EduTest 2026: The Complete Parent & Student Guide to Australia's Selective & Scholarship Exam

What Is the EduTest?

The EduTest measures reasoning, comprehension and applied problem solving rather than memorised curriculum content. Edutest Australia publishes five sections on its parent testing page: two Ability tests (Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning) and three Achievement tests (Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Written Expression), all multiple-choice except the writing task.

Queensland Academies use an entrance test delivered by Edutest, and many independent schools use EduTest for academic and general scholarships. It is not the NSW Selective High School Placement Test run by the NSW Department of Education for state selective Year 7 entry.

For the full exam family overview, see our EduTest selective school and scholarship hub.

Which Schools Use the EduTest?

Always confirm with each school's website. Prominent EduTest users include:

NSW state selective high schools (Year 7 entry)

Do not use EduTest. NSW DoE fully and partially selective Year 7 entry uses the NSW Selective High School Placement Test, not EduTest. Schools such as James Ruse, Baulkham Hills, North Sydney Boys/Girls and Sydney Girls are on that DoE pathway (checked 16 August 2026).

Queensland Academies

Queensland Academies (QASMT, QACI, QAHS) use an entrance test delivered by Edutest. For Year 7 entry, Queensland Academies publishes Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics at 30 minutes each plus Written Expression at 15 minutes — 165 minutes of timed testing inside a session it describes as approximately three hours.

The on-time application fee for Year 7 in 2028 is $270.00, non-refundable (checked 16 August 2026); a separate late-application fee of $300.00 applies once the on-time window closes.

Independent and Catholic schools

Edutest Australia publishes no list of the schools that use its tests, and names no school association or state: the parents page says only that a result is compared with "thousands of other students in the same year level across Australia" (checked 16 August 2026). Individual schools book EduTest for their own scholarship and entrance rounds and set their own cut-off, so the target school's admissions page is the only reliable check.

EduTest Format: The 5 Sections

Edutest Australia publishes each section's timing but no single total. Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics run 30 minutes each and Written Expression runs 15 minutes with no planning or reading time, which sums to 2 hours 15 minutes of testing (Edutest parents page, checked 16 August 2026). No break schedule is published, so the receiving school confirms the day's timetable.

1. Verbal Reasoning

Synonyms, antonyms, analogies, odd-word-out, sentence completion, and verbal deduction under time pressure. Vocabulary breadth is the main lever for improvement.

2. Reading Comprehension

Edutest states that this section "measures the capacity to read and interpret meaning from written passages, as well as correct, complete and punctuate sentences" (parents page). No passage type, reading level or literal-versus-inference split is published, so preparation should cover fiction and non-fiction, inference on tone and author intent, and sentence-level correction and punctuation.

3. Numerical Reasoning

Pattern recognition, sequences, matrices, and data interpretation — not long arithmetic drills. Flag hard items and move on.

4. Mathematics

Curriculum-aligned applied problems: fractions, ratios, percentages, geometry, probability, and more algebra at senior entry levels.

5. Written Expression

Fifteen minutes, with no planning or reading time. Edutest publishes six modes that may be assessed — "creative, descriptive, narrative, persuasive, expository or informative" (parents page) — and publishes no marking rubric or criterion weighting, so prepare across all six rather than betting on one. Clear structure and a strong opening usually outscore length.

For question-type detail, see the EduTest exam format guide. For section practice, use the EduTest Ultimate course and our Year 5 sample paper.

Which Year Level Sits the EduTest?

Entry points are set by each school. The windows below are Braintree Coaching Australia's preparation guidance from tutor programme experience, not published EduTest structure — confirm the sitting year and entry level with the school.

Choose preparation matched to entry year, not only the year your child sits the test. The EduTest preparation strategies guide maps timelines by entry point.

How Is the EduTest Scored?

Each section is reported separately, and Edutest Australia does not publish how raw scores are standardised — the parents page describes results only as a comparison with other students at the same year level (checked 16 August 2026). Three published facts matter more to a parent than any score table:

• No section weighting is published. Neither the parents page nor the Edutest FAQ states that the five sections are weighted, equally or otherwise. Schools receive the section results and decide how to use them.
• There is no national pass mark. Each school sets its own standard, and it moves with the strength of that year's applicant group.
• Parents do not receive results from Edutest. The FAQ states that Edutest does not provide parents with results, and that the individual school decides if and when a report is released.

So the only figure worth planning around is the one your target school publishes in its own offer or scholarship guidance. Ask the school directly, and treat any percentile "cut-off" without a school or exam-board source behind it as guesswork.

EduTest vs ACER vs NSW Selective Test

NSW state selective entry uses the NSW Selective Test. Many private scholarship candidates sit EduTest or ACER instead. Confirm each target school's required test before you plan preparation, and take delivery format, sitting date and venue from that school's application pack — Edutest does not publish whether a sitting is on paper or online.

Sample Questions by Section

Verbal Reasoning: Reluctant is to eager as scarce is to ___ — Answer: abundant (antonym pair).

