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 37327 · New set of questions →

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Section 1: Maths reasoning (15 questions)

Question 1
Maths reasoning · Algebraic expressions

Sanjay is thinking of a number. He multiplies it by 4, adds 6, then halves the result. He gets 13. Which equation correctly models this situation, and what is Sanjay's number?

Question 2
Maths reasoning · Integers & operations

The mean of four integers is −3. Three of the integers are −7, 2, and −5. What is the fourth integer?

Question 3
Maths reasoning · Area & volume

A rectangular prism has a length of 10 cm, width of 5 cm, and height of 8 cm. Its length and width are each increased by 20%, but its height stays the same. By what percentage does the volume increase?

Question 4
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 5
Maths reasoning · Indices

If 5ˣ × 5^(x+1) = 5¹², what is the value of x?

Question 6
Maths reasoning · Integers

Calculate: −4 × 3.

Question 7
Maths reasoning · Ratio & rates

Share $40 in the ratio 3 : 1. The larger share is?

Question 8
Maths reasoning · Integers

Maya writes this rule: 'Start with any negative integer. Add it to its opposite. Then multiply the result by any negative integer. The final answer is always zero.' Which explanation BEST describes why Maya's rule always works?

Question 9
Maths reasoning · Integers & operations

The sum of five consecutive integers is −50. What is the product of the largest and smallest of these integers?

Question 10
Maths reasoning · Algebra & linear equations

A formula is given as F = 3G − 7. When F is increased by 12, what happens to G?

Question 11
Maths reasoning · Pythagoras

A circle has its centre at the origin (0, 0). Point A is at (5, 0) and point B is at (0, 5). Point C is at (3, 4). A student claims that C lies ON the circle that passes through A and B, because 3 + 4 = 5 + 0 = 0 + 5. Is the student correct, and what is the actual reason?

Question 12
Maths reasoning · Algebra & linear equations

Mia has a bag of marbles. If she triples the number of marbles and adds 6, she gets the same result as if she doubled the number and added the number itself divided by 2, then added 10. How many marbles does Mia have?

Question 13
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 14
Maths reasoning · Equations

Solve: 3x + 10 = 1.

Question 15
Maths reasoning · Integers

The difference between two integers is 14. One integer is −5. The other integer could be which of the following? (There may be more than one possibility — choose the option that lists ALL possible values.)

Section 2: Reading & language (15 questions)

Question 16
Reading & language · Persuasive & creative writing

A persuasive essay on reducing screen time for teenagers includes this paragraph: 'Of course, technology has brought enormous benefits to education. Interactive apps, online research, and video tutorials have transformed how students learn. Yet when the same screens that educate by day keep teenagers awake until midnight, the cost becomes too high to ignore.' What does the phrase 'Of course' at the start of this paragraph signal to the reader?

Question 17
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

A writer uses the word 'fine' in these two consecutive sentences: 'Mum said everything was fine. She stacked the dishes, scrubbed the bench, and wiped down every surface twice.' What does the repetition of 'fine' and the detail that follows most likely suggest?

Question 18
Reading & language · Speaking & listening

A student is preparing a speech to persuade her class that the school canteen should sell healthier food. She decides to open with a short story about a student who felt sick after eating a greasy meal, then follow with two statistics about student concentration. Which statement best explains why this structure is effective?

Question 19
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 20
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 21
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

Read the following two versions of a paragraph opening from a narrative: Version A: 'The old house was silent. A door creaked. Something moved in the hallway. She waited.' Version B: 'The old house was silent, and then a door creaked and something moved in the hallway, so she waited.' A student claims Version B is better because it joins the ideas using connectives, showing their relationship more clearly. Which statement BEST explains why this claim is inaccurate?

Question 22
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Read the following: 'The report was, needless to say, absolutely flawless.' A student claims the phrase 'needless to say' is redundant because the word 'absolutely' already emphasises the point. Is the student correct?

Question 23
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

A student writes: 'Running quickly to catch the bus, her bag fell off her shoulder.' A classmate says the sentence is wrong because of the opening phrase. The student argues it is fine because 'running' clearly refers to a person. Who is correct, and why?

Question 24
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 25
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Read this sentence: 'The scientist, whose findings challenged decades of research, was quietly discredited by the institution.' Which grammatical feature most shapes how the reader responds to the scientist?

Question 26
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read this extract from a short story: 'Every morning, Grandma set two cups on the table — one for herself and one that sat untouched, waiting, as it had for three years now. She hummed while she made the tea, the same song she had always hummed, and smiled at the window the way she used to smile at the door.' A student says the extract is simply about a woman's morning routine. Which statement BEST explains why this reading is insufficient, and what technique supports a deeper interpretation?

Question 27
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Read these two sentences from different editorials about the same school policy: Editorial 1: 'Students will be required to wear uniforms.' Editorial 2: 'Students will be forced into uniforms.' Which analysis most precisely explains the difference in effect?

Question 28
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Read this passage: 'The new stadium will, officials insist, transform the region. The new stadium will, critics warn, devastate the region.' A student argues that because both sentences use the same grammatical structure, they are equally neutral in tone. Is the student correct, and why?

Question 29
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 30
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?

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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 →