Five timed sections. Two very different kinds of test inside one paper. This guide breaks down every section of the EduTest test format — the question types, the timing, how ability differs from achievement, and exactly what your child will face on the day.
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The EduTest is a single, computer-based paper made of five equally weighted sections, sat in one continuous sitting with short breaks. Two of them are ability tests (Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning) that measure reasoning your child has never been formally taught. Three are achievement tests (Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Written Expression) that measure what school has covered.
Everything except Written Expression is multiple choice. Nothing is negatively marked. No calculators are allowed. Raw scores are standardised against thousands of students in the same year level, averaged across the five sections, and sent to the school — never to you.
The single most useful thing to understand about the EduTest test format is that pace, not difficulty, is what separates candidates. Roughly 30 to 36 seconds per question is the real constraint.
EduTest deliberately mixes two different kinds of assessment. Preparing for one does almost nothing for the other, which is why children who are strong at school sometimes score lower than expected.
Reasoning tests measure raw problem-solving with unfamiliar material. There is no syllabus behind them, and most Australian schools never teach these question types explicitly. That is exactly the point: they are designed to find potential rather than coaching.
These are the two sections where familiarity with the question format matters most. A child meeting an analogy or a number series for the first time on exam day loses marks to confusion, not to lack of ability.
Achievement tests measure curriculum knowledge and skills, applied at speed. The content is familiar; the pressure is not. Questions are pitched at or slightly above the current year level, and rise sharply between Year 8 and Year 11 entry.
Here the gains come from fluency and accuracy under a clock, not from learning new content. A child who knows the maths but works slowly will still lose marks.
Why it matters for preparation: the achievement sections respond to timed drilling on content your child already knows. The ability sections respond to exposure — seeing hundreds of analogies, classifications and number series until the pattern types become automatic. Split your preparation accordingly instead of treating all five sections the same way.
Question counts and timings for selective entry into Years 8 to 11. Individual schools occasionally run slightly different configurations — always confirm against the pack your school sends.
| Section | Time | Questions | Format | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ability tests — reasoning, not curriculum | ||||
| Verbal Reasoning | 30 min | ~60 | Multiple choice | Vocabulary, analogies, classifications, word relationships and verbal logic |
| Numerical Reasoning | 30 min | ~50 | Multiple choice | Number patterns, sequences, properties and logical number problems beyond arithmetic |
| Achievement tests — curriculum knowledge under time pressure | ||||
| Reading Comprehension | 30 min | ~50 | Multiple choice | Literal, inferential and critical reading across literary, informational and persuasive passages |
| Mathematics | 30 min | ~60 | Multiple choice, no calculator | Number and algebra, measurement and geometry, statistics and probability |
| Written Expression | ~35 min incl. 5 min planning | 1–2 prompts | Open response, hand-marked | Creative or persuasive writing, marked on ideas, structure, language and conventions |
One caveat worth knowing. Written Expression is the least consistent part of the EduTest test format. Most selective-entry sittings for Years 8 to 11 run roughly 35 minutes with planning time and one or two prompts, but some scholarship sittings use a single shorter task of about 15 minutes. Everything else — the four 30-minute multiple-choice sections — is stable. Confirm the writing component with your school.
~60 questions in 30 min
~50 questions in 30 min
~50 questions in 30 min
~60 questions in 30 min
1–2 prompts, hand-marked
Rings show pace pressure — a fuller ring means less thinking time per question.
Click through each section to see what it tests, the exact question types that appear, the timing maths, and the trap that costs most students marks.
Students read a series of short passages and answer multiple-choice questions on each. The passages rotate through literary extracts, informational and factual writing, and persuasive or opinion pieces — deliberately, so that no single reading habit carries a student through.
The section that surprises the most families. Verbal Reasoning is not English — it is logic performed with words, and almost none of it is taught in an Australian classroom. It is also the fastest section in the paper, with roughly 60 questions in 30 minutes.
Numerical Reasoning is not the maths section. It asks your child to spot relationships between numbers rather than execute taught procedures. The arithmetic involved is usually simple; finding the rule is the hard part, and no calculator is permitted.
