Free · Timed · 25 minutes · Years 6–8

Free Scholarship Practice Test — 30 Questions, 25 Minutes, Instant Results

A free, timed sample in the style of the ACER and Edutest scholarship papers: 30 multiple-choice questions across mathematics and reading and language, drawn from our Year 6, 7 and 8 banks at the stretch and challenge tiers, 25 minutes on the clock, marked instantly with a section breakdown. Part of RHZ Tutoring's 3,261 free practice questions. No sign-up.

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⏱ 25-minute countdown, auto-marked📊 Section breakdown: maths reasoning · reading & language📚 3,261 free practice questions

Free practice quizzes › Scholarship practice test · Selective Entry practice test

The practice test: 30 questions in 25 minutes

Two sections. Press Start the timer, answer every question you can, and press Mark my test before the clock runs out, or it will be marked automatically. Set 1 · New set of questions →

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Section 1: Maths reasoning (15 questions)

Question 1
Maths reasoning · Ratio & rates

A swimming pool is filled by a hose at a rate of 450 litres per hour. The pool holds 3 150 litres. The hose runs for 3 hours before a leak starts. The leak drains water at 90 litres per hour. How many MORE hours after the leak starts until the pool is full?

Question 2
Maths reasoning · Percentages & rates

A jacket is discounted by 30%, then the sale price is increased by 30%. Compared to the original price, the final price is:

Question 3
Maths reasoning · Area & volume

A garden bed is shaped like a trapezium with parallel sides of 9 m and 15 m and a perpendicular height of 8 m. A gardener claims the area is greater than 100 m². A second gardener claims it is less than 100 m². Which statement is correct, and what is the actual area?

Question 4
Maths reasoning · Algebraic thinking

A pattern of squares is built using tiles. The rule is T = 5n − 1, where n is the pattern number and T is the total number of tiles. Sofia says: 'Pattern number 10 is the first pattern that needs more than 48 tiles.' Is Sofia correct, and what is the value of T for that pattern?

Question 5
Maths reasoning · Algebraic thinking

A sequence follows the rule T = 6n − 2, where n is the position number and T is the term value. Liam says: 'The first term greater than 100 is term 18.' Is Liam correct, and what is the value of T for term 18?

Question 6
Maths reasoning · Algebraic expressions

Three consecutive even numbers can be written as n, n + 2, and n + 4. A student claims that the expression for their sum always simplifies to a multiple of 6. Which answer correctly shows whether the student is right, and why?

Question 7
Maths reasoning · Statistics & probability

A class of 20 students recorded their test scores. The mean score was 65. After the teacher found a marking error, 4 students each had their score increased by 5 marks. What is the new mean score for the class?

Question 8
Maths reasoning · Fractions, decimals & percentages

Sam converts 5/12 to a decimal and rounds it to 2 decimal places, getting 0.42. He then converts 0.42 back to a fraction in simplest form and gets 21/50. He claims 21/50 equals 5/12. Which statement best explains whether he is correct?

Question 9
Maths reasoning · Ratios & rates

Two quantities P and Q are in the ratio 4 : 9. Q is 63. What is P + Q?

Question 10
Maths reasoning · Area & volume

A rectangular prism has a volume of 360 cm³. Its length is 10 cm and its width is 6 cm. A second prism has the same volume but its length is 12 cm and its width is 5 cm. How do the heights of the two prisms compare?

Question 11
Maths reasoning · Geometry

A trapezium has parallel sides of length 5 cm and 11 cm. Its perpendicular height is 6 cm. A triangle is cut from the trapezium: the triangle has the same base as the shorter parallel side (5 cm) and the same height as the trapezium (6 cm). What is the area of the shape that remains after the triangle is removed?

Question 12
Maths reasoning · Area & volume

A rectangular swimming pool is 12 m long and 5 m wide. It is filled with water to a depth of 1.5 m. Water costs $2.40 per kilolitre (1 kL = 1 m³). How much does it cost to fill the pool?

Question 13
Maths reasoning · Fraction & decimal operations

Calculate: 3/4 ÷ 1/2.

Question 14
Maths reasoning · Fraction & decimal operations

Calculate: 2/3 × 3/4.

Question 15
Maths reasoning · Percentages & rates

A water tank is filled to 80% of its capacity. Water is then added until the tank is 95% full, using 180 litres. What is the full capacity of the tank in litres?

