Private School Scholarship Exams in Australia — AAS, ACER & EduTest (2027–28)

Private-school scholarship exams in Australia are school-chosen assessments used to award academic (and sometimes all-rounder) fee remissions at independent and Catholic schools. The three provider names families meet most often on admissions packs are Academic Assessment Services (AAS), ACER Scholarship Tests, and EduTest. This page explains how those formats differ for 2027–28 entry, how registration usually works, and how to prepare without mixing papers.

When are private school scholarship exams for 2027–28?

Private-school scholarship sitting dates for 2027–28 are set by each participating school, not by a single national calendar.

Provider	Who sets the date	Typical sitting window	Status
AAS	Each participating school	Often Term 1–2	Unconfirmed per school
ACER Scholarship	School registers with ACER	Cooperative 2028-entry sitting Sat 27 Feb 2027 (Qld, NSW, NT, WA, VIC) is published on ACER parents information; individual school dates still vary	Confirm on the school page — see also ACER hub dates
EduTest	Each school / programme	School-set	Unconfirmed per school — see EduTest scholarship parent guide

When a school lists ACER Scholarship and another lists EduTest, use ACER vs EduTest — choosing your prep track before you buy a single mock bundle.

Which scholarship exam providers do private schools use?

Most Australian independent and Catholic schools use one of three scholarship providers: AAS, ACER Scholarship Tests, or EduTest.

Provider	What it is	Typical domains	Where to start
AAS	Academic Assessment Services scholarship tests for Years 3–11 entry	Writing, reading comprehension, mathematics, reasoning (verbal, mathematical, figural, spatial)	School scholarship page + AAS practice materials the school recommends
ACER Scholarship	ACER Primary Level P and Secondary Levels 1–3	Level P: reading & viewing, maths, writing · Levels 1–3: writing, humanities, maths	ACER Scholarship hub
EduTest	EduTest scholarship / entrance sittings	Ability: verbal & numerical reasoning · Achievement: reading, maths, written expression	EduTest hub · EduTest parents page

Some schools also use HAST for scholarship or selective entry, or run an internal paper. Always treat the school’s published provider name as the source of truth for the current cycle.

How do AAS scholarship tests work?

Academic Assessment Services designs and manages scholarship testing for participating schools. Published skill areas include writing, reading comprehension, mathematics and reasoning (verbal, mathematical, figural and spatial). AAS states each exam is commonly about 40–50 minutes with a short recess between papers; written expression is shorter (about 25–30 minutes). Delivery can be paper or online, on site or (for some online sittings) at home under AAS’s supervised arrangements.

Parents do not buy a generic “AAS national sitting” — the school opens registration, sets dates and decides which components to include. AAS typically returns results to the school within about ten days of the last testing day; the school then decides scholarship awards.

How do ACER Scholarship Tests differ?

ACER’s scholarship product is separate from AAS. Primary Level P (Years 4–6 entry) covers Reading and Viewing, Mathematics and Writing on paper. Secondary Levels 1–3 (Years 7–12 entry) cover Written Expression, Humanities and Mathematics, online or on paper. Parents register through each participating school; ACER marks papers and reports to the school. Full structure and prep guidance sit on our ACER Scholarship Test preparation hub and practice resources page.

How does EduTest fit private scholarships?

EduTest’s parent information describes scholarship and entrance sittings as Ability tests (Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning, each 30 minutes multiple-choice) plus Achievement tests (Reading Comprehension and Mathematics, each 30 minutes multiple-choice, and Written Expression, 15 minutes). Schools book EduTest sittings for their own scholarship or entrance programmes — see the EduTest selective and scholarship exam hub. Families targeting both EduTest and ACER or AAS schools in the same year need separate timed-paper tracks.

How should families prepare when schools use different papers?

Families preparing for schools that use different scholarship papers should map each school’s named provider first, then run shared foundations before provider-specific timed mocks.

1. Map the list. For every target school, write down the named provider, entry year, sitting date and delivery mode from that school’s scholarship page (or the provider portal the school links to).
2. Shared foundations. Wide reading, calculator-free maths fluency, and regular timed writing transfer across providers.
3. Provider-specific drills. Match practice packs to the named paper — AAS reasoning and writing, ACER Level P or Levels 1–3, or EduTest Ability/Achievement sections.
4. Full mocks. Complete sittings under each school’s published timing. Review mistakes before the next paper.

Prep length depends on entry year and how many different providers are on your list. Plan around each school’s published sitting date rather than a fixed national calendar. Braintree Coaching Australia’s recommended maximum weekly prep caps include up to 6–7 hours for scholarship / EduTest focus — Academic Panel coaching guidance, not a published exam rule or outcome promise.

