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NSW · Selective High School preparation

Selective High School preparation, taken seriously.

Tutoring and mock-test packs for the Year 6 NSW Selective High School Placement Test. Used by 1,200+ students this year, across every selective school in the state.

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487 selective placements since 2019 · 93% rate among full-year students

What happens after you request a trial

During Sydney business hours (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm AEST/AEDT) the head tutor calls you back within 15 minutes. After hours, we call you back within 2 hours.

  • Who you'll speak with. The head tutor calls you directly to talk through where your child is up to.
  • What the call covers.Your child's year level, the exam you're preparing for, and how a free trial lesson would fit around your week.
  • If your child isn't ready.We'll tell you honestly. Not every child needs coaching, and we'd rather say so than enrol a child who isn't ready.
About the exam

The Selective High School test, in plain language.

The NSW Selective High School Placement Test is a computer-based assessment that determines Year 7 entry to 47 fully or partially selective public high schools across the state. Students sit it in Year 6, in early May. Results are released in late August, with placement offers confirmed through August and September and reserve-list placements running through to the first weeks of Year 7.

The test is administered by the NSW Department of Education. Every applicant sits the same paper. There is no curriculum to learn ahead of the test in the conventional sense — the paper assesses reasoning skills built across years of reading, mathematics and structured thinking. Preparation works best when it is treated as fluency-building rather than content-cramming.

Test dates

Sittings are in early May of Year 6 (the 2026 sitting is published as 2–4 May with a make-up day around 18 May). Results released late August. Placement offers confirmed through August and September. The NSW Department of Education publishes exact dates each February.

Scoring & cutoffs

Raw scores are scaled into a placement score out of 300, then combined with school assessment scores. James Ruse cutoff is roughly 232; entry-tier schools accept from around 175. Cutoffs shift year to year — see the calculator for current-year estimates.

  • Reading

    40 min30

    Mixed text types — narrative fiction, persuasive prose, informational and procedural. Inference, vocabulary in context, author's purpose.

  • Thinking Skills

    30 min30

    Pattern completion, syllogisms, sentence-completion under constraint, logic puzzles. No calculator. Roughly one question a minute.

  • Mathematical Reasoning

    40 min35

    Whole numbers, fractions, ratios, area, perimeter, recurring multi-step word problems. Throughput matters more than content.

  • Writing

    30 min1

    Stimulus-based — typically an image, sometimes a short text. Single-marked. The student writes a piece in response to the stimulus.

Live tuition

Selective High School tuition, taught for the exam.

Small-group online classes taught by exam specialists. Every program below is built specifically for the Selective High School exam — not generic tutoring repackaged for the test.

Most chosen

Selective Test Preparation

Schedule
Hybrid
Group size
Small-group tutoring
From
$99

The most comprehensive selective test preparation package with everything you need to excel in all sections of the NSW Selective Test.

Premium Pack · Ultimate Pack · Super Pack

Most chosen

Selective Writing

Schedule
Hybrid
Group size
Small-group tutoring
From
$99

Master selective school writing with advanced writing tasks, Band 6 samples, expert tips, model sentences, and vocabulary support for perfect 25/25 scores.

Premium Pack · Ultimate Pack · Super Pack

Mock test packs

Selective High School mock packs, currently on sale.

Self-paced practice papers, marked on the BrainTree LMS within 48 hours. Buy once, sit whenever — every pack ships with cohort percentiles and section-level feedback.

Selective High School results and parent testimonial

487

Selective High School placements since 2019

Audited annually. Methodology is public — see the journal for the breakdown by school.

“By the September sitting, the real exam felt like the twenty-first one she'd done — not the first. The fortnightly mocks were the thing that changed our daughter's preparation.”

Priya R.

Parent · Year 6, accepted to James Ruse

FAQ

Selective High School, plainly answered.

Five questions our faculty fields most often about the Selective High School exam.

Four sections sat in one sitting: Reading (30 questions, 40 min), Thinking Skills (30 questions, 30 min), Mathematical Reasoning (35 questions, 40 min), and Writing (1 task, 30 min).

Early May of Year 6 (the 2026 sitting is published as 2–4 May with a make-up day around 18 May). Results in late August, placement offers confirmed through August and September. The NSW Department of Education publishes the exact date each February.

No. Each student sits the test once. There are very narrow medical-exemption exceptions, but the May sitting is a one-shot event.

Approximate historical cutoffs (out of 300): James Ruse 232+, North Sydney Boys/Girls 225+, Sydney Boys/Girls 220+, Baulkham Hills 215+. Entry-tier schools accept around 175.

Twelve to eighteen months of structured weekly preparation is the median for students who place at mid- to high-tier selective schools. Shorter is possible for students already strong in reading and maths.

Start Selective High School preparation this week.

Book a free trial lesson in the Selective High School stream. Sit a diagnostic in the same week. No card, no obligation. Or grab a mock pack and start practising tonight.

Or buy a mock pack now