Section 2: Reading & language (15 questions)

Question 16
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Which sentence uses the word 'disinterested' correctly according to its precise meaning?

Question 17
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "Declan had told everyone he did not care whether he got the lead role in the play. When the cast list went up, he arrived at the noticeboard last, walking slowly, looking at his phone. He glanced at the list once, nodded, and walked away. At lunch he sat alone and ate nothing." The passage does not directly state how Declan feels about the cast list result. What does the sequence of his actions most strongly imply?

Question 18
Reading & language · Reading & comprehension

Text A is a scientist's report on ocean warming. Text B is a diary written by a sailor watching coral bleach in front of him. A student says: 'Text A is more reliable because it has facts.' Which response best evaluates the student's claim?

Question 19
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read these two short texts about the same school funding policy: Text 1 (newspaper editorial): 'The government's decision to redirect school funding to regional areas is a courageous act of fairness, finally addressing decades of neglect.' Text 2 (parent group newsletter): 'The government's sudden funding cuts have left metropolitan schools scrambling, with programs axed and class sizes ballooning.' A student says: 'Text 2 is more biased than Text 1 because it uses emotional words like scrambling and axed.' What is the most significant flaw in this student's analysis?

Question 20
Reading & language · Reading & comprehension

A student is comparing two texts about drought. Text A is a government water management report. Text B is a poem by a farmer watching a dry creek bed. The student says: 'Text B is useless for research because it is just feelings.' Which response best evaluates this claim?

Question 21
Reading & language · Persuasive & creative writing

A writer is describing a bushfire from the perspective of a child watching from a car window. She writes: 'The sky had swallowed the sun. Orange pushed against orange and nothing was where it should be.' What is the most precise explanation of how this description creates unease?

Question 22
Reading & language · Reading & comprehension

A writer describes a bushfire using short, sharp sentences throughout a paragraph, then finishes with one long sentence that lists every animal that escaped into the creek. What effect does this structural choice most likely create?

Question 23
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Two reviews are written about the same film. Review 1 says: 'The film bravely tackles difficult questions about identity.' Review 2 says: 'The film recklessly sensationalises issues of identity for box-office gain.' Both reviewers describe the same creative choice by the director. Which statement BEST explains how the two reviews differ in their use of language?

Question 24
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read this passage: 'Lena had always loved the old oak tree in the backyard — the way it stood solid and unchanging through every storm, every season, every year her family had lived in that house. Now, standing at the removal truck, she pressed her hand to its rough bark one last time.' What is the author most likely using the oak tree to represent, and how is this achieved?

Question 25
Reading & language · Speaking & listening

During a class presentation, Olivia says: 'Some people think solar panels are too expensive, and that's a fair point — but new data shows the cost has dropped by sixty per cent in ten years.' Which strategy is Olivia using, and why is it more effective than simply ignoring the opposing view?

Question 26
Reading & language · Phonics & spelling

Look at the four words below: • 'referred' • 'offered' • 'preferred' • 'suffered' A student claims: 'When you add "-ed" to a verb ending in "-fer", you always double the final r.' Which word is the BEST evidence that this claim is WRONG, and what rule does it actually follow?

Question 27
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "Thomas had always been the fastest swimmer on the team. At last year's carnival he had broken two records. But this season, a new student — quiet, barely noticeable in the corridors — had been edging closer at every training session. Thomas watched her from the corner of his eye and trained an extra hour each evening. He told everyone he was not worried." A student reading this passage claims: 'The text tells us directly that Thomas is worried about the new swimmer.' Is this claim accurate?

Question 28
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "The documentary about urban wildlife opened with slow footage of a fox picking its way through rubbish bins at midnight, set to melancholy piano music. The narrator said: 'These animals have adapted — but at what cost?' Later, when showing community volunteers cleaning a local park, the soundtrack switched to bright, upbeat strings." What is the most likely purpose of the contrasting soundtracks in the documentary?

Question 29
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read these two openings from different texts about the same bushfire event. Text 1: 'The bushfire destroyed 1 200 hectares of forest and 34 homes before it was contained on Thursday.' Text 2: 'Families watched in horror as walls of flame swallowed everything they had built over a lifetime.' Which statement best explains how the two texts position the reader differently?

Question 30
Reading & language · Persuasive & creative writing

A student writes: 'This is definitely the best film ever made.' What weakness could a critical reader point out?

