Key dates for NSW families
The tests are in 2027, for children starting a new school in 2028.
Checked against the NSW Department of Education and ACER on .
My child's school year in 2026
Pick a year to see every test your child can aim for, and the next step for each.
Official sources. Department: Selective and OC key dates · Department: Years 8 to 11 entry · ACER: scholarships · NAP: NAPLAN. If a date here and an official page ever differ, the official page is right.
Selective high schools are NSW government schools for high-achieving students. Year 7 places go by the Department's placement test and your school choices.
For children in Year 5 in 2026. They apply in Year 5 and Year 6, and sit the test in Year 6.
Only for children who sat the test in May 2026 (Year 6 in 2026)
Thursday 3 December 2026, 3:00 pm Official
This year's round. A child holding an offer can stay on a higher-choice school's reserve list until this date; after it, children holding an accepted offer come off those lists. Reserve offers can still come up to the end of Term 1, 2027. The Department's outcomes page.
Early November 2026 Expected
The Department says applications run from November to February. Last round opened on Thursday 6 November 2025. You apply online, through the Department's portal.
Friday 12 February to Sunday 18 April 2027 Bing's Academy
Ten weekly trial tests before the real test, with a rank each week. Free, and run by us, not the Department. About Selective Horizon.
February 2027 Expected
Last round closed on Friday 20 February 2026, and late applications were not accepted.
Early May 2027 Expected
Last round: Friday 1 or Saturday 2 May 2026, each child on one day. It is on a computer, and held in NSW only.
Late May 2027 Expected
For approved "illness or misadventure", as the Department calls it. Last round: Friday 22 May 2026.
August 2027 Expected
Last round: Wednesday 19 August 2026.
Term 1, 2028
For a child in Year 4 in 2026: applications for Year 7 entry in 2029 are expected from about November 2027.
Preparing for May 2027? See how we tutor for Selective, or try a free Selective practice test.
Opportunity classes are Year 5 and 6 classes for high-achieving students, in some NSW public primary schools. Places go by the Department's OC test.
For children in Year 3 in 2026. They apply in Year 3 and Year 4, and sit the test in Year 4.
Only for children who sat the test in May 2026 (Year 4 in 2026)
Thursday 3 December 2026, 3:00 pm Official
This year's round. A child holding an offer can stay on a higher-choice school's reserve list until this date; after it, children holding an accepted offer come off those lists. The Department's outcomes page.
Early November 2026 Expected
The same window as Selective. Last round opened on Thursday 6 November 2025.
February 2027 Expected
Last round closed on Friday 20 February 2026, and late applications were not accepted.
Early May 2027 Expected
Last round: Friday 8 or Saturday 9 May 2026, each child on one day, a week after the Selective test. On a computer, in NSW only.
Late May 2027 Expected
For approved "illness or misadventure", as the Department calls it. Last round: Friday 22 May 2026.
September 2027 Expected
Last round: Wednesday 9 September 2026.
Term 1, 2028
For a child in Year 2 in 2026: applications for Year 5 entry in 2029 are expected from about November 2027.
Thinking about OC? See how we tutor for the OC test.
For moving into a selective high school after Year 7, when places come up. Each school runs its own entry, and many use one of two shared tests.
For children in Years 6 to 9 in 2026. They apply in the middle of 2027 and, depending on the school, sit the HAST or the Edutest in August 2027.
These schools sit the HAST (Higher Ability Selection Test) on the same day and share the results. Your child sits it once, at your first-choice school; you apply to each school separately.
These schools use the Edutest instead, on one shared day. You register with Edutest for each school (up to three), and your child sits it once. Bing's Academy does not tutor for the Edutest at the moment.
Other selective schools run their own entry, so check that school's page.
Mid-June 2027 Official
Published on the schools' enrolment pages for 2028 entry. Last round opened on Wednesday 17 June 2026.
Late July 2027 Expected
Last round closed on Friday 24 July 2026, and late applications were not accepted.
August 2027 Expected
Last round: Saturday 8 August 2026. A paper test from ACER, sat at your first-choice school.
August 2027 Expected
Last round: Saturday 15 August 2026, a week after the HAST. Your child sits it once, for every Edutest school you register with. We don't tutor for the Edutest at the moment.
September to October 2027 Expected
From each school. A phone offer has to be accepted or declined within 24 hours.
Late January 2028
Not sure your child is ready to apply? Try our transfer readiness quiz (HAST), or see how we tutor for HAST.
Sources: the schools' enrolment pages, for example Girraween and Penrith (HAST), Baulkham Hills, James Ruse and Sydney Girls (Edutest), and the Department's Years 8 to 11 page, read 24 October 2026.
Scholarships at independent (private) schools reduce or cover the fees. Each school sets its own test, dates and conditions.
