Selective Papers NSW
The Selective Preparation Hub.
Everything a parent needs for the NSW Selective Test, in one place — the test itself, the practice, the schools and the tutoring market. Plain English, no scare tactics, every fact checked against official sources.
- guides & directories
- 24
- selective schools listed
- 48
- tutoring providers verified
- 118
- paid placements or sponsored rankings
- $0
The NSW Selective Test: a parent's complete guide
What the test is, who sits it, the numbers behind it since 2020, and how to prepare — read this first; every other guide on this page branches from it.
Read the complete guide →Understand the test
The format, the calendar and what the scores mean.
- The format
The computer-based test, explained
A screen-by-screen look at the on-screen interface — the timer, the flag button, the question grid — since the 2025 move from paper.
Read the guide → - Timeline
Key dates for 2027 and 2028 entry
Applications, test day, and results — the confirmed dates, tracked as the Department publishes them.
Read the guide → - Outcomes
Results and cut-offs
How scaling turns a raw score into an offer, and what recent cut-offs have looked like, school by school.
Read the guide →
Practise for it
What official practice exists, what it misses, and every question type by name.
- Past papers
Past papers for the Selective Test
What's in the Department's three official sample papers, where they fall short, and what realistic extra practice looks like.
Read the guide → - Reading
Every Reading question type
The five parts the Reading section splits into, in the current 38-answer format, with a worked example for each.
Read the guide → - Thinking Skills
Every Thinking Skills question type
The question families the 40-question section clusters into, in plain language, with worked examples.
Read the guide → - Mathematical Reasoning
Every Mathematical Reasoning question type
The nine families the 35 questions cluster into, with a family-mix table and four fully worked examples.
Read the guide → - Writing
The writing section, explained
One typed task, 30 minutes, 25% of the score — what the official prompts actually ask for, plus ten original practice prompts.
Read the guide →
Schools & tutoring
Where the places are, and an honest map of the coaching market.
- Choosing a school
Every selective school in NSW
All 48 selective high schools with Year 7 places for each — and why the "rankings" you see elsewhere aren't official.
Read the guide → - Coaching colleges
Tutoring & coaching colleges: the directory
A neutral, verified comparison of the major colleges — published prices where they exist, delivery, locations and free trials.
Read the guide → - Tutoring near you
Selective coaching, suburb by suburb
118 verified providers across 300+ campuses — grouped by region, with deep-dive pages for the busiest suburbs from Hurstville to Chatswood to Parramatta.
Read the guide →
The Opportunity Class
The Year 5 test that comes first for many families.
- The OC Test
The OC Test: a parent's complete guide
What the OC Test covers, who sits it, the Year 5 entry numbers, and how it differs from the Year 7 Selective Test.
Read the guide → - OC vs Selective
OC vs Selective: what's actually different
Two different tests, two different years, two separate applications — a plain comparison of format, timing and odds.
Read the guide → - OC practice
Practice tests for the OC Test
What's in the Department's official OC samples, where they fall short, and what realistic extra practice looks like.
Read the guide →