Selective School Test Prep: The NSW Year-5 Playbook

How to prep for the NSW Selective High School Placement Test — thinking skills, reading, maths and writing broken down.

Tutoring Galaxy Team 2026-07-02 9 min read

Selective School

NSW

Year 5

Sydney

The NSW Selective test decides Year-7 placement in academically selective high schools. Here's the realistic 12-month plan. 1. **Months 1–3** — Baseline diagnostic across all four papers, focus on the weakest. 2. **Months 4–6** — Thinking Skills mastery — the most predictive section for placement. 3. **Months 7–9** — Reading comprehension under 40-second-per-question pace. 4. **Month 10** — Writing — three structured tasks per week with tutor feedback. 5. **Month 11** — Full timed mocks weekly, alternating morning/afternoon slots. 6. **Month 12** — Confidence and pacing — no new content, only review and rest. Our NSW Selective specialists run small-group cohorts with weekly marked mocks.

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