Select a year to see courses
Select a year to see available courses
Join 75,893 students who already have a head start.
"*" indicates required fields
Join 8000+ students each term who already have a head start on their school academic journey.
A Snapshot
Year 6 students sit the NSW Selective High School Placement Test in May each year to compete for places at NSW’s academic selective schools. For families aiming for the 2027 test, applications are expected to open in November 2026. This guide explains what the test covers, how placement works, and how to begin preparing from Year 5.
The NSW Selective High School Placement Test is a standardised assessment administered by the NSW Department of Education. Year 6 students sit it to compete for places at selective high schools, which enrol students by academic merit rather than by home address.
NSW has two main types of selective school. Fully selective high schools take their entire Year 7 cohort through this process. Partially selective high schools run a selective stream alongside comprehensive classes, offering a smaller number of merit-based places within an otherwise non-selective school.
For more on how selective schools differ from the broader NSW school system, see our guide to what selective school is and how it differs from regular education.
NSW has around 51 selective and partially selective government high schools. The table below gives the current breakdown by type.
| Type | Number in NSW |
| Fully selective high schools | 22 |
| Partially selective high schools (selective stream only) | 24 |
| Agricultural selective high schools | 5 |
| Virtual selective school (Aurora College) | 1 |
| Selective music school (Conservatorium High School) | 1 |
The most competitive schools by application numbers include Sydney Boys High School, Sydney Girls High School, James Ruse Agricultural High School, North Sydney Boys High School, North Sydney Girls High School and Baulkham Hills High School.
Two notes: Conservatorium High School uses an audition process rather than the placement test. Aurora College serves Years 7 to 10 via distance education for rural and remote students.
The test is open to any NSW student in Year 6, regardless of which school they attend, including students at government and non-government schools, home-schooled students, and students arriving from interstate.
Your child is eligible if:
From 2026, the test is held only in NSW. Students based overseas or interstate must return to sit it.
The NSW Department of Education publishes the official dates for each cycle on its website. The 2027 dates (for Year 7 entry in January 2028) had not been confirmed at the time of writing. The table below shows the 2026 cycle as a reference; the 2027 cycle is expected to follow the same pattern.
| Stage | 2026 cycle (reference) | What this stage means |
| Applications open | Early November 2025 | Online portal opens; families register and submit school preferences |
| Applications close | ~February 2026 | Last date to finalise and submit |
| Main test date | 1 to 2 May 2026 | One day per student, computer-based at local test centres |
| Make-up test | 22 May 2026 | For students who could not attend the main session |
| Preference lock date | June 2026 | Last date to change preferred schools |
| Placement outcomes released | 19 August 2026 | Results available via the DoE application dashboard |
| Appeal deadline | ~26 August 2026 | Last date to appeal the placement decision |
| Reserve offers close | December 2026 | Final date for reserve list offers to be made |
Check the NSW Department of Education selective high schools page from October 2026 for the confirmed 2027 dates.
What this means for families preparing now: applications for the 2027 test are expected to open around November 2026. Matrix’s Year 5 Selective Preparation course begins in October, so your child can start building the skills they need at the same time as applications open.
The test runs for about two and a half hours across four sections, completed on a single day at a local test centre. It is computer-based.
| Section | Duration | What it measures |
| Reading | 45 minutes | Comprehension, vocabulary and interpreting texts |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 40 minutes | Number, algebra, measurement and spatial reasoning |
| Thinking Skills | 40 minutes | Logic, problem-solving and pattern recognition |
| Writing | 30 minutes | A written response assessed for expression, structure and ideas |
The test does not assess curriculum content in the way a school exam does. Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills target reasoning ability. The NSW Department of Education uses multiple test versions across the two-day window so that no student gains an advantage from sitting on a particular day.
One important difference from the OC placement test: the NSW Opportunity Class test, which is sat by Year 4 students for Year 5 entry, is paper-based and has no writing section. If your child is preparing for both, the formats require separate strategies.
Placement is determined by two things: how your child performs on the test, and which schools your family has ranked as preferences on the application.
If your child’s score qualifies them for multiple schools, the DoE makes an offer from whichever school sits highest on your preference list. Only one offer is made at a time.
The DoE reserves up to 20% of places at each fully selective school for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students from rural and remote areas, and students with disability. These students still receive offers on the basis of their test performance, within the equity model.
After results are released, each student sees a performance band rather than an individual mark. The four bands are: top 10%, next 15%, next 25% and lowest 50%. This tells you how your child’s performance compares to all applicants, not whether they will receive an offer from a specific school.
Students not offered an immediate place may be added to a reserve list. Reserve offers become available when other families decline their placements. The DoE provides an estimate of when an offer might arrive, based on previous years, but placement from the reserve list is not guaranteed.
The selective placement test rewards reasoning and problem-solving, and preparation from Year 5 makes a real difference to performance in Year 6. For families with children in Years 3 or 4 who are thinking ahead, Matrix’s primary school tutoring program builds the English and Maths skills that underpin selective test preparation.
Start in Year 5. The test is sat in May of Year 6. Families who begin preparing in October of Year 5 have about seven months before the exam. Starting in Term 1 of Year 6 leaves fewer than 20 weeks. The preparation window matters because Thinking Skills, in particular, requires sustained exposure to question types that most students have not seen in regular class time.
