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BSHS HAST FAQ: seven parent questions answered

Seven of the questions Brisbane families ask most often about Brisbane State High School selective entry and the ACER HAST — paper structure, preparation routines, calculator policy, resources, and the enrolment interview.

By Braintree Editorial, Braintree Coaching Australia editorial team

Reviewed by Braintree Academic Panel on

Last updated

Quick Answer

Brisbane families most often ask about the difference between HAST-P and the full HAST, what a weekly preparation routine should look like, what resources to use, whether calculators are permitted, what happens at the enrolment interview, and how reapplication works after an unsuccessful Year 5 sitting. This page answers the seven we field most frequently and pairs with the BSHS preparation hub for the wider context.

  • Questions answered7
  • Pairs with hub/bshs-selective-exam-preparation
  • Sibling spokesExam format · Results
  • SourceBrisbane parent enquiries

Read the full Brisbane State High School Selective Entry Preparation (HAST) guide.

The questions below are the seven Brisbane State High School (BSHS) HAST questions our faculty fields most often. They sit alongside, rather than duplicate, the broader exam-overview answers on our BSHS selective entry preparation hub — read the hub first if a fundamentals question (what HAST is, which schools use it, application costs) is still open, then come back here for the deeper, practical questions that follow.

How does this FAQ pair with the rest of the BSHS spokes?

The FAQ block below covers paper-structure clarifications, preparation routines, calculator policy, recommended resources, the enrolment interview, reapplication after an unsuccessful Year 5 sitting, and the policy on illness or absence on test day. For the section-by-section walkthrough of every HAST paper, see our BSHS HAST exam format spoke. For how scaled scores, percentiles and the BSHS merit ranking work after the sitting, see our BSHS HAST results interpretation spoke. The Higher Ability Selection Test is built, marked and reported by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER); the BSHS-specific application process, fees and interview arrangements are published by Brisbane State High School.

At a glance

Key facts.

Test administrator
Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
Year 5 paper
HAST-P · 110 minutes · 3 sections
Year 6 paper
Full HAST · 140 minutes · 4 sections
Calculators
Not permitted in Mathematical Reasoning
Application close
Mid-June for the following year's intake
Testing window
Late July, single mandatory date
FAQ

Common questions, plainly answered.

7 questions our faculty fields most often about this exam.

HAST-P (the Year 5 paper) runs about 110 minutes across three sections — Reading Comprehension, Mathematical Reasoning and Written Expression. The full HAST (the Year 6 paper) runs about 140 minutes across four sections, adding Abstract Reasoning to the three HAST-P sections. Both papers measure academic ability (inference, reasoning, problem-solving and written expression) rather than year-level curriculum recall. Calculators are not permitted in Mathematical Reasoning on either paper. The Year 5 sitting offers conditional Year 7 entry, subject to maintaining academic, behavioural and attendance standards through Year 6; the Year 6 sitting confirms a Year 7 place outright.

No. Calculators are not permitted in the Mathematical Reasoning section of either HAST-P or the full HAST. The paper is designed as a no-calculator assessment of mental fluency and reasoning. Children must work confidently with arithmetic, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, basic algebra, geometry and multi-step word problems without electronic assistance. Daily mental-math practice — multiplication tables to 15 × 15, fraction-decimal conversions, and quick estimation — is one of the highest-leverage preparation habits across both year levels.

A typical weekly HAST preparation schedule allocates four to six hours across five sessions — one timed Reading Comprehension paper (40 minutes plus a careful review), one timed Mathematical Reasoning paper (40 minutes plus a worked-solution review), one Written Expression practice piece with parent or tutor feedback, one Abstract Reasoning session for Year 6 candidates, and a daily 10-minute mental-math drill on the remaining days. Wide reading across fiction and non-fiction sits alongside the formal practice. Consistent weekly cadence over six to twelve months outperforms intensive cramming in the final fortnight.

Official ACER practice tests, HAST-specific prep books (Scholarly, Hendersons), abstract reasoning workbooks, advanced reading materials, mental math practice, and writing practice. Our comprehensive BSHS prep program includes all materials plus expert coaching.

After the HAST is marked, ACER reports results directly to Brisbane State High School. Candidates above the merit cut-off are invited to a face-to-face enrolment interview with the BSHS Leadership Team — typically the Principal or Deputy Principal and a member of the academic leadership. The interview confirms placement, sets out academic and behavioural expectations, reviews any conditions on the offer (for Year 5 conditional entry) and lets the family ask practical questions about subject selection, the Aspire enrichment program for Years 7–8 and uniform or transport logistics. Families are asked to bring photo identification, proof of address (for in-catchment applicants) and Year 5 and Year 6 school reports.

Yes. A Year 5 sitting that does not result in a conditional offer does not bar a Year 6 re-application, and many BSHS families take exactly this path. The Year 6 sitting requires a fresh application through the Selective Entry Online Application Form, a new $420 processing fee, and the full HAST (including the Abstract Reasoning section that does not appear on HAST-P). The merit ranking restarts from zero — the Year 5 result is not carried forward and does not disadvantage a Year 6 candidate. Use the year between sittings to consolidate the three shared sections and to introduce Abstract Reasoning practice from the start of Year 6.

HAST is held on a single mandatory date in late July, and Brisbane State High School does not offer alternative or makeup sittings. Families whose child is unwell on the day should contact the BSHS Selective Entry office immediately, provide a medical certificate, and ask about the special-consideration process — outcomes are decided case-by-case and an alternative date is not guaranteed. The practical implication is to build the prep timeline to peak two to three weeks before the sitting, to avoid scheduling other high-pressure tests in the same week, and to keep the child away from large group activities in the final week before the sitting to reduce the risk of common winter illness.

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