The curriculum section. Content is drawn from the Australian Curriculum at or slightly above the entry year level, and it steps up sharply between Year 8 and Year 11 entry. Around 60 questions in 30 minutes makes this the joint-fastest section in the paper, and calculators are not allowed.
The only section not marked by a computer. Students are given a prompt — typically creative or persuasive — and write a single piece under time pressure. Trained markers score it against a rubric, usually 0 to 4 on each of four criteria, and that score is standardised like every other section.
Our free EduTest trial runs the full format on a live timer, with worked solutions after every question.
Recognising the type is half the speed. These are the recurring formats across the EduTest test format, with a plain example of each.
Identify the relationship in the first pair, then apply the identical relationship to the second.
Four items share a property; one does not. The category is often broader than it first looks.
Choose the closest or most opposite meaning. Tests vocabulary depth, not just recognition.
Continue or complete a sequence. Check differences first, then ratios, then alternating rules.
A rule operates across each row and down each column. Find the value that satisfies both.
Deduce which operations were applied to turn one number into another, then repeat them.
Draw a conclusion the passage supports but never states. The evidence must be in the text.
A familiar word used in an unfamiliar way. The surrounding sentence, not the dictionary, decides.
Why the piece was written and how the writer feels. Common in persuasive passages.
Two or three operations chained together, usually with a unit conversion hidden inside.
The answer can be reached by ruling options out rather than computing fully.
A title, opening line or statement to build a piece around, planned and written on the clock.
Examples are illustrative of the question styles — they are not real EduTest questions, which are never released. See our guide on EduTest past papers and why none exist.
Difficulty is not what most students lose marks to. Pace is. Here is what the clock actually demands.
Verbal Reasoning and Mathematics both run roughly 60 questions in 30 minutes. That is half a minute per item including reading it. A child who has only practised untimed has never met this constraint.
Reading Comprehension and Numerical Reasoning sit at about 50 questions in 30 minutes. Marginally kinder, but Reading also requires getting through the passage itself.
Four 30-minute multiple-choice sections plus the writing task, with short breaks between. Most sittings run around two and a half hours of test time and a little over three hours door to door.
Move through the section answering anything that resolves within about 20 seconds. Flag the rest and keep going. Most students find 60–70% of items fall into this bucket.
EduTest does not deduct marks for wrong answers, so an unanswered question can only score zero while a guess has a real chance. Eliminate what you can, choose, flag, move on.
With the easy marks banked, spend remaining time on the harder items in order of how close they felt. Change an answer only with a concrete reason.
The most expensive mistake in the whole paper is carrying a bad section into the next one. Each section is standardised separately and weighted equally — one weak section does not sink the result.
EduTest does not publish its exact formula, but the process it describes is consistent and worth understanding before results arrive.
Multiple-choice sections are marked on correct answers only — nothing is deducted for a wrong answer. Written Expression is scored by trained markers, typically 0 to 4 on each of the four rubric criteria.
Each raw score is converted into a standardised score, comparing your child against thousands of other students at the same year level across Australia. This is why percentile, not percentage, is the meaningful number.
All five sections contribute equally. Written Expression is not worth less because it is one task, and Mathematics is not worth more because it has more questions.
The five standardised scores are averaged into a single overall figure, which is sent to the school. Each school sets its own cut-off, and there is no national pass mark.
Results do not come to you. EduTest reports to the receiving school, not to parents. It is entirely up to the school whether a parent report is shared, and when. If a report matters to you, ask the school before the sitting rather than after.
The practical consequence of equal weighting: your child's weakest section costs exactly as much as their strongest section earns. Preparation time is almost always better spent lifting the bottom two sections than polishing the top one.
The format is only half the picture. Knowing the shape of the day removes most of the nerves that cost marks in the first section.
Students arrive at the host school and register. Photo identification is usually required. Parents are directed to a waiting area and do not go through with their child.
The test is computer-based. Students are assigned a station and given login details. Scrap paper is provided for working; calculators are not permitted.
A short practice tutorial covers how to navigate, flag questions and read the timer. This is worth taking seriously — it is the only time your child sees the interface before it counts.
Sections run in a fixed order with brief breaks between them. Each section's timer is independent — finishing early does not add time to the next one, and running out of time does not carry over.
