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NSW · Selective and scholarship exam preparation

EduTest Selective School & Scholarship Exam Preparation

EduTest preparation for NSW selective high schools and Queensland Academies. Coverage of all five sections — Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics, Written Expression — with timed mock packs and teacher feedback.

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100+ schools use EduTest · 5 sections · 6–12 month prep runway

Mock test packs

EduTest practice packs — timed papers, marked on the LMS.

Featured: Super Pack · EduTest (Year 7-8 Entry) · from $299

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About the exam

The EduTest test, in plain language.

EduTest is the assessment used by the five NSW selective high schools that take Years 8–11 lateral entry, by Queensland's three selective academies, and by hundreds of independent scholarships. Students sit five sections in one sitting, and the published section timings sum to 2 hours 15 minutes.

The paper assesses both ability (verbal and numerical reasoning) and achievement (reading comprehension, mathematics and written expression). Schools weight the two categories differently. Calculators are prohibited in every section, so mental-math fluency and timing strategy carry as much weight as content knowledge.

Test dates

NSW coordinated EduTest sittings run across Terms 1–2, Term 3 and Term 4. Each school publishes its window separately; the earliest school in a cycle sets the sitting date for any student applying to multiple schools.

Scoring & cutoffs

EduTest reports percentile rankings against a national year cohort. Each school sets its own cut-off and there is no national EduTest pass mark, so ask the school what range it has taken in recent years. Results flow to schools only — parents see them only when a school chooses to issue a report.

  • Verbal Reasoning

    30 minNot published

    Synonyms, antonyms, analogies, classification, sentence completion and deduction. Vocabulary-heavy and inference-driven.

  • Numerical Reasoning

    30 minNot published

    Pattern recognition, number series, matrices and arithmetic reasoning without curriculum content. Calculator prohibited.

  • Reading Comprehension

    30 minNot published

    Fiction, non-fiction, poetry and informational passages. Inference, vocabulary in context and author's purpose under tight time pressure.

  • Mathematics

    30 minNot published

    Year-appropriate arithmetic, algebra, geometry, measurement and data. Throughput matters as much as accuracy.

  • Written Expression

    15 minNot published

    A single written response (creative, descriptive, narrative, persuasive, expository or informative) in fifteen minutes, with no planning or reading time.

Mock test packs

EduTest mock packs, compared line by line.

Comparing: EduTest (Year 7-8 Entry)

Every paper is written and marked by Braintree Coaching Australia teachers, and writing comes back on the BrainTree LMS within 24 hours. The Super Pack carries all 11 inclusions; the Ultimate Pack carries 8.

Ultimate Pack

$199$250Save 20%

Subject tests, writing & skill courses · 8 of 11 inclusions · 365 Days access

Practice papers

  • IncludedReading comprehension papers
  • IncludedMathematical Reasoning papers
  • IncludedNumerical Reasoning papers
  • IncludedWriting tasks, marked with feedback
  • Not includedReading Comprehension Practice Pack
  • Not includedPoetry comprehension tests

Mastery & support

  • IncludedVerbal Reasoning Mastery Course
  • IncludedVocabulary Mastery Pack
  • Not includedDaily Paragraph Editing & Grammar

Also included

  • IncludedVerbal Reasoning Mastery
  • IncludedVocabulary Mastery for Exam Success
Get the Ultimate Pack
Everything included

Super Pack

$299$399Save 25%

Subject tests & skill practice · 11 of 11 inclusions · 365 Days access

Practice papers

  • IncludedReading comprehension papers
  • IncludedReading Comprehension Practice Pack
  • IncludedMathematical Reasoning papers
  • IncludedNumerical Reasoning papers
  • IncludedWriting tasks, marked with feedback
  • IncludedPoetry comprehension tests

Mastery & support

  • IncludedVerbal Reasoning Mastery Course
  • IncludedVocabulary Mastery Pack
  • IncludedDaily Paragraph Editing & Grammar

Also included

  • IncludedVerbal Reasoning Mastery
  • IncludedVocabulary Mastery for Exam Success
Get the Super Pack

Read the full EduTest (Year 7-8 Entry) outline — sample questions, marking, and study plan.

Other EduTest programs

  • EduTest (Year 9-10 Entry)

    EduTest practice for Year 9-10 entry: timed reading, mathematics and reasoning tests, writing tasks and supporting skill practice. Compare pack inclusions before enrolment.

    Ultimate Pack$199Super Pack$299

    See what the EduTest (Year 9-10 Entry) includes

  • EduTest (Year 11 Entry)

    EduTest practice for Year 11 entry: timed reading, mathematics and reasoning tests, writing tasks and supporting skill practice. Compare pack inclusions before enrolment.

    Super Pack$299

    See what the EduTest (Year 11 Entry) includes
Try one

A representative question. No sign-up.

One question pulled from this exam's library. Pick an answer — we'll show you the working, the way our teachers do in lessons.

Numerical ReasoningSample · 1 of 1

A sequence begins 3, 7, 15, 31, 63. Each term follows the same rule. What is the next term?

Want more? The Ultimate mock pack includes 20 full papers.

