Guides · Selective Test
Selective school application: how to apply for 2028 entry
Applying for a NSW selective high school is a single free online form, submitted through the Department’s application website during a window that opens in November and closes in February — for Year 7 entry in 2028, that window is expected to open in early November 2026 (the Department hasn’t published the exact 2028-entry dates yet, checked 27 July 2026). One application lets you choose up to three schools, ranked in order of preference. There is no fee, no card, and — unusually for this test — no rush: the window runs for roughly three and a half months, and the test itself is sat the following May.
Which cycle are you applying for?
The wording trips people up, so it is worth being exact. The test sat in 2027 is for Year 7 entry in 2028 — the placement test always runs in the year before entry. So a child applying now sits the test in Year 6 in 2027 and, if offered a place, starts Year 7 in 2028. That’s the cycle this page is built around, because its application window is the next one to open.
If instead you mean the cycle that has just been through — Year 7 entry in 2027 — its application window already closed (6 November 2025 to 20 February 2026) and the test was sat on 1–2 May 2026. For the full picture of test dates across both cycles, see our Selective Test dates guide; for the whole process end to end — eligibility, the test, results and appeals — start with the NSW Selective Test guide.
The application, in six steps
The whole thing is a form you complete online as the parent. None of it is difficult; the only real trap is the closing date, which is fixed.
Create your account as the parent or carer
Applications go through the Department’s Selective High Schools and Opportunity Classes (SHSOC) online application website. You register with your own details, not your child’s, and use an email address you actually check — every message, ticket and outcome after this arrives there and in your dashboard.
Enter your child’s details and current school
Their full name, date of birth and current school. Your child can attend a NSW public school, a non-government school, be home-schooled, or be applying from interstate or overseas — all are eligible, provided the family is living in NSW by the start of the entry year.
Choose and rank up to three schools
You list between one and three selective high schools, in genuine order of preference. Because an offer only ever comes from the highest-ranked school your child qualifies for, put the school you most want first — and only list schools you would actually accept. Fewer than three is fine.
Request any reasonable adjustments
If your child has a disability or medical condition, use the Reasonable Adjustments section to request support for test day — with supporting documents. The deadline is the application closing date, not test week, so handle it while you are in the form.
Add your child’s photo, review, and submit
You upload a recent photo of your child, used only to verify their identity at the test centre. Check every section, then submit before the closing date. You can save and return to a part-finished application, so there is no need to do it in one sitting.
Manage everything from your dashboard
After submitting, your application dashboard is home base: update details, change school choices before the June deadline, and — about two weeks before the test — download the Test Admission Ticket you’ll need on the day.
What to have ready before you start
None of this is onerous, and you can save the form and come back — but gathering these first makes it a ten-minute job rather than a stop-start one.
- An email address you check. The whole process — tickets, messages, the outcome — runs through it and your dashboard.
- Your own contact details. You register as the parent or carer; you are the account holder, not your child.
- Your child’s details and current school. Full name, date of birth, and where they go to school now.
- A recent photo of your child. Used only to verify their identity at the test centre on the day.
- Your ranked shortlist of schools. Between one and three selective high schools, in the order you’d genuinely want them.
- Supporting documents, if you’re requesting adjustments. Medical or disability evidence for the Reasonable Adjustments section.
The application timeline, confirmed vs expected
The 2027-entry dates are confirmed and done; the 2028-entry cycle you’re applying for hasn’t been published yet. Anything marked with an asterisk is our estimate from the last cycle’s rhythm, not a Department date.
