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VIC · Selective entry high school preparation

Victoria Selective Entry High Schools (SEHS) preparation

Victorian Selective Entry High Schools (SEHS) preparation for Melbourne High, Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, Suzanne Cory and Nossal. ACER-administered entrance assessment across three timed blocks, with application dates, school preferences and a staged preparation plan for Victorian families.

By Braintree Editorial, Exam preparation editors, Braintree Coaching Australia

Reviewed by Braintree Academic Panel on

Last updated

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4 SEHS schools · ACER administered · ~1,000 places annually

Mock test packs

Victoria SEHS (ACER) practice packs — timed papers, marked on the LMS.

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About the exam

The Victoria SEHS (ACER) test, in plain language.

Victoria's Selective Entry High Schools (SEHS) are four government high schools offering accelerated academic programs for high-achieving students in Years 9–12. Entry is decided by a single competitive examination administered by ACER, with places allocated across Melbourne High School, Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, Suzanne Cory High School and Nossal High School.

The SEHS exam assesses higher-order thinking rather than curriculum recall. Since ACER took over administration in 2023, the format has remained stable: three timed blocks (Mathematics + Quantitative Reasoning 60 minutes, Reading + Verbal Reasoning 55 minutes, Writing 40 minutes for two tasks) totalling approximately 2.5 hours of testing time in paper answer booklets, with short breaks between papers. Selection is competitive ranking — there is no published pass mark, and no more than 4% of a Year 8 source school's cohort (10% for P–9 schools) may receive standard or principal-discretion offers. Students rank all four schools in preference order during application, and the allocation algorithm places them at the highest-ranked school where their composite ranking is competitive.

Test dates

SEHS applications typically open in early March and close in late April each year; the 2027 Year 9 entry cycle opened Monday 2 March 2026 and closed Friday 24 April 2026 (now closed). The exam is held in June — the 2027 entry exam was sat Saturday 20 June 2026 — with Round 1 offers made roughly six weeks later; the 2027 entry Round 1 offers went out Monday 3 August 2026 at 10:00am. 2028 Year 9 entry key dates are not yet published. The Victorian Department of Education and ACER announce exact dates each cycle — confirm on the official portal for the year your child applies.

Scoring & cutoffs

SEHS operates on competitive ranking rather than fixed cutoff scores. Melbourne High and Mac.Robertson generally require the highest rankings; Suzanne Cory and Nossal may accept students from slightly lower percentiles. Places are allocated as 85% merit-based, 10% equity category and 5% principal discretion, and no more than 4% of a Year 8 source school's cohort (10% for P–9 schools) may receive standard or principal-discretion offers.

  • Mathematics + Quantitative Reasoning

    60 minMultiple-choice, paper booklet

    Problem-solving with Year 8 curriculum concepts, multi-step reasoning and logical deduction, plus numerical patterns, sequences, matrix reasoning and abstract quantitative logic — assessed together in one timed block.

  • Reading + Verbal Reasoning

    55 minMultiple-choice, paper booklet

    Comprehension of complex texts, inference and critical analysis across fiction and non-fiction passages, plus vocabulary, word analogies, verbal classification and sentence completion — assessed together in one timed block.

  • Writing

    40 min2 tasks

    Two extended writing tasks — for example creative, persuasive or descriptive — assessing structure, grammar, vocabulary and ideas under timed conditions.

Mock test packs

Victoria SEHS (ACER) mock packs, compared line by line.

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 7.

Ultimate Pack

$199$250Save 20%

45 Tests · 7 of 11 inclusions · 365 Days access

Practice papers

  • 5Reading comprehension papers
  • 5Mathematical Reasoning papers
  • 5Quantitative Reasoning papers
  • 5Writing tasks, marked with feedback
  • Not includedExam-style practice tests
  • Not includedReading Comprehension Practice Pack
  • Not includedPoetry comprehension tests

Mastery & support

  • IncludedVerbal Reasoning Mastery Course
  • IncludedVocabulary Mastery Pack
  • IncludedWorked solutions for every question
  • Not includedDaily Paragraph Editing & Grammar
Get the Ultimate Pack
Everything included

Super Pack

$299$399Save 25%

400+ Tests · 11 of 11 inclusions · 365 Days access

Practice papers

  • 400+Exam-style practice tests
  • 10Reading comprehension papers
  • 100Reading Comprehension Practice Pack
  • 10Mathematical Reasoning papers
  • 5Quantitative Reasoning papers
  • 20Writing tasks, marked with feedback
  • 50+Poetry comprehension tests

Mastery & support

  • IncludedVerbal Reasoning Mastery Course
  • IncludedVocabulary Mastery Pack
  • IncludedDaily Paragraph Editing & Grammar
  • IncludedWorked solutions for every question
Get the Super Pack

Read the full SEHS outline — sample questions, marking, and study plan.