How we prepare children: high-expectation, low-burnout

Braintree Coaching Australia works to a high-expectation, low-burnout standard across every program: we cap weekly hours, protect sleep, and teach the thinking, not just drill the answers so a child understands why an answer is right rather than memorising past papers.

Read our high-expectation, low-burnout preparation philosophy for recommended weekly study caps by student profile, the 8–10 hour sleep guardrail, and three sample weekly schedules.

From the journal

More on this exam.

Long-form pieces by our faculty on the strategy, pacing and preparation that work for this exam specifically.

EduTest results

Results, reported honestly.

We publish anonymised cohort ranges and the way we measure them, rather than a single placement total we cannot independently audit. See our results and outcomes for the cohort ranges, or read the measurement methodology.

FAQ

EduTest, plainly answered.

Five questions our faculty fields most often about the EduTest exam.

Top NSW selective schools using EduTest include James Ruse Agricultural High School, Baulkham Hills High School, North Sydney Boys High School, North Sydney Girls High School, and Sydney Girls High School for Years 8–11 entry. The EduTest format is also used by Queensland Academies (QASMT, QACI, QAHS) and various scholarship programs across Australia.

EduTest has five sections, and edutest.com.au publishes a time allowance for each one: Verbal Reasoning (30 minutes), Numerical Reasoning (30 minutes), Reading Comprehension (30 minutes), Mathematics (30 minutes), and Written Expression (15 minutes, with no planning or reading time). Those published timings sum to 2 hours 15 minutes of testing. EduTest does not publish a total exam duration, a question count for any section, or whether breaks fall between sections. The section table on this page sets out what each section measures.

EduTest divides its assessment into two categories. Ability Tests (Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning) measure thinking capacity and potential to learn without relying on curriculum knowledge — these sections predict how quickly students can learn and what complexity levels they can handle. Achievement Tests (Reading Comprehension, Mathematics, and Written Expression) demonstrate what students have already learned and how effectively they execute acquired skills at year-appropriate curriculum levels. This dual-category system allows selective schools to distinguish between students who have memorised content and those with genuine capacity for accelerated, rigorous academic programs.

The coordinated testing system allows a student to apply to multiple NSW selective schools while sitting one examination on the same date, removing the need for multiple test sittings. The coordinated system requires separate registration for each school, and each school sets and publishes its own application fee — EduTest neither sets nor publishes a fee. Test results are then shared automatically with every school the student applies to. Students must sit at the location with the earliest testing date when applying to multiple schools. Results transfer forward to all applicable schools with later dates within each testing cycle (Terms 1–2, Term 3, or Term 4), but results cannot transfer backward to earlier dates or across calendar years.

EduTest publishes no target completion rate, no per-section question counts, and no marking rule for wrong or unanswered answers, so treat any 'most children finish about half' or 'guessing costs nothing' advice you read elsewhere as unsourced. What holds regardless of the marking rule: a blank answer cannot earn a mark, and every section is tightly timed. We coach your child to work at the fastest pace that holds accuracy, and to leave nothing blank in the closing minute of a section.

Begin 6–12 months before the test date. Reading and writing improvement should start around 12 months out, because those skills develop gradually rather than through intensive cramming, while focused Numerical Reasoning and Mathematics practice can start around 6 months out. The month-by-month runway on this page sets out what to do at each stage, and why we cap weekly hours rather than adding them.

In our own marking, Verbal Reasoning is the section that costs children the most marks — it asks for advanced vocabulary, multi-step analogies, and abstract pattern recognition inside a 30-minute limit. Written Expression is the next hardest, because a child has to plan, write, and self-correct within 15 minutes and no planning or reading time is allowed. EduTest publishes no section-level difficulty data, so read this as our teaching observation rather than a published ranking.

EduTest uses percentile rankings comparing performance to other students at the same year level nationally. Scores are reported separately for each of the 5 sections, and schools may weight certain sections differently. Each school sets its own cut-off — there is no national EduTest pass mark, and neither EduTest nor the NSW Department of Education publishes a minimum entry score for these schools, so ask the school what range it has taken in recent years. EduTest never provides results directly to parents — all outcomes flow exclusively to schools, which conduct selection processes independently and decide whether to issue parent reports.

Prohibited items include calculators (strictly prohibited across all sections), rulers, dictionaries, scratch paper, mobile phones, smart watches, and fitness trackers. Required materials include photo ID (school photo, library card, passport, or birth certificate with photo), two lead pencils, erasers, sharpeners, and black or blue pens for Written Expression. Simple time-telling watches, reading glasses, hearing aids, water bottles, and snacks are permitted. This calculator prohibition makes mental-math practice essential for both Mathematics and Numerical Reasoning sections.

Fees are set by the school or academy receiving the application, not by EduTest. Queensland Academies publish a $270.00 non-refundable application fee for Year 7 entry in 2028, rising to $300.00 for a late application, and a student may submit only one application across QASMT, QACI and QAHS in a given year. Each NSW selective school sets and publishes its own application fee for Years 8–11 entry, including any remote-testing charge — confirm the current amount on that school's own enrolment page before you budget, because we could not find a departmental figure that covers all five. Official EduTest practice tests bought direct from EduTest cost $30–65 and provide 90 days of access.
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