| Stage | 2027 entry — confirmed | 2028 entry — expected | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applications open | 6 Nov 2025 | ~Early Nov 2026* | Create your account on the SHSOC application website and start the form. |
| Reasonable-adjustments deadline | 20 Feb 2026 (application closing date) | ~Late Feb 2027* | Request any test-day adjustments, with documents, by the closing date. |
| Applications close | 20 Feb 2026 | ~Late Feb 2027* | Submit before this date — closing dates are strictly observed, no late entries. |
| Test Admission Ticket issued | ~Apr 2026 (~2 weeks before test) | ~Apr 2027* | Download it from your dashboard and print it — digital copies aren’t accepted. |
| Placement test | Fri 1 – Sat 2 May 2026 | ~First week of May 2027* | Your child sits the test at the centre allocated from your home address. |
| Last day to change school choices | 5 Jun 2026 | ~Early Jun 2027* | Reorder or revise your ranked list in the dashboard before this closes. |
| Outcome released | Term 3 2026 (~19 Aug) | Term 3 2027* | The offer lands in your dashboard — respond by the stated deadline. |
Sources: NSW Department of Education — Application process, School choices, Reasonable adjustments and Placement test (all accessed 27 July 2026). The application page states no 2028-entry dates have been published yet. For how offers and minimum scores work once results are out, see our results and cut-offs guide.
What happens after you submit
Submitting the form is the end of the paperwork, not the start of a scramble. Your application dashboard becomes the single place everything happens: you can update details, change your ranked school choices up to the early-June deadline, and lodge an illness or misadventure request if something goes wrong around test day (usually due within about five business days of the test).
About two weeks before the test, the Test Admission Ticket appears in your dashboard — print it, because a digital copy won’t be accepted at the centre. You don’t choose the test centre: it’s allocated from your child’s primary school address, the available venues, and their capacity, and it can’t normally be changed. The ticket confirms the location, date and time.
A calm note on the deadline
The one thing worth guarding is the closing date, because it is genuinely fixed — the Department accepts no late applications. Everything else about applying is designed to be undramatic: it is free, you complete it yourself in one short online form, and you have a window of months rather than a race against a clock. You do not need to pay anyone to lodge it for you.
It is also worth holding the outcome lightly. About one applicant in four receives a place, which means most capable, well-prepared children miss out — the arithmetic guarantees it, and it says very little about any individual child. Submitting a clean application on time is the part you control; the rest is the test, and a place is one good option among many.
Once the application is in
With the form submitted, the useful work shifts to familiarity with the test itself. Our Selective Test preparation guide lays out a calm, month-by-month approach that fits around Term 1 rather than swallowing it, and the dates guide tracks exactly when each milestone falls. When you want your child to see the real format — the on-screen player, the countdown, the flag button — one practice paper in each subject is free for 24 hours, no card required.
Frequently asked
Questions about the selective school application.
Can you apply late for a selective school?
No. The Department is explicit about this: "Closing dates for applications are strictly observed. No late applications will be accepted." For the 2027-entry cycle the window ran 6 November 2025 to 20 February 2026, and the equivalent 2028-entry window is expected to open in early November 2026. Missing it means waiting for the next cycle — there is no standard late lane. The only exceptions are the defined illness/misadventure and exceptional-circumstances processes, which cover things that happen around test day, not a missed application deadline.
Can you change your school choices after applying?
Yes, up to a point. You list between one and three schools in order of preference, and you can log back into your application dashboard and reorder or revise them until the "last day to change school choices" — 5 June 2026 for the 2027-entry cycle, and an equivalent early-June date the next cycle. After that deadline, changes need documented exceptional circumstances. Because an offer only ever comes from the highest-ranked school your child qualifies for, the order genuinely matters.
Does applying for a selective school cost anything?
No. The application is free — the Department charges no fee to apply, to sit the placement test, or to receive the outcome. If a service offers to "lodge the application for you" for a fee, that is a paid convenience, not a requirement: the form is designed for parents to complete themselves, and everything after submission runs through your own application dashboard.
Does having a sibling at the school help?
Not for a standard selective place. Placement is based on academic merit alone, so one sibling being offered a place does not give another priority — each child has to meet the test-performance level in their own right (the Department notes this even for twins and triplets). The one narrow exception is boarding places at agricultural high schools, where selection committees can give some weight to a sibling already boarding at the school.
What if my child needs adjustments for a disability or medical condition?
You request them inside the application itself, in the Reasonable Adjustments section, with supporting documentation — the deadline is the application closing date, so this is not something to leave until test week. Adjustments range from specific seating, noise-reducing earphones and medical equipment through to computer-based supports like preset zoom, screen readers, colour themes, or a scribe. The Selective Education Team assesses each request so a child has fair access to sit the test.