NSW Selective Past Papers &
Free Practice Tests

Yes! All downloadable PDF practice papers on this page are completely free with no registration required. This is public content made available by the NSW Department of Education. We also offer free online practice tests when you create a free Test Academy account. Our goal is to make quality selective test preparation accessible to all students.

The Thinking Skills section replaced General Ability in 2021 and tests logical reasoning, verbal reasoning, pattern recognition, and problem-solving. The best way to prepare is through consistent practice with questions that match the test format. Our practice papers reflect this new format, and our online platform provides instant feedback on your reasoning strategies, helping you identify patterns in the types of questions you find challenging.

Test Academy is updated to contain the new inline-cloze Reading question type in all of the Selective Reading tests. The Reading section now contains 17 questions worth 38 marks, to be completed in 45 minutes. Of the 17 questions, 3 questions are worth multiple marks: Extract question, Cloze question, and Inline-Cloze question. Through practice, you will come to realise that this new question type is actually very easy.

The downloadable PDFs in the tables above are the official NSW Department of Education past papers from previous years. This is not our content and we have simply provided it in an accessible format for parents. Our additional online papers are based on years of teaching experience, student feedback, and comprehensive understanding of the selective test curriculum.

We recommend students complete at least 10–20 full practice test sets before the actual selective test. However, quality is more important than quantity. It's better to complete fewer tests and thoroughly review the answers and explanations than to rush through many tests without learning from mistakes. Our online platform tracks your progress and helps identify areas that need more focus.

PDF papers are excellent for offline practice and can be printed for a paper-based experience. However, since 2025, the actual selective test is fully computerised, so practising in the digital format is crucial. Our online tests simulate the exact interface students will see on test day, include automatic timing, instant marking, detailed analytics, and question-by-question explanations to accelerate learning.

Most students begin serious preparation 6–12 months before the test date. Starting early allows students to build strong foundational skills without cramming. However, students who start with just 2–3 months can still make significant progress with focused practice. The key is consistent practice and learning from mistakes rather than last-minute intensive study.