Selective & entrance exams in every state — how it actually works
Every state runs it differently. Same kid, different system. Here's the whole country on one page — including the states and territories that don't run a selective exam at all.
The one-glance table
| State | Program | Test & provider | Entry year | Tested in | Cost | SmartPrep today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Opportunity Class (Yr 5) + Selective High Schools (Yr 7) | Cambridge (NSW placement tests) | Yr 5 (OC) · Yr 7 (Selective) | Yr 4 (OC) · Yr 6 (Selective) | Free | Live — full OC & Selective curriculum |
| VIC | Selective Entry High Schools (Yr 9) + SEAL streams (Yr 7) | ACER® (SEHS) · mostly EduTest® (SEAL) | Yr 9 (SEHS) · Yr 7 (SEAL) | Yr 8 (SEHS) · Yr 6 (SEAL) | Free (SEHS) · ~$99–100/school (SEAL) | Live — custom VIC practice (beta) |
| QLD | Queensland Academies (Yr 7) + Brisbane State High (HAST) | EduTest® (Academies) · ACER® HAST (BSHS) | Yr 7 (QASMT) · Yr 8–11 rounds (BSHS) | Yr 5 apply (QASMT) · various (HAST) | From $250 (QASMT) | Live — custom QLD practice + NAPLAN counts here |
| WA | GATE Academic + Perth Modern (ASET) | ACER® (ASET) | Yr 7 | Yr 6 | Free | Live — custom WA practice + Abstract Reasoning trainer |
| SA | Ignite Program (Yr 7, formerly SHIP) | ACER® (HAST-based) | Yr 7 | Yr 6 | Assessment via ACER® portal | Live — custom SA practice + Abstract Reasoning trainer |
| ACT | No select-entry schools (by policy) | — | — | — | — | NAPLAN module (national) |
| TAS | No selective entry (only state with none) | — | — | — | — | NAPLAN module (national) |
| NT | No territory system (ad hoc HAST use) | ACER® HAST (some schools, ad hoc) | — | — | — | NAPLAN module (national) |
Details verified July 2026. Exam dates and criteria change annually — confirm with the official provider before relying on them. SmartPrepAI is independent and not affiliated with any department, ACER®, EduTest® or Cambridge Assessment.
Moving interstate? Three traps
Victoria's main gate is Year 9, not Year 7
If you move from NSW expecting a Year 6 selective test, you'll miss it. Victoria's Selective Entry exam is sat in Year 8 for Year 9 entry (SEAL streams are the earlier Year 6 option).
In Queensland, Year 5 NAPLAN matters
QASMT selection counts NAPLAN results alongside its EduTest® exam, so a strong Year 5 NAPLAN sitting is part of the application — not just a check-in.
The NSW placement test is held in NSW only
You can't sit the NSW OC/Selective test from another state. If you're relocating, plan around where your child will actually be for the test window.
State by state
New South Wales runs the country's largest select-entry system: the Opportunity Class test for Year 5 entry (sat in Year 4) and the Selective High School test for Year 7 entry (sat in Year 6). Both are Cambridge-developed placement tests covering Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing. There are fully selective schools plus a large number of partially selective schools with selective streams. Applications open in the year before entry and the test is held in NSW only — a key point for families moving interstate. SmartPrepAI's OC and Selective curriculum is live today and built directly to these test structures.
Three test families
Australia's selective exams come from three ecosystems. If your child preps for one ACER®-family test, roughly 80% of the skill base transfers to the others.
Cambridge
NSW (OC + Selective placement tests)
The NSW placement tests are Cambridge-developed. This is the ecosystem SmartPrepAI's live curriculum is built for.
ACER®
VIC Selective Entry · WA ASET · SA Ignite · QLD Brisbane State High (HAST)
The largest family. If your child preps for one ACER®-family test, roughly 80% of the skill base transfers to the others — though component sets differ (e.g. Abstract Reasoning in WA/SA).
EduTest®
QLD Academies (QASMT) · most VIC SEAL schools
A distinct provider with its own item styles. Verbal/numerical reasoning, reading, maths and written expression are the common ground with the NSW curriculum.
NSW Selective Schools — Merit-Band Matrix
48 selective high schools + Aurora College, grouped into indicative merit bands. Click a band, filter by type, or search a school — with an honest note on why the scores aren't official.
Read this first. The NSW Department of Education does not publish minimum entry scores — the last official figures were 2020 entry. The bands and any scores below are indicative estimates (third-party, ~2024 entry, expressed out of 300) and the well-established competitiveness order — a guide, not official. Cut-offs change every year with demand, cohort strength and offers declined. Use as a starting point, not a target. We show you this because your school won't.
