VIC Selective · Year 9 entry

Victorian Selective Entry High Schools exam: what it tests and how to prepare

Victoria has four academically selective government high schools — Melbourne High School (boys), The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School (girls), Nossal High School (co-educational) and Suzanne Cory High School (co-educational) — and all four start at Year 9. Students sit one ACER-run exam in Year 8, on a Saturday in June, and about 1,000 places are offered across the four schools. Families list up to three school preferences on one application, and a successful applicant is offered their highest-ranked school that they qualify for. In the 2027-entry round, applicants had to be in Year 8 and must never have sat the exam before.

ACER's preparation page describes two combined papers and a writing section. Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning runs for 60 minutes and covers mathematical knowledge and reasoning with numbers, patterns and shapes. After a 20-minute break, Reading and Verbal Reasoning runs for 55 minutes: accessing, interpreting and evaluating ideas in text, and reasoning with words, concepts and logic. After a 5-minute break, Writing has two tasks in 40 minutes. Task time totals 2 hours 35 minutes, with about four hours on site. ACER publishes no question counts, says not every candidate is expected to finish every question, and states that knowledge tested does not go beyond the Year 8 curriculum.

The exam rewards reasoning on top of curriculum knowledge, and it is long, so stamina matters. ACER's note that not everyone is expected to finish is worth taking seriously: a student who stalls on one hard item loses easier marks later. Know what this process does not cover, too. Entry to Years 10, 11 and 12 at these schools is handled by the schools directly, and Year 10 and 11 entry uses a different exam, run by EduTest, with a separate application to each school.

Prepare across both combined papers. Keep Year 7–8 mathematics fluent and practise unfamiliar number and pattern problems. Read challenging fiction and non-fiction, and practise vocabulary and word-logic questions. Write two short pieces in 40 minutes regularly, because splitting the time between two tasks is a skill of its own. Then build up to full-length timed sittings, so the length of the morning is no surprise on the day.

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Try some sample questions

Original exam-style examples with worked explanations. Pick an option, then reveal the answer.

Sample question 1

After a 20% discount, a shirt costs $40. What was its original price?

Sample question 2

The mean of five numbers is 12. One number is removed, and the mean of the remaining four is 11. What number was removed?

Sample question 3

No glimbs are blue. All trels are glimbs.

Which statement must be true?

Frequently asked questions

When do applications open for Year 9 entry in 2028?

The Victorian Government states that applications for Year 9 entry in 2028 will open in March 2027. The closing date and exam date had not been published when we checked; ACER typically confirms the exam date around February. In the 2027-entry round, applications ran from 2 March to 24 April 2026 and the exam was on Saturday 20 June 2026.

How many questions are in the exam?

ACER does not publish question counts. It publishes the papers and their times — 60 minutes, 55 minutes and 40 minutes for two writing tasks — and says not every candidate is expected to finish every question.

Is a calculator allowed?

ACER's preparation page does not state a calculator or materials rule. Check the candidate information ACER sends with the exam admission notice.

What does it cost to apply?

The fee was $175 in the 2027-entry round. It was free for families with a valid health care card or pensioner concession card and for First Nations families, and other families in financial hardship could request a reduction.

Can practice guarantee a selective place?

No. Places are limited and offers depend on how all candidates perform. Practice builds skills, pacing and stamina for a long exam; it cannot promise an outcome.

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