Plan preparation for two entrance exams: a skills-overlap planner
A Braintree Coaching Australia worksheet for parents of a child who will sit two different entrance or scholarship tests. It includes a blank seven-row skills-overlap matrix, an eight-week calendar, a fictional completed plan and four planning traps. It does not compare packs or providers.
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About this resource
Quick Answer
Write each exam's sections side by side, mark the skills the two exams share, give the shared skills to ordinary weekday practice, and keep one format-specific session per exam each week. This planner from Braintree Coaching Australia gives you a blank matrix, an eight-week calendar and one completed (fictional) example. It is a worksheet for your two exams. It is not a guide to choosing a pack or a comparison of providers.
Who is this planner for?
A parent whose child in Years 4 to 8 will sit two different entrance or scholarship tests within about a year. Common pairings are NSW Selective with a private-school scholarship test, or HAST with the Queensland Academies test.
The risk with two tests is a pile of practice that is busy and unplanned. The planner puts both exams on one page so you can see what overlaps.
Which skills do two exams usually share, and which do they not?
Skills such as reading closely, working with numbers and writing under time tend to carry across exams. The format does not. Timing, delivery (computer or paper), the number of options and whether a section exists at all differ from provider to provider.
Our Queensland Academies practice resources page draws the same line for HAST and the Queensland Academies tests: daily skill work can serve both, and full-length mocks cannot.
Two things to keep in mind as you fill in the grid:
- A shared row is a skill, not a paper. Reading practice may help both exams. A mock sat for one exam is not rehearsal for the other.
- A blank cell beats a guess. If you have not read the provider's own description of a section, leave it blank. Do not fill it from memory or from a forum.
The skills-overlap matrix
Print this page, or copy the grid onto paper. Write your first exam's section names in the Exam A column and your second exam's in the Exam B column, taken from each provider's own page. Then mark each row S when both exams test the skill in the same way, P when both test it but the delivery, timing or question style differs, and N when only one exam has a section for it. If neither exam has one, write a dash.
| Skill | Exam A: section name | Exam A: delivery and format notes | Exam B: section name | Exam B: delivery and format notes | S, P or N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | |||||
| Vocabulary and verbal reasoning | |||||
| Mathematics | |||||
| Quantitative or numerical reasoning | |||||
| Abstract reasoning | |||||
| Thinking skills | |||||
| Writing |
Rows marked S or P: ______ of 7. Rows marked N (on only one exam): ______.
The count at the bottom shows how much practice can be shared. Every S or P row can be practised on an ordinary weekday for both exams, with a format session for each exam to cover the difference. Every N row needs its own time.
Two pairings, partly filled in
Two common pairings are filled in below, using each provider's own published section names. Only the cells that were read are filled. Everything else is blank for you. Cells were checked on 15 October 2026. Providers change their pages, so check again before you rely on them.
NSW Selective and HAST (Secondary). Sources: the NSW Department of Education Selective practice tests page and ACER's HAST page.
| Skill | NSW Selective: section name | NSW Selective: delivery | HAST Secondary: section name | HAST Secondary: delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | Reading Test | Computer-based | Reading Comprehension | Paper-only |
| Vocabulary and verbal reasoning | No such section | Not applicable | ||
| Mathematics | Mathematical Reasoning Test | Computer-based | Mathematical & Scientific Reasoning (the Junior level sits "Mathematical Reasoning") | Paper-only |
| Quantitative or numerical reasoning | ||||
| Abstract reasoning | No such section | Not applicable | Abstract Reasoning, only if your school's package includes it | Paper-only |
| Thinking skills | Thinking Skills Test | Computer-based | ||
| Writing | Writing Test | Computer-based | Written Expression, only if your school's package includes it | Paper-only |
Two things to read from this table. First, "Reading" appears on both exams but is delivered differently, so the same name is not the same format. Second, HAST packages are chosen by the school. ACER's bulletin says a three-test package has Written Expression or Abstract Reasoning, not both, so ask your school which tests your child will sit before you fill in those two rows.
NSW Opportunity Class and NSW Selective. Source: the NSW Department of Education pages for Opportunity Class practice tests and Selective practice tests.
| Skill | NSW OC: section name | NSW Selective: section name |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | Reading Test | Reading Test |
| Vocabulary and verbal reasoning | No such section | |
| Mathematics | Mathematical Reasoning Test | Mathematical Reasoning Test |
| Quantitative or numerical reasoning | ||
| Abstract reasoning | No such section | |
| Thinking skills | Thinking Skills Test | Thinking Skills Test |
| Writing | No writing section | Writing Test |
The OC test has no writing section, so a child sitting both has one row, writing, that belongs to Selective alone. Both tests are computer-based and multiple-choice apart from the Selective writing task, but the section lengths differ. Read the Department's pages for the numbers rather than relying on a summary here.
