Balancing School, Sports and NSW Selective – One Parent’s Strategy
By Post Author | 9th Jul, 2025
Time-management hacks & lessons from a busy family preparing for the NSW Selective
“I didn’t want my child to give up football or family dinners just to prepare for a test. We had to find a way to make it all work — without burnout.” said Priya, a mother to Year 6 student from Sydney.
As the NSW Selective High School Test approaches, families of the participating students do feel the pressure to shift into high gear. Being parents to active children who are simultaneously involved in performing arts, music, sports and similar other extracurriculars, the challenge of coordinating and managing it all is tough indeed!
In such instances, how would you help your child prepare effectively for the NSW Selective Test, without causing a mayhem into their already existing routine. As an esteemed member of our Selectivetrial parent community Priya, a mother to a Year 6 student from Sydney shared her takeaway from balancing her child’s school, football training, and NSW Selective Test preparation and what she learned along the way.
To your rescue here’s her key pointers to balance it all:
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- Create a Weekly Rhythm (Not a Daily Grind)
“We ditched the idea of daily 2-hour sessions. It just didn’t work for us.” says Priya. Instead of trying to cram in practice every day, she had built a realistic weekly schedule for her son befitting his pre-existing engagements.
Here’s how her son included NSW Selective Test prep and practice into his weekly routine:
- 2 mock tests per week , mostly on Saturday & Sunday mornings
- 2 short topic sessions through the week, may be Monday & Thursday evenings, not exceeding 30 minutes
- 1 writing task completion every fortnight, with proper feedback
She also added, “It felt less intense but more sustainable. And it kept his confidence up.”
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- No Compromises on Sport Time
Each child has his/her way of recharging and relaxing. This certainly cannot be taken away or cut down from these young minds in the name of preparation.
In the similar line of thought, Priya considered sports for her son as a mental reset time rather than a distraction. Affirming her point of view Priya says, “Football was non-negotiable. That’s where he recharged.” She also adds, “We never cancelled practice for study. In fact, I think football made him sharper during study sessions. He was more focused when he knew he had just 45 minutes.”
Taking a cue from Priya’s experience and practice, parents to NSW Selective aspirants can manipulate their child’s rejuvenation time as per their preferences.
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- Used Online Tools that Tracked Progress
The biggest step to building a successful NSW Selective preparation plan is to work smart by making the optimum utilisation of already available tools and resources online.
With a lot of clarity, Priya says “I didn’t want to waste time marking or guessing what to revise.” She completely depended on trusted online test prep platforms like Selectivetrial. As a Selectivetrial user she was provided with:
- Auto-marked mock tests
- Clear performance insights
- Practice questions for all test sections
- Targeted revision based on weak areas
- Writing practice tests with personalised feedback
Post usage of Selectivetrial as her son’s NSW Selective Test prep platform, Priya said, “It removed the guesswork. He wasn’t overwhelmed by random practice — it was precise.”
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- Kept Downtime — Totally Intentional!
Rather than succumbing these young minds to over occupied prep schedules, having downtime or some leisure works wonders on their overall performance. This so-called downtime works magic by giving their mind, body and soul some time to breathe and contemplate freely.
As a practitioner of similar belief, Priya said that, “We kept Friday nights free. No prep, no guilt.” She also added that, “Selective prep should feel important, not like punishment. That break made all the difference!”
She ensured her son had time to switch off completely. This complete time-off mostly comprised of:
- Family movie nights
- Unstructured play
- Unadulterated & Quality family time
- Sleepovers
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- Ensured Focus on Writing
Often treated with lax both by students and concerned parents, but Writing is a big deal. A well-written piece demands a student’s clarity of thought, comprehension, grammatical precision and command over English language.
Priya says, “We underestimated how hard writing would be.” Once her son’s NSW Selective Test prep initiated with Selectivetrial, they started writing prep early and focused on feedback-based practice. She also added that “He submitted writing fortnightly through Selectivetrial, and the reviews were incredibly helpful. It wasn’t about writing more — it was about writing smarter.”
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Final Thought: Quality Over Quantity
To sum her son’s NSW Selective Test prep journey or Priya’s biggest advice to the now overwhelmed parents is, “You don’t need to do everything, just the right things — consistently.”
As an experienced parent she now firmly believes that balancing school, sports, and NSW Selective Test prep is possible. With the right tools, clear goals, and a calm mindset, families can help their children thrive — both in the exam and beyond!
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Have been feeling the desire to follow a Smarter NSW Selective Test Prep strategy?
Here’s what Selectivetrial has to offer for the aspiring students:
- Real exam-style mock tests
- Unlimited practice by subject
- Personalised Writing feedback by expert teachers
- Performance tracking
➡ ️ To know more explore Selectivetrial’s NSW Selective School Test 2026 page.
