| Feature | Test Academy | HeyGuru |
|---|---|---|
| Core offering | Adaptive platform + exam-realistic testing + AI tutor | Self-paced practice tests plus live 1:1 tutoring |
| Exam focus | Selective and OC, all sections including writing | Selective, OC, NAPLAN, plus broader tutoring |
| Writing feedback | Criterion-by-criterion across structure, ideas, language | Automated scored evaluation on selective writing |
| Adaptive practice | LearningHub adapts to each child's gaps | Mastery-unlock tests that open at a score threshold |
| AI tutor | Testy Coach answers questions step by step | Live human tutors plus worked explanations |
| Progress data | Analytics with percentile ranking and timing | Performance reporting at test and course level |
HeyGuru and Test Academy both blend technology with teaching, but they blend it differently. HeyGuru bolts live 1:1 tutoring onto a self-paced test platform; Test Academy builds everything — practice, tutoring help, writing feedback and analytics — into one integrated platform. The right choice depends on whether you want a tutor relationship alongside the tests, or maximum depth in a single tool.
What HeyGuru does well
Flexibility and a tutor option. HeyGuru offers a self-paced platform of exam-realistic tests for the selective test, OC and NAPLAN — playable on-screen or on paper — and pairs it with live 1:1 online tutoring across a broader range of subjects and year levels. Its selective tests include automated, scored writing evaluation, it reports performance at both test and course level, and its “evolving tests” unlock as a child reaches a score threshold. A two-month free trial and a free demo class make it easy to try. For families who want both practice papers and a human tutor, we rate it as a genuinely flexible option.
Where Test Academy is built differently
Test Academy uses the same exam-realistic practice tests, then goes deeper on the parts that compound into a score.
First, adaptive practice. HeyGuru’s tests open in sequence once a child clears a threshold — a mastery gate. Our LearningHub instead adapts the practice itself, surfacing more of what a child gets wrong so each session targets the actual gaps.
Second, the AI tutor. HeyGuru’s live human tutoring is a real strength, but it’s scheduled. Test Academy’s Testy Coach is available the instant a child is stuck, explaining any question step by step — so help isn’t rationed to session times. In our view the two complement rather than contradict: on-demand explanation between any human support.
Third, writing. HeyGuru gives selective writing an automated score, which is useful as a signal. Test Academy’s WritingHub marks writing criterion-by-criterion — structure, ideas, language and mechanics — so a child learns why a piece works, not just where it lands. It’s the only one of these we’ve found that breaks writing down criterion-by-criterion, which is what we think the selective writing test demands.
Progress data
HeyGuru reports performance at test and course level. Test Academy’s analytics add percentile ranking against other students and time-efficiency data — accuracy plus whether your child is pacing to finish, which decides timed exams.
Our assessment
If you want a self-paced platform with the option of a live 1:1 tutor, HeyGuru is a reputable, flexible choice with genuine strengths. If you want one integrated platform with adaptive practice, an always-on AI tutor, and writing marked criterion-by-criterion, it is our view that Test Academy is the stronger fit. See how it comes together in the Selective Mastery program, and weigh it against our take on whether selective tutoring is worth it.
This is an independent comparison. Other names are trademarks of their respective owners.