For children entering Year 4 to Year 12 in 2028, depending on the school. Scholarship tests are usually from February onwards, for the following year.
ACER's shared test day (Cooperative)
Saturday 27 February 2027
Monday 21 September 2026 (open now)
Sunday 7 February 2027, midnight AEDT
On this day your child can be entered for up to six schools and sits the test once.
ACER's South Australian test day (ACEP)
Saturday 6 February 2027
Monday 21 September 2026 (open now)
Friday 22 January 2027, 11:30 pm ACDT
Every other school sets its own date, so check the school's own scholarships page; ACER also keeps a list of participating schools. Preparing for a scholarship test? See how we tutor for the ACER scholarship test.
NAPLAN is the national literacy and numeracy test, sat in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It is not used for Year 7 selective entry.
For children in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in 2027 (Years 2, 4, 6 and 8 in 2026). Every school sits it; there is nothing to apply for.
Wednesday 10 March to Monday 22 March 2027 Official
Your child's school sets the day for each test inside this window. Year 3 writing is on paper, on the first day, Wednesday 10 March.
The Selective and OC round for entry in 2027, as the Department published it. Where both columns show the same date, the Department set one date for both tests. We use these to estimate the 2027 dates above.
| Step | Selective (Year 7, 2027) | OC (Year 5, 2027) |
|---|---|---|
| Applications | Thursday 6 November 2025 to Friday 20 February 2026 | Thursday 6 November 2025 to Friday 20 February 2026 |
| Test | Friday 1 or Saturday 2 May 2026 | Friday 8 or Saturday 9 May 2026 |
| Illness or misadventure request by | Friday 8 May 2026 | Friday 15 May 2026 |
| Make-up test | Friday 22 May 2026 | Friday 22 May 2026 |
| Last day to change school choices | Friday 5 June 2026 | Friday 5 June 2026 |
| Results and offers | Wednesday 19 August 2026 | Wednesday 9 September 2026 |
| Last day to appeal | Wednesday 26 August 2026, 11:59 pm | Wednesday 16 September 2026, 11:59 pm |
| Reserve decision date | Thursday 3 December 2026, 3:00 pm | Thursday 3 December 2026, 3:00 pm |
Source: the Department's application process key dates, last updated by the Department on 12 August 2026. The Department notes that dates can change, so check there before you act on any of them.
Not for Selective or OC. The Department says there are no fees to apply for and sit the placement test, and no extra fees to enrol (its parent guide). Years 8 to 11 entry is different: last round, Girraween charged $130 to sit the HAST there ($50 if your child sat it at a school that shares results), and the Edutest schools charged $180, paid to Edutest. Scholarship test fees are set by each school.
Yes. OC and Selective are separate applications, two years apart. A scholarship test is separate again, and run school by school. For Years 8 to 11, applying to schools in both groups means sitting both the HAST and the Edutest (a week apart last round: Saturday 8 and Saturday 15 August 2026).
No. The Department says there are no set minimum entry scores; the score needed varies by school, depending on the number of applicants, how they perform, the places available and offers that are declined (its outcomes page).
No. The Department offers places “based on test performance and the order of their school choices”, and lists NAPLAN results and school reports among things that cannot support an appeal. Years 8 to 11 entry is different: schools also look at the application, and some ask for school reports or NAPLAN results with it.
It depends on your child, how far you will travel and how competitive each school is. Our free school match tool suggests schools from seven questions.
Both, for the same child. The Selective and OC tests are sat in May 2027, and the child starts at the new school in 2028.
The Department has not published them yet. Applications usually open in early November and close in February. We check the Department's and ACER's pages at the start of every school term, and update this page when anything is announced.
Yes, one for each group. Eleven selective schools share the HAST, last round on Saturday 8 August 2026. Six share the Edutest (Baulkham Hills, Chatswood, James Ruse Agricultural, North Sydney Boys, North Sydney Girls and Sydney Girls), last round on Saturday 15 August 2026. Other selective schools run their own entry. We don't tutor for the Edutest at the moment.
The Department runs a make-up test a few weeks later for approved illness or misadventure. Last round, requests closed a week after each test, and the make-up test was on Friday 22 May 2026.
Many schools use one of ACER's shared days: Saturday 27 February 2027 (Queensland, NSW, NT, WA and Victoria) or Saturday 6 February 2027 (South Australia), for scholarships starting in 2028. Some schools choose their own date, so always double-check with the school directly. You apply separately to each school.
In NSW. From 2026 the Selective and OC placement tests are only held in NSW, and a child who cannot come back to sit it will not be considered for a place (the Department's placement test page).
Tell us your child's year and which test you are aiming for. We will tell you honestly whether it suits them, and when to start.
Get in touchOf the 22 students we taught who sat the Selective test in 2026, 17 received an offer. We will never promise your child a place, and no honest tutor can.