Cover all four sections, including Thinking Skills. Many students focus on Mathematical Reasoning and Reading because those are familiar from school. Thinking Skills is the section students are least likely to encounter in class, and it requires practice to become comfortable with the question formats. Give it equal time.
Practise under timed conditions, on screen. The test is computer-based. Students who sit their practice tests on paper may find the real test environment unfamiliar, and navigating an interface under time pressure is a skill in itself. Full timed practice tests on a device, closer to the exam date, are worth the effort.
Write regularly from October of Year 5. The Writing section is 30 minutes with no pre-seen prompt. Students who write at least one short piece per week from October onward manage the timed task more comfortably than those who have practised only multiple-choice questions.
| Period | Focus |
| October 2026 (Year 5, Term 4) | Begin selective preparation; build foundational skills in comprehension, reasoning and written expression |
| January 2027 (Year 5, summer break) | Intensive practice in Thinking Skills and Mathematical Reasoning; sit mock tests |
| February to April 2027 (Year 6, Term 1) | Mixed revision; full-length timed practice tests under exam conditions |
| May 2027 | The test |
Matrix’s Selective High School Test Preparation course teaches all four test sections across a structured program from Year 5 through to the May exam.
The Year 5 course runs from October 2026 to March 2027 across six modules, covering reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, thinking skills and written expression. Lessons run weekly for 1.5 hours, in small classes capped at 15 students, at any of the eight NSW campuses. A January 2027 holiday intensive runs over four days for Year 6 students, with two mock tests included.
The course includes 150 or more pages of theory material, 150 or more online practice questions with automated marking, and three diagnostic exams per term with performance reports.
Term course from $585 per term. Holiday intensive $585. First Lesson Money-Back Guarantee on campus courses.
View selective school test preparation courses and enrol
| Mistake | What to do instead |
| Starting preparation in Term 1 of Year 6 | Begin in October of Year 5, while your child still has seven months before the exam |
| Practising only Maths and Reading | Give equal time to Thinking Skills, which is the section students find least familiar |
| Using paper-only practice tests | Sit timed tests on screen; the computer interface takes adjustment |
| Ranking schools only by reputation | Include partially selective schools in your preference list; a selective stream place is a selective placement |
| Treating one diagnostic test as a final verdict | Diagnostic results show where the gaps are. Use the report to direct the next block of practice. |
Placement outcomes are released in August through the DoE’s application dashboard. Families see the performance band and whether their child has received an offer.
If your child receives an offer, you have a window to accept or decline. Declining releases the place to the reserve list for other applicants.
If your child is not offered an immediate place, check the dashboard regularly from August through to December. Reserve offers become available as other families decline. The DoE provides a likelihood estimate based on previous years’ patterns, but cannot say when or whether an offer will arrive.
Students not placed at a selective school can access comprehensive government and non-government schools, and in-school extension programs. The NSW Government’s Inspire program provides high-potential and gifted education pathways across public schools.
The reasoning, writing and problem-solving skills your child builds in preparing for this test carry through to secondary school regardless of the placement outcome.
Students sit the NSW Selective High School Placement Test in Year 6. The test is held in May each year, and successful students begin at their selective high school in Year 7 the following January.
Based on the 2026 cycle, applications are expected to open in November 2026 and close in February 2027. The NSW Department of Education publishes confirmed dates on its selective high schools page. Check from October 2026 for the official 2027 window.
The test runs for about two and a half hours across four sections: Reading (45 minutes), Mathematical Reasoning (40 minutes), Thinking Skills (40 minutes) and Writing (30 minutes). Students complete all four sections on the same day at a local test centre.
No. The test is open to all NSW students in Year 6, including those at private schools, Catholic schools, home-schooled students and students arriving from interstate, provided the family will be living in NSW by the start of the school year.
Families can rank multiple schools as preferences on the application. The DoE makes one offer at a time from the highest-ranked school for which your child qualifies. School preferences can be changed until the designated preference lock date, which in the 2026 cycle fell in June.
No. The NSW Department of Education does not report individual marks or rankings. After results are released, families see one of four performance bands: top 10%, next 15%, next 25%, or lowest 50%.
A selective high school serves Years 7 to 12, with entry via the Selective High School Placement Test sat in Year 6. An opportunity class (OC) is a Year 5 to 6 extension program within a primary school, with entry via a separate OC placement test sat in Year 4. They are different tests, different programs and different school types. For full details, see our complete guide to the NSW OC test.
Students not offered a place can remain on the reserve list until December, enrol at a comprehensive government or non-government school, or access in-school extension programs. The NSW Government’s Inspire program provides high-potential and gifted education pathways within public schools.
Matrix’s Selective High School Test Preparation course starts in October for current Year 5 students, right when applications for the 2027 test cycle are expected to open. Your child gets structured, expert-taught lessons across all four test sections, 150 or more pages of theory material and three diagnostic exams per term, in small classes capped at 15.
Eight NSW campuses. First Lesson Money-Back Guarantee.
Matrix Education teaches Year 3 to 12 students across eight NSW campuses. For more on navigating NSW secondary school entry, see our Year 6 Selective Schools Guide and our guides for Year 5 tutoring in Sydney and Year 6 tutoring in Sydney.
Written by Matrix Education
Matrix is Sydney's No.1 High School Tuition provider. Come read our blog regularly for study hacks, subject breakdowns, and all the other academic insights you need.
© Matrix Education and www.matrix.edu.au, 2025. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Matrix Education and www.matrix.edu.au with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
