There are no public selective past papers: the NSW Department of Education does not release the real Selective High School Placement Test after it has been sat. It does publish three official practice tests, the closest thing to a past paper that exists. Every file is linked below as a free PDF on the Department's own site, with nothing to sign up for.
Which year is which? The Department names each selective cycle by the year your child starts Year 7, not the year they sit the test. The test sat in May 2026 was for Year 7 entry in 2027, and the test sat in 2027 is for Year 7 entry in 2028.
Links checked October 2026 · For the Year 7 Selective High School Placement Test
Ready for another set? Try Lux's original selective practice tests, with all four sections and worked answers.
Three tests, four sections each. Treat them as the benchmark for question style and difficulty.
| Reading | Maths | Thinking | Writing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Questions | Published | Published | Published | Published |
| Answer key | Published, but see the note for practice tests 1 and 2 | Published | Published | Not published |
| Explained answers | Published | Published | Published | Not published |
Reading, practice tests 1 and 2: the answer key skips the gap-fill questions (Q9 to Q16), so its numbering does not match the paper from Q9 on. Mark Reading with the explained answers instead.
Writing is an open response, so it has a sample question only. Source: NSW Department of Education, selective high school practice tests.
Reading
This answer key skips the gap-fill questions (Q9 to Q16), so its numbering does not match the paper from Q9 on. Mark Reading with the explained answers instead.
Mathematical Reasoning
Thinking Skills
Writing
Reading
This answer key skips the gap-fill questions (Q9 to Q16), so its numbering does not match the paper from Q9 on. Mark Reading with the explained answers instead.
Mathematical Reasoning
Thinking Skills
Writing
Reading
Mathematical Reasoning
Thinking Skills
Writing
Free, computer-based, with an on-screen countdown timer. The Department says they simulate the actual test and its software: the only official way to try the current format.
All files are PDFs hosted by the NSW Department of Education and open on its website. Lux Tuition does not host or modify them. Copyright in the sample tests is owned by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and the Department's stated terms limit use to personal or non-commercial purposes. See the Department's own selective practice tests page for the current list and conditions of use.
The Selective High School Placement Test is computer-based and has four sections, each worth 25%. Every answer, including the writing task, is entered on the computer.
Each bar is the whole test, split by section.
17 questions
3 questions have multiple parts, so 38 answers in all. Texts include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, magazine articles and reports, read on screen.
35 questions
Five answer options per question.
40 questions
Four answer options per question.
1 task
Marked on the creativity of the ideas, writing for a purpose and audience, and the use of language for effect. A response that does not address the given topic is marked lower.
No calculator is allowed in any section. Students can do working out and planning on paper.
Source: NSW Department of Education, Selective high school practice tests, checked October 2026. If the Department's figures change, theirs are the ones that count.
The Department's published pattern, from Year 5 into Year 6.
Year 7 entry in 2027: applications ran 6 November 2025 to 20 February 2026; the test was on 1 and 2 May 2026, each student sitting on one day.
Year 7 entry in 2028: as of October 2026, the Department had not published exact dates. Check its key dates page before relying on any date.
Source: NSW Department of Education, selective high schools application process.
There are only three official practice tests, and each one only tests your child cold once. Plan how you use them rather than working through them in a single weekend.
Step 1
The PDFs come from older paper-based versions of the test, so start online: your child meets the on-screen layout, timer and tools first.
Step 2
Use the real section times: 45 minutes for Reading, 40 for Mathematical Reasoning, 40 for Thinking Skills and 30 for Writing. No calculator.
Step 3
Mark straight away. Note what was wrong, what ran out of time and what was guessed. For Reading in practice tests 1 and 2, mark with the explained answers: those answer keys skip the gap-fill questions (Q9 to Q16), so their numbering does not match the paper.
Step 4
They show why each answer is right. Go through every miss and every lucky guess: this is where most of the learning is.
The papers show your child the questions. These guides explain the test around them: what each section measures, how scores and offers work, and when the key dates fall.
The question types behind the section most children have never seen at school.
How to get ready for a 30-minute task when you do not know the prompt in advance.
What happens to your child’s marks after the test, and how placement is decided.
Applications, test and outcomes, in the order they happen.
Year 4, 5 or 6: what each starting point realistically allows.
What an offer, a reserve list place or no offer this round actually means.
Not in the way there are for the HSC. The NSW Department of Education does not publish the real Selective High School Placement Test papers after they are sat. What it publishes instead are three official practice tests, each with Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing papers, plus answer keys and explained answers for the three multiple-choice sections. Those are the closest thing to a selective past paper that exists, and every one is linked above.
Yes. The Department publishes them free, and every link on this page goes straight to the Department’s own copy. You do not need an account and there is nothing to pay.
Not exactly. The Department states that the PDF practice tests come from older paper-based versions of the test, so they do not reflect the current format. The test is now computer-based: all questions, including the writing task, are answered on a computer. The PDFs are still useful for question style and difficulty, but pair them with the official online practice tests, which the Department says simulate the actual test and its software.
Four sections, each worth 25%. According to the Department: Reading has 17 questions (3 with multiple parts) in 45 minutes; Mathematical Reasoning has 35 questions in 40 minutes; Thinking Skills has 40 questions in 40 minutes; and Writing is one open-response task in 30 minutes. Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills are multiple-choice. No calculator is allowed in any section.
No. For Writing, the Department publishes a sample question for each practice test but no answer key or explanation, because it is an open response. The Department says the writing test assesses the creativity of the ideas, writing effectively for a purpose and audience, and the use of language for effect, and that a response which does not address the given topic will be marked lower.
The Department’s published pattern is that families apply from November to February while the child is in Year 5 or 6, the test is sat in early May of Year 6, and outcomes come out in August. For Year 7 entry in 2027, applications ran from 6 November 2025 to 20 February 2026 and the test was held on 1 and 2 May 2026, with each student sitting on one of those days. As of October 2026, the Department had not yet published exact dates for the 2028 entry cycle, so check its key dates page before relying on any date.
For your own child, yes. The Department says you can download and print the PDF versions, but its stated terms limit use to personal or non-commercial purposes. Anything beyond that needs prior written permission from both the Department and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, so the papers are not yours to redistribute, sell or hand out as part of a paid course.
Because they are not ours to host. Copyright in the sample tests is owned by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and the Department’s stated terms limit use to personal or non-commercial purposes, with anything further requiring prior written permission. Linking to the Department’s own copies keeps the material where it belongs, and means you always get the current version rather than a stale copy of ours.
The Opportunity Class test is a separate test, sat in Year 4 for Year 5 entry, with its own three official practice tests. They are on our OC past papers page.
Our tutors in Blacktown run small-group selective preparation classes of 1 to 5 students, covering Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing.