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 30291 · New set of questions →

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Section 1: Maths reasoning (15 questions)

Question 1
Maths reasoning · Geometry

A right-angled triangle has legs of 6 cm and 8 cm. A rectangle has the same area as this triangle. If the rectangle's length is 12 cm, what is its width?

Question 2
Maths reasoning · Pythagoras

An isosceles triangle has two equal sides of 10 cm and a base of 12 cm. What is the perpendicular height of the triangle, correct to one decimal place?

Question 3
Maths reasoning · Probability

A game show host has 3 doors. Behind one door is a car; behind the other two are goats. A contestant picks Door 1. The host (who always knows where the car is) opens Door 3 to reveal a goat. The contestant is offered a switch to Door 2. If the contestant switches, what is the probability of winning the car?

Question 4
Maths reasoning · Probability

A bag contains only red and blue marbles. The probability of drawing a red marble is 2/5. Three marbles are drawn one at a time WITH replacement. What is the probability of getting exactly 2 blue marbles?

Question 5
Maths reasoning · Ratio & rates

Mia cycles at 12 km/h and Jaylen cycles at 15 km/h. They both start cycling at the same time from the same place. After 40 minutes, how far apart are they?

Question 6
Maths reasoning · Algebraic thinking

Aiden thinks of a number. He multiplies it by 5 and then subtracts 8. His friend doubles the same number and adds 7. They get the same result. Which equation correctly models this situation, and what is Aiden's number?

Question 7
Maths reasoning · Percentages

A store marks up the wholesale price of a skateboard by 40% to set the retail price. During a sale, the retail price is then reduced by 25%. The sale price is $63. What was the original wholesale price of the skateboard?

Question 8
Maths reasoning · Percentages & rates

A sports store buys a pair of running shoes for $120 and marks them up by 35%. During a sale, the marked-up price is then discounted by 20%. What is the final sale price?

Question 9
Maths reasoning · Integers & operations

Which of the following statements about integer multiplication is TRUE for ALL integer values of a and b?

Question 10
Maths reasoning · Equations

A plumber charges a $45 call-out fee plus $60 per hour. An electrician charges a $75 call-out fee plus $50 per hour. For how many hours of work do they charge exactly the same total amount?

Question 11
Maths reasoning · Area, volume & angles

A triangular prism has a triangular face with base 6 cm and height 4 cm. The prism is 10 cm long. What is the volume of the prism?

Question 12
Maths reasoning · Fractions, decimals & percentages

Lena saves 3/8 of her weekly pocket money. Her friend Joel saves 37.5% of his weekly pocket money. Joel receives $56 per week and Lena receives $48 per week. Who saves more money each week, and by how much?

Question 13
Maths reasoning · Area, volume & angles

A square has an area of 81 cm². A rectangle has the same area as the square. The rectangle is 3 cm wide. What is the perimeter of the rectangle?

Question 14
Maths reasoning · Indices

Simplify: (2⁴ × 8) ÷ 4³, giving your answer as a power of 2.

Question 15
Maths reasoning · Integers & operations

An integer k satisfies all three conditions: • k is negative • k² − k is less than 20 • k is not equal to −1 How many integer values of k are possible?

Section 2: Reading & language (15 questions)

Question 16
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage. "In the 1850s, thousands of people travelled to Victoria to search for gold. Many came from China, walking hundreds of kilometres from ports in South Australia to avoid a tax imposed at Victorian ports. The routes they walked became known as the Chinese immigration trails. Some communities along these routes grew rapidly; others were left behind as the gold rush moved on." Which inference is best supported by the passage?

Question 17
Reading & language · Persuasive & creative writing

A student is writing a persuasive speech and includes this passage: 'Imagine waking up to find your local park has become a car park. Imagine your children asking where the trees went. Imagine a city where every patch of green has been paved over.' A classmate says, 'You should cut two of those sentences — they're repetitive.' The student disagrees. Who is correct, and why?

Question 18
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read this passage: "Maya stood at the edge of the stage, the spotlight burning into her eyes. She had waited three years for this moment. Her hands were ice. Her heart was thunder." A student says the short final sentences show that Maya is clumsy. Why is this interpretation weak?

Question 19
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read: "We must act on climate change now. Every scientist agrees. The future of our children depends on it." A student argues this paragraph is persuasive because it uses facts. What is wrong with this judgement?

Question 20
Reading & language · Reading & comprehension

Read this passage from a short story: 'The morning of the spelling bee, Callum ate his breakfast standing up. He answered every question Mum asked with one word. At school, he laughed loudly at jokes that weren't that funny, and he signed up to help stack chairs after assembly — something he had never once volunteered for before.' A student says: 'Callum is excited about the spelling bee because he is being helpful and cheerful.' Which response best evaluates the student's claim?

Question 21
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

A novel's first-person narrator describes a market as 'vibrant and alive', but every specific detail she gives — wilting flowers, a vendor asleep at his stall, a puddle of rotting fruit — contradicts this. What is the author most likely achieving through this technique?

Question 22
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

A student writes this topic sentence for a text response: 'Friendship is important in the novel.' Which is the BEST reason this sentence is weak for a formal text response?

Question 23
Reading & language · Phonics & spelling

How many syllables in 'responsibility'?

Question 24
Reading & language · Phonics & spelling

A student knows that 'magic' becomes 'magician' and 'music' becomes 'musician'. She applies the same pattern to write 'electrician' for someone who works with electricity. Her friend says the base word for 'electrician' is NOT 'electric' — it is 'electricity', with the '-ity' removed before adding '-an'. Which statement correctly evaluates BOTH claims?

Question 25
Reading & language · Persuasive & creative writing

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

Question 26
Reading & language · Speaking & listening

At the end of a debate, the judge says both teams used good evidence but Team A was more persuasive because their speakers 'made the audience feel the issue mattered personally'. Team B's speakers presented the same facts but sounded detached. What speaking technique did Team A use more effectively?

Question 27
Reading & language · Phonics & spelling

Look at these four words: 'ceiling', 'deceive', 'species', 'caffeine'. A student claims: 'In every one of these words, the letters i and e appear together, and in every case they follow the rule: i before e except after c.' Is the student correct?

Question 28
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Read this passage from a school news article: 'The canteen upgrade was completed on time. The new equipment is said to be state of the art. A spokesperson noted that students will benefit enormously. The school community is excited for the future.' A critical reader notices that the article never includes a student voice. Which statement best explains what this omission reveals about the article's perspective?

Question 29
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "In one report about the town's new wind farm, a journalist wrote: 'The turbines, gleaming against the sky, promise clean energy for generations.' In a letter to the same newspaper, a resident wrote: 'Those monstrous towers now loom over our valley, ruining the view we have loved for decades.'" A student claims: 'The journalist's report is more reliable because it uses facts, while the resident's letter uses only opinion.' Is this claim accurate? Choose the best evaluation.

Question 30
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read this student essay extract: 'Shakespeare makes Romeo seem impulsive through his actions. For example, Romeo quickly falls in love with Juliet even though he was in love with Rosaline only the day before. This shows he is impulsive.' Which is the MOST accurate analysis of why this response is weak?

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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 →