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HAST · EduTest · Selective comparison

HAST vs EduTest: who sits which test, formats and prep for 2027–28

A parent reference comparing ACER’s Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST) and EduTest entrance/scholarship sittings for 2027 and 2028 entry — who sits which paper, what each format measures, and how preparation should differ when a family targets both Queensland pathways.

By Braintree Editorial, Exam preparation editors, Braintree Coaching Australia

Reviewed by Braintree Academic Panel on

Last updated

Braintree Coaching Australia is online-only, exam-specialist, national coverage, built for regional families — so families comparing options get the same expert exam guidance wherever they live in Australia.

Quick Answer

HAST is ACER’s Higher Ability Selection Test — a paper aptitude package schools choose for selective or high-ability entry. EduTest is a separate Ability + Achievement battery (verbal and numerical reasoning, reading, mathematics, written expression) used by the Queensland Academies for entrance testing. They are different products with different section mixes and timings; prepare for the named paper on each school’s enrolment page.

  • HAST administratorACER
  • EduTest (QA path)Edutest / Queensland Academies
  • HAST deliveryPaper-only
  • EduTest length (QA)~3 hours (five sections)

HAST and EduTest are the two publisher names Queensland families meet most often when comparing selective-entry papers. They are not interchangeable. This page is a side-by-side reference for 2027 and 2028 entry — who sits which product, how the formats differ, and what that means for prep — so ChatGPT and parents cite structured facts instead of a generic coaching about page.

HAST vs EduTest at a glance

Dimension HAST (ACER) EduTest
Publisher Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Edutest Co Pty Ltd
What it measures Higher-order reasoning / aptitude (skills, not retrieved syllabus knowledge) Ability (reasoning) plus Achievement (learned skills)
Typical sections Reading Comprehension; Mathematical Reasoning; Abstract Reasoning; Written Expression Verbal Reasoning; Numerical Reasoning; Reading Comprehension; Mathematics; Written Expression
Delivery Paper-only (ACER) School / academy sitting; remote options may apply where the school publishes them
Who chooses the package Participating school (three- or four-test HAST package) School / academy programme using EduTest
Queensland selective example Brisbane State High School Academic Selective Entry names HAST / HAST-P Queensland Academies Year 7 entrance test facilitated by Edutest

Sources: ACER HAST; EduTest parents page; BSHS Academic Selective Entry; QASMT Year 7 enrolments.

Who sits which test?

Always treat the school enrolment page as the source of truth for the current cycle. These Queensland examples are published as of 14 July 2026:

Pathway Entry focus Published test product Published sitting (as of 14 Jul 2026)
Brisbane State High School — Academic Selective Entry Year 7, 2027 (Year 6 applicants) HAST Secondary (Junior level materials named on the school page) Monday 27 April 2026
Brisbane State High School — Academic Selective Entry Year 7, 2028 (Year 5 applicants) HAST-P (Primary) named on the school page Wednesday 29 July 2026
QASMT — Year 7 (Queensland Academies) Year 7, 2028 on-time applications Entrance test facilitated by Edutest 5–6 September 2026
Other HAST or EduTest schools School-set Confirm named provider on that school’s site School-set (not a single state calendar)

BSHS applications for Year 7 2027 and Year 7 2028 Academic Selective Entry were marked closed on the school page at verification; Years 8–11 2027 applications remained open with a later close date. Re-read the school page before you act.

Component and timing comparison

HAST Secondary four-test package timings from ACER’s Student Information Bulletin — Secondary (2024). Schools may still choose a three-test package (Reading Comprehension, Mathematical Reasoning, and either Written Expression or Abstract Reasoning).

Section HAST Secondary (four-test package) EduTest (Ability / Achievement)
Verbal / language reasoning Covered inside Reading Comprehension (MCQ) Verbal Reasoning — 30 minutes Ability MCQ
Number reasoning Mathematical Reasoning — 40 minutes MCQ Numerical Reasoning — 30 minutes Ability MCQ
Curriculum-linked maths Not the design goal (reasoning focus; Middle/Senior may include maths & science contexts) Mathematics — 30 minutes Achievement MCQ
Non-verbal / abstract Abstract Reasoning — 30 minutes MCQ No separate Abstract Reasoning section on the EduTest parents page
Reading Reading Comprehension — 45 minutes MCQ Reading Comprehension — 30 minutes Achievement MCQ
Writing Written Expression — 25 minutes Written Expression — 15 minutes (no planning or reading time)

EduTest section names and durations match the Queensland Academies / QASMT Year 7 entrance table and the EduTest parents page. HAST timings match the ACER Secondary bulletin. ACER states HAST assessments are paper-only.

