Four sections, one paper-based sitting, and a test that measures reasoning rather than what your child has been taught. Here is exactly what the Year 7 HAST involves, which year your child sits it in, where it is used, and how to prepare.
The Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST) is an assessment developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). Schools across Australia use it to select students for selective entry programs, academic excellence streams, accelerated classes and scholarships.
HAST comes in a primary level and three secondary levels. The one that matters for Year 7 entry is the Junior secondary level. The critical thing to understand is that HAST measures higher-order reasoning rather than recall of the school curriculum — there is no syllabus to revise. That is why strong classroom results do not automatically translate into a strong HAST score, and why familiarity with the question styles matters so much.
One test, three secondary levels. Junior is for Year 7 entry, Middle for Year 9 entry and Senior for Year 11 entry. Make sure any practice material your child uses is written for the Junior level — the Middle and Senior papers are pitched differently.
Three sections are multiple-choice and machine-scored. The fourth is written by hand and marked by people — and it is the one families most often neglect.
Passages across fiction, non-fiction and argument, with questions that test inference, tone and the writer's purpose rather than locating a fact on the page. The answer is usually implied, not stated.
Multi-step problems, data interpretation and scientific reasoning. The arithmetic itself is rarely difficult — the challenge is choosing a method and holding several steps in order under time pressure.
Pattern, sequence and matrix puzzles using shapes rather than words or numbers. Nothing in the school curriculum resembles it, which is why cold exposure on test day costs so many marks.
A single timed writing task from a stimulus. Marked by people against the criteria below, so a well-planned, clearly argued piece counts for a great deal — and one that ignores the stimulus scores poorly however polished it is.
Section lengths vary between sittings, so treat the figures below as the typical shape rather than a guarantee. ACER publishes the exact structure for your child's sitting in the Candidate Information Bulletin, which the school provides once registration is confirmed.
| Section | Format | Approx. time | How it is marked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Multiple choice | ~45 min | Machine-scored |
| Mathematical & Scientific Reasoning | Multiple choice | ~40 min | Machine-scored |
| Abstract Reasoning | Multiple choice | ~30 min | Machine-scored |
| Written Expression | One timed task | ~25 min | Marked by trained markers |
Plan for a longer morning than the times suggest. Testing time is roughly two to two-and-a-half hours, but with instructions, settling and breaks most families are on site for around three hours. Not every school sits all four components — confirm which sections apply before you build a study plan around them.
This is the question families get wrong most often, because there are two different pathways into Year 7 and they run a full year apart.
Most students sit the Junior HAST during Year 6, for entry into Year 7 the following year. Registration usually opens late in the preceding year and closes well before the test date.
Some schools run an additional earlier intake in which current Year 5 students sit for a Year 7 place two years ahead. Brisbane State High School is the best-known example. Places offered this way are usually conditional.
There is no national HAST date. Each school nominates its own test date with ACER and runs its own application, so two schools on your list can have completely different deadlines. Registration windows commonly open between November and February for entry the following year. Work backwards from the earliest closing date on your list — missing a registration deadline, not the exam itself, is what most often ends an application.
Only schools with a Year 7 entry point are listed below — schools that use HAST solely for Year 8 to Year 11 entry are left out. ACER publishes the master register of participating schools; every school below was then checked against its own website, because being on that register does not always mean HAST is the Year 7 test. Always confirm directly with the school, as programs and entry points change each year.
All entering at Year 7, sat in Year 6 unless the school says otherwise.
Watch the sitting year at Brisbane State High. Year 7 2027 entry was sat in Year 6 using HAST Secondary; the Year 7 2028 intake was sat in Year 5 using HAST-P. Confirm which paper applies to your child’s cohort.
Mostly SEAL and select-entry programs, entering at Year 7 and sat in Year 6.
Also on ACER’s junior secondary register: Alkira, Berwick, Braybrook, Emerald, Hoppers Crossing, Lara, Scoresby, Taylors Lakes and Trafalgar Secondary Colleges, Richmond High School, Traralgon College, Warragul Regional College, Al Siraat College, Aquinas College and Emmaus College.
IGNITE and specialist pathways, sat in Year 6 for Year 7 entry.
Registration often goes straight to ACER rather than the school for the IGNITE and Stretch-U programs, with a separate fee. Check which portal each school uses.
Run by the schools themselves, separate from the state GATE process.
Not the same as GATE. WA’s Department-run academic selective entry uses the ASET, a different test. Only the two schools above are confirmed to run their own HAST for Year 7.
