Guides · Selective Test
Free Selective practice test — a full-length timed mock
You can sit a free, full-length, timed Selective mock test today without a card: we give one complete paper per subject — Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills — free for 24 hours, sat online at the real question count and time limit, auto-marked with a worked explanation for every question. It isn't the only free option, either. This page lays out every genuinely free source of practice — the Department's official tests and ours — and how to turn any of them into a proper mock run at home.
Start with a full paper, on the real screen
Most "free Selective test" results hand you a short quiz or a static PDF. Neither tells you what you actually want to know: can your child hold their nerve through a whole, timed paper on a computer? Our free sample paper is built for exactly that — a complete paper in the real on-screen format, with the countdown clock, the flag-for-review button and the question-by-question flow of the Janison player used on test day. One paper is free in each subject, for 24 hours, with no card and no account.
Sit the free Mathematical Reasoning paper or the free Thinking Skills paper — enter an email and your child is sitting it a minute later. Afterwards, the review screen shows the correct answer and an explanation for every question, which is the one thing the Department's own free tests don't do.
Every genuinely free source, compared
There's more free, legitimate practice out there than most families realise — starting with the Department's own material, which you should use first. Here's how each source stacks up.
| Source | What you get | Format | Marking | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our free sample paper | One full-length paper per subject (Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills), sat online in the real question count and time limit. | Current — built to mirror the Janison screen: countdown timer, flag button, question-by-question flow. | Auto-marked, with a worked explanation for every question on the review screen. | Free for 24 hours, no card, no account — just an email. |
| DoE online practice tests | Several short computer-based practice tests per subject (four for Mathematical Reasoning, three for Thinking Skills, counted 27 July 2026) on the real test engine. | Current — the official Janison player used on test day. The closest free thing to the real interface there is. | Marks each answer right or wrong immediately; lets you reopen questions, but shows no worked solutions. | Free, official, no account. Sit these first. |
| DoE sample tests (PDF) | Three complete sample tests, each covering all four subjects, with answer keys and worked explanations for the three multiple-choice subjects. | Older paper format — the Department states these "do not reflect the current test format." Good for question styles, not the screen. | Full answer key plus an "explanation of answers" PDF for Reading, Maths and Thinking Skills. | Free to download, no signup. |
| "Free" coaching-site downloads | Usually the same official DoE PDFs — occasionally an older edition — re-hosted behind a form. | Same paper format as the originals, sometimes a retired version. | Varies; often a bare answer list, sometimes none. | Free, but gated behind an email signup you don't need to give. |
The Department's material is at its practice tests page (PDF sample tests) and se-practice.au.insights.janison.com/pages/shs (online tests) — both free, official, and worth doing before anything else (accessed 27 July 2026). For the full breakdown of the official papers, see our Selective Test past papers guide.
Turning practice into a real mock test
A mock, a trial and a sample test are the same idea under different names: a practice run of the real thing under similar conditions. What makes any of them worth the time isn't the label — it's whether you run it like the real sitting. To get a genuine read:
- One subject, timed, uninterrupted. Set the real time limit, start the clock, and leave the room. The point is to see how your child copes alone, under time — not with a parent hovering.
- Same time of day as the sitting. The real test runs in the morning; a child sharp at 4pm isn't the same child at 9am. Rehearse the actual conditions.
- On screen, not on paper. The format is half the challenge. A mock on paper skips the timer, the flag button and the click-through flow your child has to manage on the day.
- Review the whole paper together, afterwards. The score is the least useful part. The mistakes — and the questions they rushed or skipped — are the lesson. One paper reviewed properly beats three papers rushed.
Keep going
To build these free papers into an actual plan, see how to prepare for the Selective Test. For the official free material in full, see Selective Test past papers. For the screen your child sits in front of, the computer-based Selective Test guide. And for the whole process end to end, the NSW Selective Test guide.
Frequently asked
Questions about free Selective practice tests.
Is there a free Selective practice test?
Yes — several. The Department of Education runs free official online practice tests on the real Janison engine, and publishes three PDF sample tests with answer keys. On top of that, we give one full-length paper per subject free for 24 hours, sat online in the real format and auto-marked with worked explanations. Between them, you can do a fair amount of genuine practice without paying anything.
What's the difference between a mock, a trial and a sample Selective test?
In practice, nothing meaningful — parents use "mock test," "trial test" and "sample test" interchangeably to mean a practice run of the real thing under similar conditions. What actually matters is whether it's the current computer-based format, whether it's full-length and timed, and whether it explains the answers. A short untimed quiz labelled "mock" is worth less than a full timed paper labelled "sample."
Can my child sit a full-length Selective mock test online for free?
Yes. Our free sample paper is a complete paper at the real question count and time limit — 35 questions in 40 minutes for Mathematical Reasoning, 40 in 40 for Thinking Skills — sat in a player built to mirror the test-day screen, with no card required. It's the closest free thing to a full mock under real conditions, and the review screen explains every question afterwards.
How do I run a Selective mock test at home?
Pick a quiet block at the same time of day as the real sitting, sit one full subject on screen with the timer running and no interruptions, and don't help — the point is to see how your child copes alone under the clock. Then review the whole paper together afterwards. One timed paper reviewed properly teaches more than three rushed ones.
Are the free practice tests the same as the real Selective Test?
No practice test is the real thing — the Department doesn't release live questions. But the free options mirror it closely on the parts that matter: the Department's online tests use the exact test-day engine, and our papers replicate the question counts, timing and on-screen tools. Familiarity with the format is the genuine benefit; we make no claim it improves a child's chances of a placement.