For visual pattern work that appears in AAS reasoning and in HAST Abstract Reasoning, use the abstract and non-verbal reasoning skills guide. For free timed familiarisation, start with free mock tests.

Do ACT, Tasmania and NT families take a different scholarship exam?

Independent schools in ACT, Tasmania and the Northern Territory still choose their own scholarship providers. There is no Braintree Coaching Australia “ACT Selective”, “Tasmania Selective” or “NT Selective Placement Test” page to follow — start on the school’s official scholarship page, then open the matching provider guide:

1. Name the school. Use the school’s own website (or the directory the school publishes), not a generic national portal.
2. Confirm the provider. On that school’s scholarship or admissions page, note whether the sitting is AAS, ACER Scholarship, EduTest, HAST, or another named product — and the entry year, fee and sitting date for this cycle.
3. Register through the school. Fees and dates are school-set (ACER parents information; EduTest and AAS likewise). ACER’s Cooperative calendar can list NT among participating jurisdictions when a school joins that sitting — that still does not replace checking your school’s page.
4. Practise the named paper. Use the matching Braintree Coaching Australia prep hub after the school confirms the provider:
   • ACER → ACER Scholarship Test preparation and practice resources
   • EduTest → EduTest selective and scholarship exam and EduTest practice
   • AAS → school-recommended AAS materials (see AAS scholarship tests)
   • Unsure which of ACER / EduTest / HAST → Australian scholarship exams compared

For NAPLAN and year-level learning (not scholarships), start at NAPLAN preparation. That hub’s territory section points ACT, Tasmania and NT families to the national year guides and names the official gifted / Centres for Excellence pathways that exist — without treating them as NSW or Victorian selective twins.

Braintree Coaching Australia does not publish dedicated ACT / Tasmania / NT selective or scholarship hubs without an official programme and confirmed demand. Until then, national NAPLAN guides and school-official scholarship pages are the right places to start.

Which schools are verified examples of AAS or ACER scholarships?

Provider choice is school-specific and can change. These Queensland examples were re-checked against the school’s own pages on 2026-09-09 — they illustrate how to read a school page; they are not defaults for ACT, Tasmania or NT schools. No Braintree-verified ACT, Tasmania or NT school scholarship example is published this cycle — use your school’s page.

• Brisbane Grammar School — Trustees’ Scholarships require the ACER Scholarship Examination (held at the school, typically in February). Candidates sit in Year 6 or Year 9 for Year 7 or Year 10 entry the following year.
• Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) — Academic Scholarships are awarded on scholarship testing, reports and interview. Churchie’s published FAQ states the school prefers AAS and also regularly awards scholarships to boys who have sat only the ACER exam. For illustrative private-school interview themes (not a fixed official list), see scholarship interview questions for private and independent schools.

Do not assume every Queensland grammar, Victorian independent, or territory independent school uses the same paper. Confirm the named provider on each school’s current scholarship page. Broader Queensland context: Queensland grammar school scholarships guide.

Government selective pathways remain separate: NSW Selective, OC, Victoria SEHS and Queensland Academies are not private scholarship papers, and they are not ACT / Tasmania / NT equivalents. Families with an unsuccessful NSW Selective Year 7 outcome often pursue scholarships in parallel — see our Plan B after NSW Selective: Year 8–11 entry, EduTest, HAST and scholarships for lateral entry, scholarship tests, and staying local.

Which scholarship resources should I open next?

Related Braintree Coaching Australia scholarship guides cover provider hubs, practice packs, and the national ACER–EduTest–HAST comparison.

• Australian scholarship exams compared — ACER vs EduTest vs HAST
• ACER vs EduTest — choosing your prep track
• EduTest scholarship exams parent guide
• ACER Scholarship practice resources
• EduTest practice by subject
• HAST vs EduTest — who sits which paper
• ACER Scholarship Test preparation
• EduTest selective and scholarship exam
• HAST exam preparation
• Queensland grammar school scholarships guide
• Scholarship interview questions — truthful private-school preparation
• Australian exam calendar
• NAPLAN preparation — national year-level learning for ACT, Tasmania and NT families

Last updated: 2026-09-09. Reviewed by the Braintree Academic Panel. Provider facts checked against ACER Scholarship Tests, AAS scholarship tests, and EduTest parent testing information. School examples re-checked against Brisbane Grammar and Churchie Academic Scholarships on 2026-09-09. The ACER Cooperative 2028-entry window, including the Northern Territory where a school takes part, was confirmed on the same date.