Selective Test Calculator
Quick answer
Quick answerThe NSW Selective High School Placement Test has four components — Reading, Thinking Skills, Mathematical Reasoning and Writing. Enter your child's recent practice marks below and the calculator estimates their score and lists which NSW selective schools would currently be within reach. All cutoffs are historical estimates, not official NSW figures.
Estimate your child’s placement
Selective Test Calculator
Estimate placement chances across NSW selective schools.
Enter your child’s recent mock or practice scores
Estimated band (press Calculate)
On-track band
Around the middle of the cutoff range.
Estimates based on cutoffs reconstructed from publicly available placement results, not official NSW data. Treat the result as a guide, not a guarantee.
This is an estimate only. Selective high school placement uses scaled scores combined with school assessment, set by the NSW Department of Education, and varies by year and demand. Treat the result as a guide, not a guarantee.
How the Selective Test is scored
The NSW Selective High School Placement Test assesses four areas — Reading, Thinking Skills, Mathematical Reasoning and Writing. Each component is converted to a percentage of its maximum, and the average of those percentages gives a single score on a 0–100 scale. The NSW Department of Education then applies its own scaling and ranking when making offers, so this estimate is an approximation of where a child sits rather than the official placement score.
How to use this calculator
Enter your child's most recent mock or practice mark for each component using the sliders, then choose whether to show boys', girls' or all schools. The calculator shows an estimated band and groups NSW selective schools into those currently within reach and those that are a stretch. Use it to set a practice target or to interpret mock-test results — not as an official prediction of placement.
Primary sources
Frequently asked questions
- How is the selective placement estimate calculated?
- Each of the four components — Reading, Thinking Skills, Mathematical Reasoning and Writing — is scored as a percentage of its maximum, and those percentages are averaged into a single 0–100 estimate. That estimate is compared against historical school cutoffs to group selective schools as within reach or a stretch.
- What counts as a competitive selective school score?
- It depends on the school. The most in-demand schools have much higher cutoffs than partially selective or regional schools, and cutoffs change each year with demand. Use a recent year's cutoff for your preferred school as a guide rather than a fixed target.
- Is this calculator the official selective score?
- No. Actual placement uses scaled scores combined with school assessment, set by the NSW Department of Education, and varies by year and demand. This tool gives a rough estimate only and does not report any school's exact cutoff.
Prepare for the Selective Test with Braintree Coaching Australia
Our selective high school preparation covers Reading, Thinking Skills, Mathematical Reasoning and Writing with timed practice and feedback from qualified teachers.
Explore selective high school preparation