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.

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

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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 62947 · New set of questions →

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Section 1: Maths reasoning (15 questions)

Question 1
Maths reasoning · Percentages

A school canteen sells pies and sandwiches. On Monday, pies made up 60% of all items sold. On Tuesday, the number of pies sold stayed the same, but the total number of items sold increased by 25%. What percentage of Tuesday's items were pies? Give your answer to the nearest whole number.

Question 2
Maths reasoning · Indices

Which expression is equal to 4⁻³ ÷ 2⁻⁴?

Question 3
Maths reasoning · Integers

Liam says: 'The product of two negative integers is always less than either of the two integers.' Is Liam correct?

Question 4
Maths reasoning · Geometry

An isosceles triangle has a perimeter of 44 cm. The two equal sides are each 4 cm longer than the base. What is the length of each equal side?

Question 5
Maths reasoning · Probability

From 3 red and 2 blue, one is drawn and kept. If it was red, P(red next) is?

Question 6
Maths reasoning · Integers & operations

Freya says: 'If you subtract a negative integer from a positive integer, the result is always positive.' Is she correct?

Question 7
Maths reasoning · Algebraic expressions

A shop sells pens in packs of 3 and rulers in packs of 5. A teacher buys p packs of pens and r packs of rulers and spends exactly $40. Pens cost $2 per pack and rulers cost $6 per pack. Which equation correctly models this situation, and what does it mean if p = 2?

Question 8
Maths reasoning · Pythagoras

A triangle has sides of 7 cm, 24 cm, and 25 cm. A second triangle has sides of 8 cm, 15 cm, and 17 cm. A student claims both are right-angled triangles and that together they prove Pythagoras works for any triangle. Which response is most mathematically accurate?

Question 9
Maths reasoning · Geometry

A parallelogram has vertices at coordinates A(0, 0), B(6, 0), C(8, 4), and D(2, 4). A student calculates its area by multiplying the base (AB = 6 cm) by the vertical height (4 cm), getting 24 cm². A second student multiplies the side lengths AB × AD, where AD = √(4 + 16) = √20 cm, and gets a different answer. Which statement is correct?

Question 10
Maths reasoning · Fractions, decimals & percentages

Mia says: 'If I add the same positive number to both the numerator and denominator of the fraction 3/7, the resulting fraction will always be greater than 3/7.' Is Mia correct? Which of the following best justifies the answer?

Question 11
Maths reasoning · Percentages

A tank is 60% full and contains 420 litres of water. Water is added until the tank is 85% full. How many litres of water are added?

Question 12
Maths reasoning · Fraction & decimal operations

Anika ran 2.45 km on Monday and 1.8 km on Tuesday. On Wednesday she wants to run enough so her three-day total is exactly 6 km. How far must she run on Wednesday?

Question 13
Maths reasoning · Area, volume & angles

The four angles inside a quadrilateral are in the ratio 1 : 2 : 3 : 4. What is the size of the largest angle?

Question 14
Maths reasoning · Percentages & rates

A price rises by 25% and then falls by 25%. A price falls by 25% and then rises by 25%. Which statement is correct?

Question 15
Maths reasoning · Algebra & linear equations

A school is planning a trip. A bus costs $240 to hire plus $3 per student. A minivan costs $90 to hire plus $8 per student. For what number of students is the bus the CHEAPER option?

Section 2: Reading & language (15 questions)

Question 16
Reading & language · Phonics & spelling

Look at the four words below: • 'referred' • 'offered' • 'preferred' • 'suffered' A student claims: 'When you add "-ed" to a verb ending in "-fer", you always double the final r.' Which word is the BEST evidence that this claim is WRONG, and what rule does it actually follow?

Question 17
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?

Question 18
Reading & language · Persuasive & creative writing

A student revises the conclusion of her persuasive essay on compulsory sport in schools. Original: 'In conclusion, compulsory sport is good for students and schools should keep it.' Revision: 'The choice is simple: we either invest in students' physical and mental wellbeing now, or we pay a far greater price later. Compulsory sport is not a burden — it is a foundation.' Her teacher says the revision is 'significantly more persuasive'. Which analysis BEST explains why the revision is stronger, and identifies a potential weakness?

Question 19
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 20
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

A student is asked to write a text response about a novel and begins: "In this essay I will talk about the themes of the book and give my opinion about the characters." Which revision BEST improves this opening sentence for a formal text response?

Question 21
Reading & language · Persuasive & creative writing

A student revises a persuasive essay conclusion. Original: 'In conclusion, schools should teach cooking.' Revision: 'The question is not whether schools can afford to teach cooking — it is whether we can afford not to.' The revision is more effective because it:

Question 22
Reading & language · Comprehension

Read this passage, then answer the question. "Nadia had not spoken to her best friend in three weeks. She told herself it did not matter. She rearranged her bookshelf twice that afternoon, reorganised her pencil case, and made a list of things she needed to do — none of which were urgent." What do Nadia's actions in the second and third sentences most strongly suggest?

Question 23
Reading & language · Writing & grammar

Read this sentence: 'It was the team's performance, not the referee's decisions, that ultimately decided the outcome.' A student says the verb should be 'were' because there are two nouns (performance and decisions). Is the student correct, and why?

Question 24
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Read this sentence: 'The committee, which had met three times, finally reached its decision.' A student rewrites it as: 'The committee that had met three times finally reached its decision.' Which statement best explains what changes between the two versions?

Question 25
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?

Question 26
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

A student writes: "The old lighthouse stood alone on the cliff, its light long dead, its windows like hollow eyes watching the empty sea." Which two techniques are working together in this sentence, and what combined effect do they create?

Question 27
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 28
Reading & language · Vocabulary & grammar

Read this passage: 'The principal announced the new rule. Students would no longer be allowed to use their phones during lunch. Many students felt this was unfair. Even so, they handed them in without complaint.' If a student is asked to identify the text's cohesive device that signals contrast in the final sentence, which is the correct answer, and why?

Question 29
Reading & language · Reading & comprehension

A persuasive article about renewable energy uses these two sentences close together: 'Some critics argue solar panels are too expensive. These critics have never seen an electricity bill rise by forty per cent in a single year.' What persuasive strategy does the second sentence use?

Question 30
Reading & language · Text response & analysis

Read this extract: 'The principal's voice was calm and steady as she announced the school's closure, but her hands gripped the podium until her knuckles turned white.' What does the contrast between the principal's voice and her hands most likely suggest?

Your result

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Maths reasoning0 / 15
Reading & language0 / 15
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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 →