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 69158 · New set of questions →

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Section 1: Maths reasoning (15 questions)

Question 1
Maths reasoning · Geometry

A right-angled triangle is removed from a rectangle. The rectangle is 10 cm long and 6 cm wide. The triangle occupies one corner and has legs of 4 cm (along the length) and 6 cm (along the width — the full width). A second right-angled triangle of the same size is then added onto the opposite short end of the rectangle. What is the area of the new shape?

Question 2
Maths reasoning · Algebra & linear equations

Which value of x makes both of these true at the same time? 3x + 1 > 10 AND 5x − 4 < 21

Question 3
Maths reasoning · Pythagoras

A right-angled triangle has legs of length 3 cm and 4 cm. A student draws a new right-angled triangle by adding 2 cm to each leg, giving legs of 5 cm and 6 cm. The student claims: 'Because I added the same amount to each leg, the hypotenuse also increased by exactly 2 cm.' Which statement is correct?

Question 4
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.)

Question 5
Maths reasoning · Integers

Aisha writes four statements about integers. Which statement is TRUE for every pair of negative integers a and b where a < b (meaning a is further left on the number line than b)?

Question 6
Maths reasoning · Ratios & rates

A school has students and teachers in the ratio 18 : 1. There are 540 students. The school then enrols 90 more students with no new teachers hired. What is the new student-to-teacher ratio, expressed in simplest form?

Question 7
Maths reasoning · Percentages & rates

A school canteen raises the price of a meal deal by 12%, bringing the new price to $8.96. What was the original price of the meal deal?

Question 8
Maths reasoning · Geometry

Two straight lines cross at a point. One angle is 5x° and the angle next to it (on a straight line) is (3x + 20)°. What is the value of x?

Question 9
Maths reasoning · Integers

Calculate: −4 × 3.

Question 10
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 11
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 12
Maths reasoning · Probability

A bag contains some red and some blue marbles. Two marbles are drawn one at a time WITHOUT replacement. The probability that the first marble is red AND the second marble is blue is 4/15. The probability that the first marble is red is 2/5. How many marbles are in the bag in total?

Question 13
Maths reasoning · Percentages & rates

At the start of 2023, Mia's investment was worth $P. By mid-year, its value had fallen by 20%. By the end of 2023, the mid-year value had risen by 35%. At the start of 2024, that end-of-year value then fell by 10%. Which expression correctly gives the investment's value at the start of 2024, and is the overall change a gain or a loss?

Question 14
Maths reasoning · Statistics & probability

A school records the number of absences per student for 10 students: 3, 0, 5, 2, 8, 1, 4, 6, 2, 9 The school then realises it missed one student who had 2 absences and adds that score to the data set. Which of the following statements about the effect on the measures of centre is correct?

Question 15
Maths reasoning · Algebraic thinking

A sequence starts: 3, 7, 11, 15, … The rule is 'add 4 each time'. Layla says term 20 is 79. Ben says term 20 is 75. Who is correct, and what is the value?

Section 2: Reading & language (15 questions)

Question 16
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

A student is editing her essay and has this sentence: 'The government's new policy, which critics argue ignores long-term environmental consequences, aims to boost short-term economic growth.' She wants to make the government's aim sound more central and reduce the prominence of the criticism. Which revision BEST achieves this?

Question 17
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "Every morning, Priya set her alarm for 5:30 a.m. She ran five kilometres before school, tracked every meal, and kept a chart on her wall showing her times. Her friends had stopped asking her to hang out on weekends. She told them — and herself — that she was focused." What does the detail about Priya's friends stopping asking her to hang out most likely suggest about her behaviour?

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 this paragraph from a persuasive text about school uniforms: "Students who wear uniforms perform better academically, feel a stronger sense of belonging, and face less peer pressure about clothing. Clearly, uniforms benefit everyone." A critic argues the conclusion is not fully supported. Which reason BEST justifies the critic's view?

Question 20
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 21
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage. "The government's new transport plan was welcomed by business leaders, who said it would create jobs and reduce freight costs. Environmental groups, however, warned that the new motorway would cut through a protected wetland. The minister said the plan had undergone 'rigorous environmental assessment.' No independent review has been published." A student claims: 'This passage is balanced because it includes both positive and negative views.' Which response best evaluates that claim?

Question 22
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "The council's newsletter reported: 'The new library extension opened last Friday, with the mayor cutting the ribbon before a crowd of supporters. Funding for the project was sourced from the state government's community infrastructure grant. The original library building, which some residents had campaigned to preserve, will now be repurposed.'" A student says: 'The newsletter is clearly biased because it supports the council's decision to repurpose the old building.' Is this claim accurate? Choose the best evaluation.

Question 23
Reading & language · Reading & comprehension

A student reading a novel writes: 'The theme of this book is loyalty because a character called Loyalty appears.' What is wrong with the student's reasoning?

Question 24
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

A student writes the following two sentences in a persuasive essay about school uniforms: Sentence A: 'Although uniforms can feel restrictive, they remove the pressure of choosing what to wear each day, which research suggests reduces morning anxiety in students.' Sentence B: 'Uniforms are restrictive but they remove pressure and research says anxiety is reduced.' A classmate says both sentences make the same argument, so they are equally effective. Which statement BEST explains why this claim is inaccurate?

Question 25
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Read this student sentence: 'Running down the hallway, the trophy was knocked off the shelf by Marcus.' A grammar teacher marks it as containing a dangling modifier. Which version correctly fixes the error AND keeps Marcus as the one running?

Question 26
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

Read these two versions of the same sentence: Version 1: 'The cyclist was awarded the gold medal by the judges.' Version 2: 'The judges awarded the cyclist the gold medal.' A student claims both versions mean the same thing and have the same effect. Which statement about this claim is MOST accurate?

Question 27
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

A student is revising this sentence: 'The reason why the match was cancelled was because of the rain.' The teacher says it contains a grammatical redundancy. Which revised version BEST fixes the redundancy while keeping the meaning?

Question 28
Reading & language · Persuasive & creative writing

A student writes this paragraph in a persuasive essay about fast fashion: 'Fast fashion is destroying the planet. Young people especially need to stop buying cheap clothes. We all know this is true, and anyone who shops at fast fashion stores is just being selfish.' A teacher comments: 'Your evidence is missing and your appeal to your audience is likely to backfire.' Which revision strategy best addresses BOTH problems the teacher has identified?

Question 29
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

A writer wants to show that a character feels nervous but is trying to hide it. Which sentence does this BEST?

Question 30
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read: "Jess always sat at the back of the bus. Today she chose the front seat. She looked out the window the whole way and did not put her headphones in." The author does not directly state how Jess is feeling. What technique is being used, and what can you infer from 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 →