Free · Timed · 25 minutes · Years 6–8

Free Selective Entry Practice Test — 30 Questions, 25 Minutes, Instant Results

A free, timed sample of the kind of multiple-choice questions the Victorian Selective Entry exam asks: 30 questions across maths reasoning 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.

Start the practice test ↓   Or take the free 15-minute Skills Check →

⏱ 25-minute countdown, auto-marked📊 Section breakdown: maths reasoning · reading & language📚 3,261 free practice questions

Free practice quizzes › Selective Entry practice test · Scholarship 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 51224 · New set of questions →

Time remaining 25:00Not started

Section 1: Maths reasoning (15 questions)

Question 1
Maths reasoning · Algebraic thinking

A rule connects the values in this table: | n | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |---|---|---|---|---| | T | 7 | 11 | 15 | 19 | Kai says the rule is T = 4n + 3. Maya says the rule is T = 4n + 2. Who is correct, and what is the value of T when n = 8?

Question 2
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 3
Maths reasoning · Fraction & decimal operations

Calculate: 2/3 × 3/4.

Question 4
Maths reasoning · Geometry

Four angles meet at a point. Three of them are equal and the fourth is 60°. One of the equal angles is then split into two equal parts by a ray. How large is each part?

Question 5
Maths reasoning · Integers

Calculate: 3 − (−4).

Question 6
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 7
Maths reasoning · Equations

The perimeter of a triangle is 54 cm. The second side is twice as long as the first side. The third side is 6 cm longer than the first side. What is the length of the longest side?

Question 8
Maths reasoning · Equations

The equation 5(x − 2) = 3x + 4 is solved below. Which step contains the FIRST error? Step 1: 5x − 10 = 3x + 4 Step 2: 5x − 3x = 4 + 10 Step 3: 2x = 14 Step 4: x = 5

Question 9
Maths reasoning · Percentages & rates

After 20% off, an item costs $48. Original price?

Question 10
Maths reasoning · Ratios & rates

Two quantities P and Q are in the ratio 4 : 9. Q is 63. What is P + Q?

Question 11
Maths reasoning · Indices

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

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 · Percentages & rates

After a 15% discount, Priya pays $170 for a skateboard. What was the original price of the skateboard? Round to the nearest cent.

Question 14
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 15
Maths reasoning · Algebra & linear equations

A tank contains 200 litres of water. Pipe A drains water out at 8 litres per minute. Pipe B fills water in at 3 litres per minute. Both pipes are opened at the same time. A second tank starts empty and is filled by Pipe C at 5 litres per minute. After how many minutes will both tanks contain the same amount of water?

Section 2: Reading & language (15 questions)

Question 16
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "Declan had told everyone he did not care whether he got the lead role in the play. When the cast list went up, he arrived at the noticeboard last, walking slowly, looking at his phone. He glanced at the list once, nodded, and walked away. At lunch he sat alone and ate nothing." The passage does not directly state how Declan feels about the cast list result. What does the sequence of his actions most strongly imply?

Question 17
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

A student argues that the narrator of a story is reliable because 'the story is told in first person, so the narrator knows everything that happens.' What is wrong with this reasoning?

Question 18
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 19
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 20
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read: "Layla had always been the loudest voice in the room. Now she sat with her hands folded, saying nothing, as her mother signed the papers." What does the contrast in this description most likely suggest?

Question 21
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

In the sentence 'The principal announced that the students, exhausted after the long camp, were to be given a free period', what is the grammatical function of 'exhausted after the long camp'?

Question 22
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Which sentence uses the word 'disinterested' correctly according to its precise meaning?

Question 23
Reading & language · Speaking & listening

During a class presentation, Olivia says: 'Some people think solar panels are too expensive, and that's a fair point — but new data shows the cost has dropped by sixty per cent in ten years.' Which strategy is Olivia using, and why is it more effective than simply ignoring the opposing view?

Question 24
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Read this sentence: 'Having studied all night, the exam felt surprisingly manageable to Aiden.' A teacher marks this as containing a dangling modifier. Which version correctly repairs the error AND keeps the intended meaning that Aiden did the studying?

Question 25
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

A writer uses the following two sentences near the end of a suspenseful story: 'She stepped forward. The floor groaned.' Which statement BEST explains why the writer chose two short sentences here instead of one longer sentence?

Question 26
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 27
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 28
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

Which is correct?

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 · Text response & analysis

Two students write a topic sentence for a text response paragraph about the same novel. Both are arguing that the author uses weather to reflect the protagonist's mental state. Student A: 'Throughout the novel, storm imagery mirrors the protagonist's growing despair, signalling that the external world has become an extension of her internal collapse.' Student B: 'The weather in the novel is used to show how the protagonist is feeling sad.' A teacher awards Student A a significantly higher mark. Which statement MOST accurately explains the difference in quality between the two sentences, and why it matters for a text response?

Your result

0 / 30
Maths reasoning0 / 15
Reading & language0 / 15
Time used

Take the free full Skills Check →   Try another set

What this Selective Entry 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 7 or 8 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 Selective Entry 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 Selective Entry exam runs for several hours with reasoning sections and two writing tasks. 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 →