NSW Selective Past Papers and Practice Tests
Where to find the NSW Department of Education's official practice material, which of it matches the current computer-based test, and how to get the most out of it.
Looking for NSW Selective past papers?
The short answer: the NSW Department of Education publishes official practice tests for the Selective High School Placement Test, and those are the closest thing to a past paper that is openly available. They are free, and you can download or sit them directly from the Department’s website.
One thing is worth knowing before you start, because it is the difference most search results skip. The current Selective High School Placement Test is computer-based. The Department’s PDF practice tests come from older, paper-based versions of the test, and so do not reflect the current test format. They are still useful — but for the questions inside them, not as a picture of the test your child will actually sit.
It is also worth setting expectations about what any practice material can be. The official practice and sample questions are examples of the types of question a student may encounter. They are not the questions that will appear on test day.
What official practice material is available
The Department provides its practice material in two forms: online computer-based practice tests and PDF practice tests. Both are published on the same page.
Official source
Practice tests are published by the NSW Department of Education on its Selective High School placement test pages. Smart Panda does not host, reproduce or re-publish any of this material — the link below goes straight to the Department.
NSW Selective high school practice testsOpens education.nsw.gov.au in a new tab.
Online practice tests vs PDF practice papers
These two are for different jobs, and using the wrong one first is the most common way families waste the material.
| Resource | Best for |
|---|---|
| Online computer-based practice test | Becoming familiar with the current computer-based test experience. It is designed to simulate the actual placement-test software, so a student can get used to the interface, the on-screen tools and working in a timed environment. |
| PDF practice tests | Reviewing sample questions, answers and explanations. The multiple-choice material includes answers with explanations, which makes it good for working through slowly at the kitchen table. |
The distinction that matters
The PDF practice tests come from older, paper-based versions of the test and do not reflect the current test format. Use them for the thinking the questions ask for — not as a guide to what test day will look like. For that, the online practice test is the one that matters.
What the practice material covers
The Department currently provides three PDF sample practice-test sets, covering Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing — the four areas of the placement test. If you want to understand what any one of them asks for before you start, each has its own overview here:
For the test as a whole — who sits it, how it is structured and how to plan the months before it — start with the complete NSW Selective Test guide.
How to get the most from the official material
There is not much of it, so it is worth using deliberately rather than burning through it in a weekend. The suggestions below are Smart Panda’s own, based on how families tell us they use practice material — they are not Department policy or guidance.
- Start with the online practice test, so the software itself is familiar before anything else.
- Attempt a question properly before looking at the answer — a question you have wrestled with teaches more than one you have read.
- Read the explanation even when the answer was right, in case the reasoning was luck.
- Note which sections felt slow rather than hard; timing and difficulty are different problems.
- Avoid re-sitting the same set repeatedly — after a second attempt a child is recalling the answer, not solving it.
When you have worked through the official material
Most families reach the same point: the official practice tests have been sat, the explanations read, and there is nothing left that the child has not already seen. Sitting the same set a third time mostly measures memory.
That is the gap Smart Panda fills — original questions, written to the same skills and the same four-section shape, so a child can keep practising on material they have not met before. Our questions are written from scratch by our team. They are not past papers, not official practice tests, and are not copied or adapted from NSW Department material.
If you would like to see the standard first, there is a set of free practice questions with worked answers across all four subjects, or you can sit a free full-length practice test with no card needed. Everything else lives in the resources hub.
Smart Panda is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NSW Department of Education. Official practice material is published by the Department and is linked to above; it is not reproduced on this site.
Practice that does not repeat itself
Original, full-length Selective-style practice tests across all four sections, with a worked solution for every question.