After the final section students are released back to parents. Expect around three hours door to door. Schools email confirmation of start and finish times in the week of the sitting — keep the whole day free.
Photo ID, the confirmation email, water, a snack for the break, and glasses if worn. Pens are usually supplied but bring two anyway.
An unfamiliar room, an on-screen timer, and questions harder than school. All three are normal. So is not finishing every section.
Late-night revision, a heavy breakfast, and any new material in the final week. Arrive rested rather than crammed.
The five sections and their timings stay the same. What changes is the content ceiling, the competition, and where the marks are won.
Maths sits around fractions, decimals, percentages and basic algebra. Verbal Reasoning vocabulary is the biggest single differentiator at this level.
Algebra becomes properly multi-step and geometry expands. Reading passages lengthen and inference questions increase in share.
Indices, Pythagoras and linear relationships appear. Written Expression carries real weight because the cohort is small and strong.
The smallest intake and the highest bar, often tied to senior scholarships. Persuasive writing and critical reading dominate the English side.
Practice papers should always match the entry level rather than the current school year. Browse EduTest practice by entry year, or compare pathways in our EduTest vs ACER guide.
Because the paper contains two different kinds of test, it needs two different kinds of preparation.
The review rule: a practice paper your child has not reviewed properly has taught them almost nothing. Sort every wrong answer into four buckets — didn't know it, misread it, ran out of time, careless slip — because each one has a different fix. Fifteen well-reviewed papers beat thirty rushed ones.
All five sections, on a live timer, with worked solutions and section-by-section reporting.
The questions families ask us most often about how the paper is built.
Five sections: Reading Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Mathematics and Written Expression. The four multiple-choice sections run 30 minutes each and Written Expression around 35 minutes including planning, so most sittings total roughly two and a half hours of test time plus short breaks. Allow about three hours door to door.
The ability tests — Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning — measure reasoning with unfamiliar material and are not tied to any syllabus. The achievement tests — Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Written Expression — measure curriculum knowledge and skills. Both count equally, but they respond to completely different preparation.
Four of the five sections are multiple choice and computer-marked. Written Expression is the exception: students produce an original piece of writing that is marked by trained human markers against a rubric covering ideas and content, organisation, language and vocabulary, and conventions.
No. Students work mentally or on the scrap paper provided, in both Mathematics and Numerical Reasoning. This is why arithmetic fluency matters more than advanced content — a child who hesitates on times tables loses time on every second question.
No. Marks are awarded for correct answers and nothing is deducted for incorrect ones, so an unanswered question can only score zero while a guess has a real chance. Teach your child to answer every question, guessing quickly rather than lingering.
Approximately 60 in Verbal Reasoning, 50 in Numerical Reasoning, 50 in Reading Comprehension and 60 in Mathematics, with one or two prompts in Written Expression. That works out to roughly 30 to 36 seconds per question, which is the real difficulty of the paper.
Raw scores are converted into standardised scores that compare your child against thousands of students in the same year level nationally. All five sections are weighted equally and averaged into one overall score, which goes to the school. Each school sets its own cut-off; there is no national pass mark.
Not directly. EduTest reports to the receiving school, and it is the school's decision whether and when a parent report is shared. If seeing a report matters to you, ask the school before the sitting.
The five sections and their timings stay the same. What changes is the content ceiling — Mathematics moves from fractions and basic algebra at Year 8 entry through to indices, Pythagoras and linear relationships by Year 10 and 11 entry, and reading passages lengthen with more inference and critical questions.
No — EduTest has never released a past paper, because questions are held in a secure bank and reused across schools and years. The closest legitimate substitute is a full-length exam-style mock sat under real conditions. We explain the distinction in detail in our guide to EduTest past papers.
Nine to twelve months is ideal, because vocabulary and writing improve on slow curves. Six months is workable with a diagnostic mock first and tight focus on the two weakest sections. Under eight weeks, skip familiarisation entirely and go straight to timed practice.
The receiving school's information pack is the authority, since a small number of schools run slightly different configurations — particularly for the writing task. Cross-check against the Edutest Australia parents page, and confirm anything that affects your preparation plan.
Understanding the five sections is the easy half. The half that moves a score is sitting the whole paper under real conditions, early enough that a weak section is useful information rather than bad news.