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Reading & language0 / 15
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What this scholarship practice test contains

Thirty multiple-choice questions in two timed sections. Section 1, Maths reasoning, has fifteen questions drawn from our Year 6, Year 7 and Year 8 maths banks: number and algebra, ratio and rates, measurement, geometry, statistics and probability, with the stretch and challenge tiers preferred so most items sit above the year level a Year 6 student is used to. Section 2, Reading & language, has fifteen questions from the same three years of our English banks: comprehension of short literary and informative passages, inference, vocabulary in context, spelling, grammar and punctuation. Every set is seeded, so the link you are on shows the same questions each time and a new seed gives a fresh set. The clock is 25 minutes for the lot, which is deliberately tight: roughly fifty seconds a question, which is close to the pace of the real scholarship papers.

The answer key is not in the page. When you press Mark my test, or when the timer reaches zero, the browser asks our server for the key for this exact set, marks every question, shows the correct answer and an explanation with the year level of each item, and breaks the score down by section and by topic. Unanswered questions count as wrong, as they do in the real exam, so it is worth answering everything before the time runs out.

About the Victorian Selective Entry exam

Victoria has four selective-entry high schools: Melbourne High School (boys), Mac.Robertson Girls' High School (girls), Nossal High School in Berwick (co-educational) and Suzanne Cory High School in Werribee (co-educational). Entry is by a single competitive examination sat in Year 8 for Year 9 entry, usually in June, with a smaller number of places sometimes offered for later year levels. Students nominate their preferred schools on one application, and places are offered on the basis of exam results, with a proportion of places set aside under equity provisions. Suzanne Cory, in Werribee, draws heavily from Melbourne's west and is the school most families we work with are aiming for.

For students in Year 8 in 2027, school communications give the exam date as 20 June 2027, with applications typically opening early in the year and closing well before the exam. Dates, fees, eligibility rules and the exact test format are set by the Department of Education and can change from year to year, so confirm every detail on the VSEHS website before you plan around it. What has been consistent is the shape of the test: reading comprehension, mathematics, verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and two short writing tasks (one creative, one persuasive or analytical), all under strict time limits and pitched above the Year 8 curriculum. The reasoning sections are the ones school programs rarely teach, and the writing tasks are marked for ideas, structure and control of language in a very short time, which is why students who are strong in class can still struggle on the day.

The multiple-choice sections of the real exam reward three things: secure knowledge a year or so ahead of the classroom, the habit of reading a question exactly, and pace. This practice test checks the first and the third. It does not check writing, and it does not include the pattern-based verbal and numerical reasoning puzzles, both of which need their own practice.

ACER and Edutest scholarship tests

Independent and Catholic schools in Melbourne offer academic scholarships through external testing agencies rather than their own papers. The two you will meet most often are ACER and Edutest, and they feel quite different. ACER's Cooperative Scholarship Testing Program (CSTP) is run at set levels: Level 1 for Year 7 entry (sat in Year 6), Level 2 for Year 9 entry and Level 3 for Year 11 entry. The papers are long and demanding: two written expression tasks, a humanities paper of reading comprehension and interpretation that includes poems, cartoons, tables and extracts, and a mathematics paper that leans on reasoning rather than recall. ACER tests are usually held on a single day in February or March, and one sitting can be used for several participating schools.

Edutest papers are shorter and broken into five sections, typically of about thirty minutes each: verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, reading comprehension, mathematics and written expression. Most sections are multiple choice and the pace is brisk. Schools using Edutest often run the test on their own campus at their own date, so a family may sit two or three across a season. Because the sections are short, a student who loses a minute panicking on a hard question pays for it immediately, which is why timed practice matters so much for Edutest in particular.

This practice test is closer to the multiple-choice mathematics and reading sections of both formats than to the reasoning puzzles or the writing. If your child is preparing for a Year 7 scholarship, treat the Year 7 and Year 8 items here as the stretch they are; a Year 6 student who handles them comfortably is well placed.

A preparation timeline

  1. Twelve to nine months out (for Selective Entry 2027: Term 3 and 4 of Year 7). Diagnose first. Sit this test and the free Skills Check, and find out whether the gaps are knowledge (Year 8 maths not yet met), technique (never seen a reasoning question) or speed. Close the maths gaps with the Year 7 and Year 8 topic quizzes and start reading widely: non-fiction, opinion pieces and short fiction, not just novels.
  2. Nine to six months out (Term 1 of Year 8). Learn the question types. Work through each section of the exam separately with short timed sets, and begin a weekly timed writing task with feedback. Confirm the application window on the VSEHS website and lodge the application early.
  3. Six to three months out (Term 1 to 2). Full-length practice papers under exam conditions every fortnight, marked and reviewed by section. The review is where the marks come from: every error goes into a list and gets re-attempted a week later.
  4. The last eight weeks. Taper. One full paper a week, timed sets on the weakest section between them, and writing practice to a fixed plan. In the final week, sleep, a light set each day and nothing new.

