What’s on the NSW Selective High School test?

The NSW Selective High School Placement Test is one computer-based test made up of four parts, sat in Year 6 for entry into Year 7. Here is exactly what each part contains, how long it runs and roughly how many questions to expect — so nothing on test day is a surprise.

The four parts at a glance

The test is done on a computer at a test centre, in one sitting of about two and a half hours (plus breaks and instructions). It has four parts, and each contributes about a quarter of the final placement score:

• Reading — around 45 minutes.
• Mathematical Reasoning — around 40 minutes.
• Thinking Skills — around 40 minutes.
• Writing — around 30 minutes, one piece.

Because all four count, a single weak area drags the whole score down — balance matters more than being brilliant at one part.

Reading

Students read several passages on screen and answer questions that test understanding, inference (working out what is implied), the writer’s purpose, and how ideas connect. Recent papers also include a vocabulary cloze — a passage with gaps where the child picks the best word or short phrase from a drop-down list, testing vocabulary, grammar and how words fit in context.

Mathematical Reasoning

This is problem solving, not speed arithmetic. Expect worded, multi-step problems covering number, patterns, measurement, space and simple logic. The challenge is choosing the right approach and working carefully under time pressure, not just knowing your times tables.

Thinking Skills

The part most families find unfamiliar. It tests reasoning with no school-subject knowledge required — critical thinking and logic in both verbal forms (spotting assumptions and flaws, drawing valid conclusions, solving logic puzzles) and non-verbal / abstract forms (pattern matrices, figure series, analogies and spatial shapes). Because it isn’t taught at school, it is often the section that improves most with practice.

Writing

One extended piece, typed, in about 30 minutes. It is marked for ideas, structure, vocabulary and control of language — not just neat handwriting (there is none) or length. Planning quickly and staying on the task are the skills that matter.

How it’s scored

Each part is standardised and combined into a single placement score, so results are comparable across the whole cohort. Places are offered on that combined score. Exact question counts, timings and small format details can change from year to year, so always confirm the current details on the official NSW Department of Education selective schools pages.

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