Victoria SEHS (ACER) 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

Victoria SEHS (ACER), plainly answered.

Five questions our faculty fields most often about the Victoria SEHS (ACER) exam.

Victoria's Selective Entry High Schools (SEHS) are four government schools offering accelerated academic programs for high-achieving students in Years 9–12. The schools are Melbourne High School (boys only, South Yarra), Mac.Robertson Girls' High School (girls only, Melbourne CBD), Suzanne Cory High School (co-educational, Werribee) and Nossal High School (co-educational, Berwick). Entry is via a competitive ACER examination, with approximately 1,000 places available annually.

The SEHS exam is typically held in mid-to-late June — for 2027 Year 9 entry, ACER set the sitting for Saturday 20 June 2026. Applications usually open in early March and close in late April; for the 2027 entry cycle they opened Monday 2 March 2026 and closed Friday 24 April 2026. Round 1 offers follow roughly six weeks after the exam — 2027 entry offers went out Monday 3 August 2026. 2028 Year 9 entry dates have not yet been published; confirm on the official ACER Selective Entry portal for the year your child applies. Students sit the exam in Year 8 for Year 9 entry the following January.

The SEHS test covers five subject areas — Reading Reasoning (comprehension and inference), Mathematical Reasoning (problem-solving with Year 8 concepts), Verbal General Ability (vocabulary, analogies and verbal logic), Quantitative General Ability (numerical patterns and abstract reasoning), and Writing (two extended tasks) — delivered across three timed blocks: Mathematics + Quantitative Reasoning (60 minutes), Reading + Verbal Reasoning (55 minutes) and Writing (40 minutes). The test assesses higher-order thinking rather than rote memorisation.

Register through the ACER Selective Entry apply portal; general information about SEHS entry is published by the Victorian Department of Education. Applications typically open in early March and close in late April. You will need student details, parent or guardian information, contact details and equity category documentation if applicable. The standard application fee is $175 AUD at submission, with fee waivers listed on the ACER apply page. Your current school coordinates the application, so inform your Year 8 coordinator early.

Apply when your child is in Year 8 for Year 9 entry the following year. The exam is sat in June of Year 8, Round 1 offers follow around six weeks later, and successful students commence Year 9 at their allocated selective school the following January. Students must be in Year 8 at the time of the exam.

SEHS operates on competitive ranking rather than fixed scores. Melbourne High and Mac.Robertson generally require the highest rankings, while Suzanne Cory and Nossal may accept students from slightly lower percentiles. Balanced performance across all three timed blocks matters more than excelling in one area alone.

Around 1,000 Year 9 places are offered annually across the four SEHS campuses. Places are allocated as 85% merit-based, 10% equity category and 5% principal discretion, and no more than 4% of a Year 8 source school's cohort (10% for P–9 schools) may receive standard or principal-discretion offers. Melbourne High and Mac.Robertson are particularly competitive due to their established reputations.

Yes. During application you rank all four SEHS schools in preference order. The allocation process attempts to place your child at the highest-ranked school where their ranking is competitive. Single-sex schools automatically exclude opposite-gender applicants. You list Melbourne High, Mac.Robertson, Suzanne Cory and Nossal in whatever order suits your family's preferences.

Most families benefit from 12–18 months of structured preparation, starting in Term 1 or 2 of Year 7 for the Year 8 exam. This allows time for foundation building (reasoning and vocabulary), intensive practice with mock exams, and final refinement of weaker areas. A minimum of 6–9 months can work for students with strong baseline skills who commit to daily practice.

SEHS Round 1 offers are typically released in early August, roughly six weeks after the June exam — for the 2027 Year 9 entry cycle, offers went out Monday 3 August 2026 at 10:00am. Results indicate an offer of place (with allocated school), reserve list status, or unsuccessful outcome, with an acceptance deadline of approximately one week.

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