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 86816 · New set of questions →

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Section 1: Maths reasoning (15 questions)

Question 1
Maths reasoning · Statistics & probability

Twelve values are listed in order: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, k The mean of all 12 values is 9. A student removes the value 8 from the list and recalculates the median of the remaining 11 values. What is the median of the 11 remaining values?

Question 2
Maths reasoning · Percentages

After a 20% increase, a plant is 96 cm tall. How tall was the plant before the increase?

Question 3
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? (Ignore this — see next question.) A spinner has 8 equal sections numbered 1 to 8. Zara spins it twice. What is the probability that BOTH spins land on an even number?

Question 4
Maths reasoning · Area & volume

A triangle has base 12 cm and height h cm. A rectangle has the same area as the triangle. The rectangle's length is 9 cm and its width is 4 cm. What is the height h of the triangle?

Question 5
Maths reasoning · Algebraic thinking

A shop sells pens for $3 each and notebooks for $5 each. Maya spends exactly $29 buying at least one of each item. How many pens does Maya buy?

Question 6
Maths reasoning · Geometry

A triangle has angles in the ratio 1 : 2 : 3. A student claims the largest angle equals the sum of the other two. Is the student correct, and what is the largest angle?

Question 7
Maths reasoning · Geometry

A rectangle's width is w cm. Its length is (2w − 3) cm. The rectangle is cut along one diagonal to form two triangles. The area of each triangle is 27 cm². What is the width of the rectangle?

Question 8
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 9
Maths reasoning · Algebra & linear equations

The length of a rectangle is (2w + 3) cm and its width is w cm. Its perimeter is 54 cm. A student claims the area of the rectangle is 171 cm². Is the student correct?

Question 10
Maths reasoning · Indices

What is the value of (2³ × 5²) ÷ 10²?

Question 11
Maths reasoning · Probability

A drawer has 5 black socks and 3 white socks. Two socks are drawn one at a time WITHOUT replacement. What is the probability that both socks are the same colour?

Question 12
Maths reasoning · Percentages & rates

A swimming pool holds 45 000 litres when full. Due to evaporation, the volume decreases by 2% each day. Which expression gives the volume (in litres) remaining after 5 days, without any refilling?

Question 13
Maths reasoning · Fraction & decimal operations

Which of the following is exactly halfway between 3/8 and 3/4 on a number line?

Question 14
Maths reasoning · Area, volume & angles

A rectangular garden bed is 9 m long and 4 m wide. A path of uniform width 1 m is built all the way around the outside. What is the area of the path only?

Question 15
Maths reasoning · Ratio & rates

Tom and Ava share some money in the ratio 3 : 5. Ava receives $64 more than Tom. How much money is shared in total?

Section 2: Reading & language (15 questions)

Question 16
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 17
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

A student wants to write a persuasive sentence that uses a concession to make the argument STRONGER. They write: 'Some people believe social media is harmful, but it can also connect communities and support mental health.' A classmate says the sentence is weak because admitting the other side makes the argument less convincing. Who is correct, and why?

Question 18
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read these two passages. Passage A: "The new stadium will bring thousands of jobs and inject millions of dollars into our local economy. It is exactly what this city needs." Passage B: "Construction of the proposed stadium is projected to create approximately 1,200 permanent positions and generate an estimated $40 million annually in economic activity, according to an independent economic report." A student argues: 'Passage A is more persuasive than Passage B because it uses stronger, more confident language.' Which response best evaluates this argument?

Question 19
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Read the following two sentences: Sentence A: 'The coach told the players that they needed to improve.' Sentence B: 'The coach told the players, "You need to improve."' A student says both sentences mean exactly the same thing and have no grammatical differences. Which statement best explains why the student is wrong?

Question 20
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 21
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 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 · 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 24
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

A student writes: 'The reason the experiment failed was because the temperature was not controlled.' A teacher underlines the phrase 'The reason…was because' and asks the student to correct it. The student changes it to: 'The reason the experiment failed was due to the temperature not being controlled.' Has the student fixed the problem? Why or why not?

Question 25
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

Read this sentence: 'Exhausted after the long journey, the hotel finally came into view.' What grammatical problem does this sentence contain?

Question 26
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read: "The Prime Minister's office released a statement saying the new policy would 'benefit all Australians.' Community groups called the policy 'a disaster for ordinary families.' A small survey of 50 people found 60% opposed it." Which technique most strongly reveals potential bias in how this report is written, and what does it suggest?

Question 27
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

A student writes this paragraph in a persuasive essay: 'Many scientists agree that reducing plastic use is important. However, plastic is cheap and easy to produce. Therefore, we should all use less plastic.' A teacher says the paragraph has a structural logic problem. Which statement BEST identifies the flaw?

Question 28
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read this extract: 'The city hummed with possibility in the daytime. At night, though, the same streets held their breath.' What effect is created by the contrast between 'hummed with possibility' and 'held their breath'?

Question 29
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "The two candidates for school captain gave speeches on the same day. Priya said: 'I want to make our school a place where every student feels heard — not just the ones who already have a voice.' Marcus said: 'We have a strong school community. I will work to keep what we have built and push us even further.'" A student claims: 'Priya's speech shows she thinks the school already treats students fairly.' Is this claim accurate? Choose the best evaluation.

Question 30
Reading & language · Persuasive & creative writing

A student is writing a narrative about a character who is nervous before a speech. She writes: 'Maya checked her notes for the third time. She checked them again. Her mouth was a desert.' How do the first two sentences work together with the third sentence to show Maya's anxiety?

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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 →