NSW Selective test tutoring · Online 1-on-1
Selective — the NSW high school placement exam.
The NSW Selective High School Placement Test is the exam students sit in Year 6 to gain entry into a selective high school for Year 7. It is one of the most competitive academic assessments in NSW, and performance on it alongside school preference choices determines placement across the state's selective schools. We prepare students for it 1-on-1 and online, wherever they live in NSW.
WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT
Group tutoring is not enough for this exam.
The Selective exam tests things a standard school curriculum does not cover in the same way. Mathematical reasoning involves multi-step problems requiring understanding across several principles at once. Thinking skills involves logic-based questions most students have never encountered before. Writing is assessed on argument and structure, not just whether it is technically correct.
In a group tutoring setting, a tutor cannot adapt to where each individual student is. Students who are confused fall behind without anyone noticing. Students who already understand a concept sit through it again. Neither outcome is good preparation for an exam this competitive.
INSIDE THE EXAM
Four sections in the Selective test. All of them count.
Reading Test
Tests reading skills across different types of material and genres including non-fiction, fiction, poetry, magazine articles and reports. Students are not tested on content knowledge. They are tested on how well they read and interpret what is in front of them.
Mathematical Reasoning Test
Tests mathematical reasoning using concepts students already learn at school. No extra maths content needs to be studied. No calculators are permitted in this or any other section of the exam. The focus is on applying known concepts to unfamiliar problem types.
Thinking Skills Test
Tests general critical thinking and problem-solving ability. No previous knowledge is required. This is the section most students find hardest to prepare for without targeted practice, because there is no direct equivalent in the school curriculum.
Writing Test
Students write a response to a given topic and must address it directly. Markers assess creativity of ideas, the ability to write effectively for a purpose and audience, and use of language for effect. A technically fluent piece that does not address the topic will be marked lower regardless of quality.
Before you decide, our guides cover how to prepare for the NSW Selective test, what decides the Writing score, the real selective acceptance rate and the different types of selective school.
John 'Bing' Huang
Got into selective in Year 6.
FROM THE FOUNDER
I sat this exam too.
I grew up in Blacktown and attended a local primary school. I sat the Selective exam and was fortunate enough to get into Penrith Selective High School.
Like a lot of students, I went through group tutoring to prepare. It was not particularly helpful. I was shy and did not feel comfortable asking questions in a room full of other students. When I did not understand something, I stayed quiet and hoped it would make sense later. It often did not. I only found out how much I had missed when I actually sat practice papers under exam conditions.
That experience is directly why Bing's Academy is 1-on-1. When it is just your child and their tutor, there is no reason to stay quiet. Questions get asked and answered in the moment, every session.
Since 2014, we have been preparing students for the Selective exam.
STRUCTURED PREPARATION
Selective Horizon: our free 10-week trial program.
Selective Horizon runs from February to April each year, ahead of the NSW Selective exam in May. Students sit one full trial test a week across all four sections, online at home, any time from Friday to Sunday.
Free to join
The 10-week program is free. An optional Horizon Plus upgrade is available for students who want access to question breakdowns and detailed writing feedback.
Real rankings, not just scores
Weekly ranks are gender-segmented, in line with the NSW selective placement process, and updated in a shared results sheet about a week after each test closes. You will see exactly where your child stands, not just how many they got right.
Expert-marked writing
Writing responses are evaluated by qualified educators, not automated scoring. Each piece gets two markers, working independently.
Places are limited to 250 students each year, not counting current Bing's Academy students. Dates and registration open annually.
Learn more & join the waitlist →WHAT THEY SAY
What families say about Selective.
If I asked maybe even five times to explain a question, they would be completely patient and answer it very kindly.
The material has many complex questions to practise, so you don't panic in the exam.
HOW WE PREPARE STUDENTS
What our Selective tutoring sessions cover.
We start where your child needs it most.
Before anything else, we identify which sections need the most work and which are already strong. Every student is different. Some struggle with thinking skills, others with writing or reading. We go where the gaps actually are, not at the beginning of a generic syllabus.
We use current exam question types.
Not textbook exercises. Questions built around the current Cambridge Assessment format, broken down so students understand the reasoning behind each answer, not just whether they got it right.
We address writing specifically.
Writing is the section where preparation makes the biggest difference. We work through planning, structure and editing under timed conditions so students know exactly what to do on exam day.
We help with school preference strategy too.
Preference order matters more than most families realise. The order in which you list your school preferences affects where your child is placed, even with a strong exam score. We help families make realistic and strategic preference choices based on your child's score and circumstances.
Which selective schools should you actually be listing?
A page for every one of the 49 NSW selective high schools, by area: how to get in, when to apply and what the school is like. Start with your suburb or postcode.
See the schools →Free · No email required · We don’t rank schools
Included at no extra cost
The practice screen they use between lessons
Selective students get a new practice test on our own platform about every six weeks, on a screen built to work like the real computer-based test. At the end they see their score and the areas they are weaker in, and so does their tutor.
How the platform worksExample screen: a multiple-choice practice question on our platform, with an invented question. The clock sits at the top left, the question number and the question list at the top centre, and Back, Flag and Next along the bottom.
- a clock where the real test puts it
- the question list shows what is left
- flag a question and come back to it
Want to try it? Your child can sit a free Selective practice test on this screen, or practise the writing test for free in our writing room. If they would rather plan before they write, start with our Selective writing prompts, each with a way to begin. All three ask for a first name and nothing else.
Thinking about Selective for your child?
Get in touch and we will talk through where your child is, what the exam involves, and whether Selective preparation makes sense for them right now. No commitment required.
Of 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. What we can promise is that you will know where they stand, long before the exam.
Get in touch