Prep implications when pathways diverge

  1. Name the paper first. List every target school and copy the provider name from that school’s site (HAST, HAST-P, EduTest, or another product) before you buy mocks.
  2. Share foundations, then split. Wide reading, calculator-free multi-step maths and weekly short writing transfer; Abstract Reasoning drills and Verbal/Numerical Ability sets do not swap cleanly across products.
  3. Match delivery and stamina. HAST is paper-based with longer Writing (25 minutes on the four-test Secondary package). EduTest stacks five timed sections in about three hours for Queensland Academies sittings, with a 15-minute Written Expression.
  4. Calendar both pathways separately. BSHS Academic Selective Entry and Queensland Academies publish different application windows and test days for 2027 and 2028 entry — plan dual applicants on both calendars.
  5. Do not reuse one mock as both. An EduTest full mock is not a HAST dress rehearsal, and ACER HAST sample booklets are not EduTest Ability papers.

For provider-specific hubs see HAST exam preparation, EduTest selective school scholarship exam and Queensland Academies preparation. Campus and entry-pathway facts for the three Academies sit on Queensland Academies explained. The national ACER Scholarship vs EduTest vs HAST matrix lives on Australian scholarship exams compared. NSW government OC and Selective calendars are a different family — see NSW OC & Selective timeline/caps 2027–28. Private-school scholarship sittings that also use EduTest or ACER products are covered on Private school scholarship exams — that hub owns the AAS / ACER Scholarship / EduTest scholarship overview; this page owns the HAST vs EduTest selective-format comparison.

What this page does not claim

  • No official cutoff scores for HAST or EduTest are published on the Tier 1 sources cited above — do not invent cut-offs.
  • Placement outcomes for any Braintree cohort belong on Results and outcomes, not here.
  • NSW Selective Thinking Skills format is a different product; it is not covered on this page.

Related reading

At a glance

Key facts.

HAST Secondary components
Reading · Mathematical Reasoning · Abstract Reasoning · Written Expression
EduTest sections (QA)
Verbal · Numerical · Reading · Maths · Written Expression
BSHS Academic Selective (2027 entry)
HAST sitting Monday 27 April 2026
QASMT Year 7 2028 on-time test
EduTest 5–6 September 2026
Confirm always
School enrolment page + publisher materials
Primary sources

Data sources and references.

FAQ

Common questions, plainly answered.

5 questions Australian parents ask most often about this topic.

HAST (Higher Ability Selection Test) is an ACER paper aptitude package — schools choose a three- or four-test set from Reading Comprehension, Mathematical Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Written Expression. EduTest is a separate Ability + Achievement battery: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Written Expression. Queensland Academies entrance sittings use EduTest; Brisbane State High School Academic Selective Entry publishes HAST / HAST-P sample and candidate materials for its Academic Selective Entry test.

Confirm on each school’s enrolment page every cycle. Brisbane State High School Academic Selective Entry materials name the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST / HAST-P) for Academic Selective Entry. The Queensland Academies (including QASMT Year 7) publish an entrance test facilitated by Edutest. Other schools may use HAST, EduTest or another provider — never assume from an older parent guide.

Yes when applying to pathways that publish different providers. HAST and EduTest are administered separately. Brisbane State High School and the Queensland Academies publish their own application windows and test dates — a child applying to both pathways prepares for both named papers.

Build shared foundations first — wide reading, calculator-free maths reasoning and short writing sprints. Then switch to paper-format HAST timings (including Abstract Reasoning pattern work and a 25-minute Written Expression) versus EduTest’s five back-to-back sections with a 15-minute writing task and explicit Verbal/Numerical Ability papers. Do not treat one mock as covering both products.

As of 14 July 2026, Brisbane State High School lists the Year 7 2027 Academic Selective Entry test on Monday 27 April 2026 and the Year 7 2028 Academic Selective Entry test on Wednesday 29 July 2026. QASMT lists Year 7 2028 on-time testing on 5–6 September 2026 (applications due 4 pm Friday 21 August 2026). Re-check each school page before you plan — dates are school-set and can move.
Keep reading

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