49 of 49 schools
Tier 1 · Elite
James Ruse Agricultural High
Carlingford (day only)
Tier 2 · Very high
Baulkham Hills High
Hills / NW Sydney
Tier 2 · Very high
North Sydney Boys High
Crows Nest
Tier 2 · Very high
Sydney Girls High
Surry Hills
Tier 2 · Very high
North Sydney Girls High
Crows Nest
Tier 2 · Very high
Sydney Boys High
Surry Hills
Tier 3 · High
Normanhurst Boys High
Upper North Shore
Tier 3 · High
Hornsby Girls High
Upper North Shore
Tier 3 · High
Penrith High
Outer Western Sydney
Tier 3 · High
Caringbah High
Sutherland Shire
Tier 3 · High
Fort Street High
Petersham / Inner West
Tier 3 · High
Girraween High
Western Sydney
Tier 3 · High
Hurlstone Agricultural High
Glenfield (boarding+day)
Tier 3 · High
Northern Beaches SC – Manly
Northern Beaches
Tier 3 · High
St George Girls High
Kogarah
Tier 3 · High
Sydney Technical High
Bexley
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Tempe High
Inner West
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Blacktown Boys High
Blacktown
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Blacktown Girls High
Blacktown
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Chatswood High
Lower North Shore
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Gosford High
Central Coast
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Merewether High
Newcastle
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Moorebank High
Liverpool
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Parramatta High
Parramatta
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Prairiewood High
Fairfield
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Rose Bay Secondary College
Eastern Suburbs
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Ryde Secondary College
Ryde
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Smiths Hill High
Wollongong
Tier 4 · Upper-mid
Sydney SC – Blackwattle Bay
Glebe
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Bonnyrigg High
Fairfield
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Alexandria Park Community School
Inner Sydney
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Armidale Secondary College
Armidale
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Auburn Girls High
Auburn
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Aurora College
Statewide (online)
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Elizabeth Macarthur High
Camden
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Farrer Memorial Agricultural High
Tamworth (boarding+day)
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Gorokan High
Central Coast
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Grafton High
Grafton
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Granville Boys High
Granville
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Karabar High
Queanbeyan
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Kooringal High
Wagga Wagga
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Leppington High
SW Sydney (provisional)
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Macquarie Fields High
Macquarie Fields
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Peel High
Tamworth
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Richmond Agricultural College
Richmond
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Sefton High
Sefton
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Sydney SC – Balmain
Balmain
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Sydney SC – Leichhardt
Leichhardt
Tier 5 · Mid / access
Yanco Agricultural High
Riverina (boarding)
Opportunity Classes (OC) — Years 5–6
NSW runs 89 Opportunity Classes (57 metro + 32 regional), ~1,840 Year 5 places. Entry is tested on Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills — no writing task (that's the key difference from the Year 7 selective test). Like the selective schools, DoE stopped publishing OC entry scores (from 2022) — results are reported only in performance bands, so any OC “cut-off” is an estimate. Official OC info →
Bands are indicative, 2026 view — next year's scores will vary. Sources: NSW Department of Education (school list & test structure; DoE states there are no set minimum scores), and third-party estimates (~2024 entry) for the small number of schools where an estimate exists. All other schools show an indicative band only, not a score. Figures are a guide, not official targets.
Selective & gifted entry — VIC · WA · SA · QLD
The named academically-selective public programs, how you get in, and when. Filter by state or search a school. No scores — no state outside NSW publishes them; this is a directory of who's who and how it works.
Honest note. No Australian state education department publishes minimum entry scores for selective/gifted entry. Selection is merit-ranked and shifts every year with applicant numbers. We name the schools, explain the tests, and tell you how it works — the part your school won't.
25 programs
VIC
Melbourne High School
South Yarra · boys
VIC
Mac.Robertson Girls' High School
Melbourne · girls
VIC
Nossal High School
Berwick · co-ed
VIC
Suzanne Cory High School
Werribee · co-ed
VIC
Balwyn High School
Balwyn · SEAL
VIC
Box Hill High School
Box Hill · SEAL
VIC
University High School
Parkville · SEAL
VIC
Williamstown High School
Williamstown · SEAL
VIC
+ ~36 more SEAL schools
statewide · confirm official list
WA
Perth Modern SchoolFULLY SELECTIVE
Subiaco · fully selective
WA
Willetton Senior High School
Willetton · GATE academic
WA
Shenton College
Shenton Park · GATE academic
WA
Carine Senior High School
Carine · GATE academic
WA
Duncraig Senior High School
Duncraig · GATE academic
WA
Melville Senior High School
Melville · GATE academic
WA
Bob Hawke College
Subiaco · GATE academic
WA
Harrisdale Senior High School
Harrisdale · GATE academic
WA
Kelmscott Senior High School
Kelmscott · GATE academic
WA
+ more GATE schools
~24 select schools all streams · confirm official list
SA
Glenunga International High School
Glenunga · Ignite
SA
The Heights School
Modbury Heights · Ignite
SA
Aberfoyle Park High School
Aberfoyle Park · Ignite
QLD
Queensland Academy — Science, Maths & Technology (QASMT)
Toowong · STEM · IB
QLD
Queensland Academy — Creative Industries (QACI)
Kelvin Grove · arts · IB
QLD
Queensland Academy — Health Sciences (QAHS)
Southport · health · IB
TAS · ACT · NT — no statewide selective entry
Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory run comprehensive (non-selective) public high schools — there is no statewide academically-selective entry test. Gifted students are supported through school-based extension and enrichment. There's no selective test to prep for there; the edge comes from a genuinely strong foundation, real extension, and getting the senior subject choices right.
Indicative directory, 2026 — programs and entry years shift; confirm with the school before applying. Full VIC SEAL (~40) and WA GATE (~24 all-stream) rosters change yearly; a representative set is shown. Sources: VIC — Select-Entry & SEAL · WA — selective schools (Perth Modern & GATE) · SA — Ignite · QLD — Queensland Academies.
Not sure which test your child sits?
Two taps — choose your state and year level and we'll show you the exam, the timeline, and how to get underway today.