliation with any such service." It publishes an ASET Handbook and a Practice ASET. The 2027-entry guidelines add: "coaching or tutoring for the placement test is not necessary. There is no credible research that shows coaching helps a child gain entry." Treat the Handbook and Practice ASET as familiarisation, not drilling.
Read the Handbook together and try the Practice ASET once, then stop. The Department says practice results do not show how an applicant will score.
Official links
- Gifted and Talented overview
- Key dates and applicant guidelines
- Applications, testing and offers
- ASET
Contact the Department's Gifted and Talented unit on 9264 4307 or gtsu@education.wa.edu.au.
ExamExplained is run alongside a tutoring business and is not affiliated with the WA Department of Education. Any practice items on this site are original, not official, and not endorsed by the Department. Last checked 7 October 2026.
Source: Department of Education, Western Australia, Gifted and Talented (https://www.education.wa.edu.au/gifted-and-talented/testing), accessed 7 October 2026. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Quoted without change. The Department does not endorse ExamExplained.
Frequently asked questions
Does the WA Department of Education recommend coaching for the ASET?
Will the Practice ASET predict my child's score?
What is in the ASET performance report?
Sources
- www.education.wa.edu.au/gifted-and-talented (opens in a new tab)
- www.education.wa.edu.au/key-dates-and-application-guidelines (opens in a new tab)
- www.education.wa.edu.au/gifted-and-talented/application-process (opens in a new tab)
- www.education.wa.edu.au/gifted-and-talented/testing (opens in a new tab)
- www.education.wa.edu.au/performance-reports (opens in a new tab)
- www.education.wa.edu.au/overseas-and-interstate-applicants (opens in a new tab)