We have not filled in columns for the ACER Scholarship, EduTest or the Queensland Academies test. Those need to be read from the provider's own page in your own session. For a side-by-side reference, see Australian scholarship exams compared.
The shared calendar
Use the grid below for eight weeks. It has two kinds of session:
- Shared: a short skill session on an ordinary weekday that serves both exams (reading, mathematics, writing under time).
- Exam-specific: one session per exam each week for the format only: that exam's delivery, section order and question style.
Put the date of each sitting at the top, taken from the provider or school. This page does not state any test dates.
Exam A sits on: ______________ Exam B sits on: ______________
| Week | Shared session 1 | Shared session 2 | Exam A format session | Exam B format session | Full mock (one exam only) | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | None this week | |||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 7 | ||||||
| 8 |
Rules for the grid:
- Never put a full mock for Exam A and a full mock for Exam B in the same week.
- Leave the review column for the mock review planner. Sort the mistakes before sitting anything else.
- Keep the shared sessions short enough that your child can do them on a tired day.
What does a completed plan look like?
This example is fictional. "Mia" and her plan were written for this page. She is not a real student.
Mia is sitting NSW Selective and a HAST Secondary test. Her parent filled in the matrix and marked reading, mathematics and writing P: both exams test them, but Selective is computer-based and HAST is on paper. Thinking skills belonged to Selective alone, and abstract reasoning to HAST alone, but only because the school's package included it. Her parent confirmed that with the school first.
| Week | Shared sessions | Selective format session | HAST format session | Full mock | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading; mathematics | Computer-based practice, one section | Read the HAST sample questions in ACER's bulletin | None | Fill in the matrix |
| 2 | Reading; writing under time | Thinking skills set | Abstract reasoning set | None | |
| 3 | Mathematics; reading | Thinking skills set | Paper practice, written answers | Selective | Review the Selective mock |
| 4 | Reading; mathematics | Fix the two weakest skills from the review | Abstract reasoning set | None | |
| 5 | Writing under time; reading | Thinking skills set | Paper practice | HAST | Review the HAST mock |
| 6 | Mathematics; reading | Fix the two weakest skills | Fix the two weakest skills | None | |
| 7 | Reading; writing | Light recheck | Light recheck | Selective | Review |
| 8 | One light session | Rest | Rest | None | Check the sitting details |
What her parent decided not to do: buy a second set of papers before the matrix was done, sit two mocks in one week, or treat the Reading sections as the same exercise because they share a name.
What planning mistakes should we avoid?
Four traps:
- Two full mocks for different exams in one week. Each mock needs a review before the next paper. Two in a week leaves no time to learn from either.
- Assuming the same section name means the same format. A reading section on one exam can differ from another in delivery, question count and time. Check the provider's own description.
- Preparing for the later exam first. The earlier sitting is the deadline that cannot move. Work back from it, and give the later exam its format sessions once the earlier one is covered.
- Buying two full packs before filling in the matrix. You may find that several rows are shared and already covered. The matrix tells you what is missing before you spend anything.
For the errors our tutors see across mock reviews, read common practice errors in selective exam mocks.
Where do we check each exam's sections?
Always read the provider's own page. Section names and formats can change from one year to the next.
- NSW Selective and OC: the NSW Department of Education placement test pages.
- HAST: ACER's HAST page and its Student Information Bulletin for your level. Your school chooses the package.
- EduTest: EduTest's practice test page.
- Queensland Academies: the Queensland Academies enrolments page.
- ACER Scholarship: ACER's scholarships page.
For dates, use our exam calendar as a starting point and confirm each date with the provider. For pathway sequencing across several exams, see multi-exam year packs.
What should we do next?
- Fill in the matrix for your two exams and count the shared rows.
- Put each sitting date, confirmed with the provider, at the top of the calendar.
- If your child has not sat a practice test yet, the free mock tests are a starting point. They need a free classroom account.
- If the matrix shows a gap your own material does not cover, the courses list shows what each course includes. You do not need to buy anything to use this planner.
Sources and review
About the method: this planner is Braintree Coaching Australia's own planning routine for families preparing for more than one exam. The S, P and N marks are a teaching tool. They are not an official classification from any exam authority, and nothing here predicts a test result or placement.
About the provider cells: section names and delivery modes in the two filled pairings were read from the provider pages linked above on 15 October 2026. Every other cell is left for you.
About the example: "Mia" and her plan are fictional and written for this page.
Author: James Rush, content writer, Braintree Coaching Australia.
Review status: a named teacher review has not yet been recorded for this planner. If something is unclear, please tell us.
Last updated: 2026-10-15.
Questions parents ask about this resource
Sources and review
- Answer check not yet recorded.
- Named teacher review not yet recorded.
Continue your preparation
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