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 14234 · New set of questions →

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Section 1: Maths reasoning (15 questions)

Question 1
Maths reasoning · Indices

Which expression is equal to 4⁻³ ÷ 2⁻⁴?

Question 2
Maths reasoning · Probability

A spinner is spun twice. The probability of landing on yellow on any single spin is 0.4. After spinning twice, a student records the result. Which of the following is the correct probability of landing on yellow at least once in the two spins?

Question 3
Maths reasoning · Ratio & rates

A school buys red and blue pens in the ratio 4 : 3. After the teacher gives away 12 red pens, the ratio of red pens to blue pens becomes 1 : 1. How many blue pens did the school buy?

Question 4
Maths reasoning · Integers

The temperature in a city changes by the same amount each hour. At 6 am the temperature is −10°C. At 10 am it is 6°C. What is the temperature at noon?

Question 5
Maths reasoning · Statistics & probability

A data set of 6 values has a mean of 12. When one value is removed, the mean of the remaining 5 values becomes 11. What was the value that was removed?

Question 6
Maths reasoning · Area & volume

Two cylinders, P and Q, have the same volume. Cylinder P has radius 6 cm and height 4 cm. Cylinder Q has radius 3 cm. Using π ≈ 3.14, what is the height of cylinder Q?

Question 7
Maths reasoning · Integers & operations

A diver is at a depth of −18 m. She swims up at a constant rate and after 3 minutes she is at −6 m. If she continues at exactly the same rate, how many seconds after she started will she first reach a depth of 0 m (the surface)?

Question 8
Maths reasoning · Percentages

A school raised money for a charity. In Week 1 they raised $240. In Week 2 they raised 15% more than Week 1. In Week 3 they raised 10% less than Week 2. How much did they raise in Week 3?

Question 9
Maths reasoning · Indices

What is the value of (2³ × 5²) ÷ 10²?

Question 10
Maths reasoning · Fraction & decimal operations

Anika ran 2.45 km on Monday and 1.8 km on Tuesday. On Wednesday she wants to run enough so her three-day total is exactly 6 km. How far must she run on Wednesday?

Question 11
Maths reasoning · Ratios & rates

Aiden and Bella share prize money in the ratio 3 : 5. Aiden receives $120. If $40 more is added to the total prize and split in the same ratio, how much does Bella receive in total across both splits?

Question 12
Maths reasoning · Integers & operations

Which of the following is true for ALL integer values of n? (i) n² ≥ 0 (ii) −n < n (iii) n + (−n) = 0 (iv) n² > n

Question 13
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 14
Maths reasoning · Area, volume & angles

An L-shaped solid is made by starting with a rectangular prism 10 cm long, 6 cm wide, and 5 cm tall, then removing a rectangular prism 4 cm long, 3 cm wide, and 5 cm tall from one corner. What is the volume of the remaining solid?

Question 15
Maths reasoning · Algebraic expressions

Which of the following expressions has the same value as 4(3x − 2) − 2(x − 5) for every value of x?

Section 2: Reading & language (15 questions)

Question 16
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage. "Every morning, Lena walked past the empty block on Marsh Street. The council sign said 'Future Community Garden.' Weeds pressed through the chain-link fence. By June, the sign had faded. By August, someone had spray-painted 'STILL WAITING' across it. Lena took a photo and posted it without a caption." What does Lena's decision to post the photo without a caption most likely suggest?

Question 17
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "The principal's message to the school newsletter said: 'We are proud of our students for their enthusiastic participation in the clean-up day. With over 200 students involved, it was our biggest event yet. A small number of students chose not to participate, but we hope they will join us next time.'" What is the effect of the phrase 'a small number of students chose not to participate' on the overall tone of the message?

Question 18
Reading & language · Phonics & spelling

A student reads these four words: 'sign', 'signal', 'signature', 'insignificant'. She notices they all share the same root. She then claims: 'Because "sign" has a silent g, the g must also be silent in all four words.' Which option correctly evaluates her claim using evidence from the word set?

Question 19
Reading & language · Persuasive & creative writing

A student writes a short story about a girl named Priya who has just been told she did not get the part in the school play. The student writes this final scene: 'Priya stood outside the noticeboard for a long time. When she finally walked away, she chose the long way home — past the oval, through the park, along the river.' Her teacher calls this ending 'quietly devastating'. A classmate suggests the student add: 'She was heartbroken.' Why would adding 'She was heartbroken' MOST likely weaken the ending?

Question 20
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 21
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Two news headlines report the same event. Headline 1: 'Protesters storm city hall.' Headline 2: 'Activists peacefully occupy civic building.' Which analysis best explains how word choice reveals bias?

Question 22
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage. "The journalist's report began: 'Hundreds of concerned locals flooded the council chambers last Tuesday.' A second journalist covering the same meeting wrote: 'Approximately two hundred residents attended the council session on Tuesday.'" Which statement best explains how the two reports differ in their portrayal of the event?

Question 23
Reading & language · Reading & comprehension

A narrator describes a school assembly: 'The principal spoke for twenty minutes about community and respect. Around me, bags were being quietly unzipped, notes were being slid out, and one boy near the back had fallen completely asleep.' Whose perspective shapes what is noticed in this scene, and why does it matter?

Question 24
Reading & language · Reading & comprehension

Read this paragraph from a feature article about an Australian mountain rescue: 'The searchers fanned out across the ridge as the temperature dropped another two degrees. By nightfall, twelve volunteers had covered fourteen kilometres of rocky ground, their torches blinking like hesitant stars. The mountain, as always, gave nothing away.' The writer ends the paragraph with 'The mountain, as always, gave nothing away.' What is the most likely reason for this sentence, and how does it work?

Question 25
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "Two journalists covered the same factory fire. The first wrote: 'Firefighters battled through the night to contain the blaze, saving dozens of jobs and preventing further damage.' The second wrote: 'A fire last night destroyed a portion of the Millvale factory, raising questions about whether safety standards were adequate.'" Which statement best explains how the two reports reveal different perspectives?

Question 26
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Two newspaper articles report the same house fire. Article 1 headline: 'Family loses everything in tragic blaze'. Article 2 headline: 'Negligent homeowners cause street evacuation'. Which technique most clearly reveals Article 2 writer's bias, and why?

Question 27
Reading & language · Persuasive & creative writing

Two newspaper editorials cover the same climate protest. Editorial 1 says protesters 'gathered peacefully to raise their concerns.' Editorial 2 says protesters 'swarmed the streets, bringing the city to a standstill.' Which statement best explains how Editorial 2's word choice reveals bias?

Question 28
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "The review of the school play read: 'The set design was inventive and the lighting created a genuinely eerie atmosphere in Act Two. The lead performances were energetic, if occasionally rushed. The script, however, relied too heavily on familiar jokes and offered few surprises. Audiences who enjoy community theatre will find much to appreciate, though those seeking originality may leave wanting more.'" Which sentence from the review best shows that the reviewer is giving a balanced evaluation rather than a purely positive or negative one?

Question 29
Reading & language · Reading & comprehension

A story narrator says: 'I told Jess it was a great idea.' Later the narrator thinks: 'I had said what she needed to hear.' What does the second sentence reveal about the narrator that the first sentence hides?

Question 30
Reading & language · Speaking & listening

During a school assembly rehearsal, Tom delivers his speech perfectly at home but freezes mid-sentence in front of 200 students. He then rushes through the second half much faster than planned. Which explanation best describes what has happened to Tom's communication, and what should he have practised to prevent it?

Your result

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Maths reasoning0 / 15
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 →