The NSW Selective High School Placement Test decides entry into the state’s academically selective high schools. It’s sat in Year 6, for Year 7 entry, and since 2025 it has been fully computer-based, delivered on the Janison platform with content designed by Cambridge.
The test at a glance
- Reading
- 17 questions · 45 minutes · multiple choice
- Mathematical Reasoning
- 35 questions · 40 minutes · five options each
- Thinking Skills
- 40 questions · 40 minutes · four options each
- Writing
- One task · 30 minutes · typed response
- Weighting
- All four sections weighted equally (25% each)
- Format
- Computer-based · not adaptive · no calculator
How placement actually works
This is where most of the confusion lives, so it’s worth being precise. The Department of Education does not publish raw scores, ranks or cut-off marks — that’s a deliberate policy. Instead, each section result is reported as a relative band: top 10%, next 15%, next 25%, or lowest 50%. A band tells you roughly where your child sat relative to other applicants, not a percentage correct.
Offers then depend on two things together: overall performance and the order of your school preferences (you can list up to three). You receive at most one initial offer — your highest qualifying preference.
How competitive is it?
Very. Roughly one in four applicants receives a selective place. That’s not a reason to panic — it’s a reason to prepare in a way that builds genuine skill rather than chasing a number.
How to prepare (without the burnout)
- Build foundations early. Daily reading, vocabulary and number sense through Year 5 matter more than drilling.
- Practise in the real format. On a screen, strictly timed — see our realistic practice tests.
- Review every mistake. The score is far less useful than understanding why an answer was wrong.
- Don’t neglect Writing. It’s now a full 25% — and the section most families underprepare for.
For the section that trips up even strong students, read our explainer on Thinking Skills. For a realistic, feedback-rich way to prepare across all four sections, Test Academy’s platform is the strongest we’ve reviewed.