NSW Department of Education selective high schools do not use HAST for Year 7 entry. They use the NSW Selective High School Placement Test, which is a different test with a different structure and a single centralised application.
Some NSW independent schools use HAST for scholarship entry, so check each school individually rather than assuming.
Check before you prepare. Preparing for the wrong test is a costly mistake, and it happens most often to NSW families who assume selective entry means HAST. Our full list of HAST participating schools goes school by school, and the HAST vs NSW Selective comparison sets out how the two tests differ.
Machine-scored for consistency. Results are reported against a high-ability reference group rather than the general population — which is why a child who tops their primary class can still land mid-range. That is normal, and it is the point of the test.
Read and judged by trained markers against set criteria: whether the response is appropriate to the theme it was given, structure and creativity, and grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary. A piece that never engages the stimulus scores low marks however well written it is.
Schools decide, not ACER. ACER marks the paper and reports the results; each school then sets its own cut-off and weighting, and many add an interview, a portfolio or school reports to the decision. There is no single national mark that guarantees a place, and allow several weeks between the sitting and any offer.
One to two school terms is a sensible runway. Anything shorter turns into cramming, which is precisely what a reasoning test does not reward.
Before any study. Tell your child in advance that the score will be modest — it is a starting point, not a verdict. You are buying information about which of the four sections is genuinely weak.
It is the section with no classroom equivalent, so it has the steepest early gains. Short, frequent sessions beat long ones: the skill is recognising rule types, and that builds through repetition.
Against the marking criteria, with two minutes spent planning before writing. This is the section families most often skip and the one where structured practice pays off fastest.
Same start time, no pausing the clock, no interruptions. Because the real sitting is on paper, move the last two or three onto paper so the physical format is familiar too.
Light review, no new material, and a proper sleep routine. Nothing learned in the last week will beat turning up rested and unhurried.
A reasoning test cannot be crammed, so our material is built around the two things that actually move a score: repeated exposure to the question styles, and honest feedback on where the marks are being lost.
Papers pitched at Year 7 entry specifically, not a generic HAST set. The Middle and Senior papers are pitched differently, so practising at the wrong level wastes the term.
Reading Comprehension, Mathematical and Scientific Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Written Expression — including the abstract questions that have no classroom equivalent.
Every set is built to be sat under the clock, because pacing is what separates students who know the material from students who finish the paper.
Discursive writing from a verbal stimulus and creative or narrative writing from a visual one, styled on the ACER format so nothing on the day is a surprise.
Not a score out of ten. An actual marked response with highlighted passages and comments in the margin, returned within three to four working days.
Sectional results across several attempts show a trend rather than a single number, so study time goes to the section that will move the score most.
Start with the free samples. There is no need to commit before you know how your child handles the format. Download a free paper, sit it under time, and use the result to decide what preparation is actually needed.
Written for the Junior level specifically, covering all four sections under real exam timing.
Whatever stage you are at — checking which test your child needs, sampling a paper, or working through full timed practice — the right starting point is here.
Usually Year 6, for entry into Year 7 the following year. Some schools also run an earlier intake where current Year 5 students sit for a place two years ahead, so check which pathway each school on your list offers.
The Junior secondary level covers Reading Comprehension, Mathematical and Scientific Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning, and Written Expression. Not every school sits all four — confirm with the school before planning your preparation.
HAST sittings are paper-based. Online practice is the most efficient way to build reasoning skills and timing, but it is worth completing some later practice papers on paper so the physical format is familiar.
There is no single national date. Each school nominates its own test date with ACER, so dates and closing deadlines vary between schools. Registration commonly opens between November and February for entry the following year.
Not for Year 7 entry. NSW Department of Education selective high schools use the NSW Selective High School Placement Test. Some NSW independent schools do use HAST for scholarship entry, so check each school individually.
Yes — not by memorising content, but by practising the question types, building pacing under timed conditions, and writing regularly against the marking criteria. Abstract Reasoning in particular rewards familiarity, because nothing in the school curriculum resembles it.
Marking generally runs to around ten working days, after which schools begin making selection decisions. Offers and interviews usually follow some weeks after the sitting.
There is no single national cut-off. ACER marks and reports the results; each school sets its own threshold and weighting, and many combine the HAST result with interviews, school reports or a portfolio.
Repeatedly, under time, and with feedback they can act on. That is what turns a nervous first sitting into a familiar one.