Reading: After a passage about a coastal village, tone questions ask whether the narrator is nostalgic, critical, or hopeful — evidence comes from word choice, not facts alone.

Numerical: Sequence 2, 6, 12, 20, 30 → 42 (gaps increase by 2: +4, +6, +8, +10, +12).

Mathematics: 240 books, 5/8 fiction → 90 non-fiction (3/8 × 240).

Writing: Open with "The door at the end of the corridor had not been opened in fifty years." Plan briefly, write ~250–350 controlled words, edit for clarity.

Run a timed baseline with our free mock tests, then deepen practice via the sample paper.

12-Month Preparation Plan

Braintree Coaching Australia's recommended ceiling for scholarship and EduTest preparation is six to seven hours a week including class time, tapering in the final fortnight (Braintree Academic Panel guidance, reviewed 14 July 2026). It is a cap, not a target: if sleep, mood or family time starts to slip, cut the hours before you cut the sleep.

Section-specific tactics — vocabulary drills, sentence correction, pattern speed limits, applied maths word problems, and timed writing structures — are in the EduTest prep strategies guide.

Common Mistakes and Test Day

The list above is about the months before the sitting. The one below is the morning itself, and the school's own confirmation email overrides it wherever the two differ.

Are There Free EduTest Practice Tests?

Edutest sells its official practice tests rather than giving them away: $30.00 for one set, $55.00 for two and $65.00 for three, valid for 90 days from purchase (Edutest practice tests, checked 16 August 2026). Those packs are built as 20 questions per subtest, which is a practice-product structure and not the real sitting's question count.

For a free timed baseline, use our free mock tests and the Year 5 sample paper. Scholarship-level preparation usually needs timed full mocks, breadth across all five sections, and structured writing feedback — covered in the EduTest Ultimate course.

FAQ

What is the EduTest exam?

The EduTest is a standardised entrance and scholarship test from Edutest Pty Ltd, used by many independent schools and by Queensland Academies. It assesses Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics for 30 minutes each, plus Written Expression for 15 minutes.

How long does the whole EduTest take?

Edutest Australia publishes no single total. The section timings it does publish at edutest.com.au/tests_parents.html — 30 + 30 + 30 + 30 + 15 minutes — sum to 2 hours 15 minutes of testing. No break schedule is published, so the receiving school confirms the day's timetable. For Queensland Academies Year 7 entry, qa.eq.edu.au describes a session of approximately three hours around 165 minutes of timed testing.

Which schools use EduTest in Australia?

Confirm on each school's website. Common users include Queensland Academies (QASMT, QACI, QAHS), whose entrance test is delivered by Edutest, and many independent scholarship programmes across the eastern states. NSW Department of Education selective high schools do not use EduTest for Year 7 entry — they use the NSW Selective High School Placement Test.

How is EduTest scored?

Each section is reported separately. Edutest Australia does not publish how raw scores are standardised, publishes no weighting across the five sections, and states that it does not give parents results — the school decides if and when a report is shared. There is no national pass mark; each school sets its own cut-off.

What score does my child need for Queensland Academies or a scholarship?

No official source publishes one. Queensland Academies publishes no percentile band, rank or cut-off for successful applicants, and Edutest states that each school sets its own standard. Ask the target school what its own offer guidance says, and treat any figure without a school or exam-board source behind it as guesswork.

How early should my child start preparing?

For Year 7 entry, 12–18 months is realistic for most families. Six months can work for a child already strong across reading and reasoning, but vocabulary and reasoning speed rarely improve overnight.

Is EduTest the same as the NSW Selective Test?

No. The NSW Selective High School Placement Test is run by the NSW Department of Education and has four components. EduTest is a separate product from Edutest Pty Ltd, used by a different set of schools and scholarship programmes.

Can my child use a calculator?

No. Edutest Australia's prohibited-items list covers calculators, dictionaries, working-out paper, rulers, mobile phones, digital and smart watches and erasable pens (parents page). Mathematics and Numerical Reasoning are worked mentally and on the test material itself, so practise without scrap paper.

How long is the Written Expression section?

Fifteen minutes, with no planning or reading time, per the Edutest parents page. Edutest publishes six modes that may be assessed — creative, descriptive, narrative, persuasive, expository or informative — and no marking rubric, so prepare across all six.

Other state selective pathways

• Victoria SEHS preparation hub — Victorian selective entry for Melbourne High, Mac.Robertson, Nossal and Suzanne Cory

Last updated: 2026-08-16. Written by the Braintree Editorial team, reviewed by the Braintree Academic Panel. EduTest section names, timings, writing modes, reading scope, prohibited items, scoring statements and practice-test pricing checked against edutest.com.au/tests_parents.html, edutest.com.au/faq.html and edutest.com.au/prac_tests.html on 16 August 2026. Queensland Academies fees, timings and session length checked against qa.eq.edu.au/enrolments/year7-enrolments on 16 August 2026.