For a Year 6 scholarship, compress the same sequence into the second half of Year 5 and the first term of Year 6, because ACER and most Edutest sittings fall between February and May of Year 6.

How to read your result

We do not report percentiles, because a thirty-question free sample cannot be normed against the real candidate pool and any percentile we invented would mislead you. What we can say is this. Selective-entry and scholarship tests are competitive, and the students who win places are typically answering above-level questions quickly and accurately. A score of 80% or more here, inside the time limit, suggests your child is ready for full-length timed practice papers and should move to those. A score between 50% and 80% usually means the content is mostly there and the work is in the hardest third of the questions and the clock; look at which section is weaker and drill it with timed sets. A score of 50% or less means the Year 6 and Year 7 foundations need attention before exam-style practice will pay off, which is common and fixable: start with the Year 6 and Year 7 topic quizzes, secure the weakest topics and come back to this test in a term.

Watch the time as well as the score. A high score with the clock expired is a pace problem; a low score with minutes to spare is a content problem. They need different fixes, and the results panel shows both.

What to do next

1. Free Skills Check

Fifteen minutes, every Year 7 topic at every tier including stretch and challenge, with a same-day topic-by-topic report and a tutor call to walk through it. It is the diagnostic we use to start every selective and scholarship program.

Start the free Skills Check →

2. Selective Entry 2027 program

Two sessions a week, maths and English with reasoning drills, a full timed practice test every fortnight, at our Truganina centre or online. First session free.

Selective Entry 2027 → Selective entry and scholarship tutoring →

3. Printable practice packs

Full-length selective and scholarship practice papers with worked answers, so a student can practise on paper under the clock the way the real test is sat.

Browse selective and scholarship packs →

Questions? Call 03 9509 3293 or book a free consultation. RHZ Tutoring, 17/47 Apex Drive, Truganina VIC 3029.

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2027 Victorian Selective Entry exam?

School communications give the date as 20 June 2027 for Year 8 students seeking Year 9 entry in 2028. Dates and application windows can move, so confirm on the Victorian Selective Entry High Schools (VSEHS) website before planning around it.

Which schools does the Selective Entry exam cover?

Melbourne High School (boys, South Yarra), Mac.Robertson Girls' High School (girls, Melbourne), Nossal High School (co-educational, Berwick) and Suzanne Cory High School (co-educational, Werribee). Students sit one exam and list the schools in order of preference.

Is this practice test the same as the real exam?

No. It is a 30-question, 25-minute multiple-choice sample drawn from our Year 6, 7 and 8 maths and English banks at the stretch and challenge tiers. The real ACER and Edutest scholarship tests include writing tasks and, for Edutest, separate verbal and numerical reasoning sections. Use this page to check readiness and pace, not to predict a result.

What score should my child be getting?

There is no official pass mark and we do not publish percentiles for a free sample. As a rule of thumb, 80% or more here suggests a student is ready for full-length timed practice; 50% or less suggests starting with the Year 6 and Year 7 topic quizzes to secure the foundations first.

Does the timer matter?

Yes. Both selective-entry and scholarship tests are speed tests as much as knowledge tests, and most students lose more marks to the clock than to the content. If the score is good but the time ran out, practise timed sets; if there was time to spare but the score was low, work on the content.

What is the difference between ACER and Edutest scholarship tests?

Both are used by independent schools for Year 7 entry (sat in Year 6) and some for Year 9 or Year 11 entry. ACER's Cooperative Scholarship Testing Program has longer papers in written expression, humanities (reading and interpretation) and mathematics. Edutest papers are shorter and include five sections: verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, reading comprehension, mathematics and written expression. Check which test each school uses.

Is this free, and is anything collected?

It is free and there is no sign-up. Marking happens on our server and only an anonymous score event is recorded. The free Skills Check, which produces a full report, asks for a parent email so we can send it.

Build the foundations first

If the result points to a content gap, these free topic quizzes cover the ground the test draws on:

All 3,261 free practice questions, Prep to Year 12 →