What is the HAST test?
The Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST) is developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to help schools identify academically gifted students for selection into high-ability classes, gifted & talented programs and the HAST scholarship test at secondary level. Whether you're starting HAST exam preparation or looking for HAST resources and sample questions, this page gives you everything in one place.
Crucially, the HAST measures higher-order thinking skills and academic potential rather than what a student has memorised in the classroom. It is offered at upper primary, junior secondary, and middle & senior secondary levels, and is administered directly by each participating school — so registration windows and sitting dates vary school to school.
Reading Comprehension
Multiple-choice questions on prose, poetry, diagrams, tables and maps — identifying main ideas, interpretations, points of view and logical relations.
Mathematical Reasoning
Quantitative reasoning set in real-life situations — number, pattern, space, time and measurement, with logical and strategic problem solving.
Abstract Reasoning
Non-verbal pattern puzzles: Next in Sequence, Complete the Pattern and Middle-of-Sequence, using size, shape, number, shading and orientation.
Written Expression
An extended writing task (discursive or creative) judged on thought, structure, expression and mechanics. You get 25 minutes to plan and write.
Depending on the school, students sit either three or four of these components. Results are referenced against a high-ability cohort rather than the general population, which is why even small gains in a hard component can move a student several percentile points.
HAST sample questions & practice papers
Below are real HAST sample questions taken from ACER's official HAST Sample Question Booklets — ideal HAST exam practice and a great companion to full HAST practice papers and test papers. Pick a release, read each question, and click an option to instantly check your answer. As a guide, allow 1–2 minutes per question.
Junior-secondary style (2019) & junior–middle-secondary style (2023). Source: ACER HAST Sample Question Booklets.
The two camels (table-based unit)
The Arabian (Dromedary) camel has one hump, thick sole pads, can cover 160+ km in a day and lives across NW India, Afghanistan, the Arabian Peninsula, Somalia and Australia. The Bactrian camel has two humps, hard cloven feet, a smaller heavier build, can carry up to 454 kg, travels ~45 km/day and withstands extreme temperatures in Central Asia, Mongolia and NW China. Both share endurance, strength, fat-storing humps, and can go days without water.Q3. A camel driver has covered 85 kilometres in one day. Which type of camel is his most likely to be?
Q4. The most likely reason the two camels have different types of feet is because they
Q2. Which one of the following statements is true?
Q13. Seven consecutive whole numbers add to 63. What is the middle number?
Q15. Nat, Jarrod and Kate score 84 points in total. Nat scores twice as many as Jarrod and six more than Kate. How many points does Jarrod score?
Q16. Tim's bag has 15 red jelly beans; yellow = ⅓ of red; ½ of all his jelly beans are green. How many are green?
"There are more important things in life than happiness." · "Happiness is being able to do what you want, when you want." · "Being happy means different things to different people."
What do you think about happiness? Write a piece giving your ideas, and give it a title.
Judged on what you say, how you organise it, and how clearly you express yourself.From "Dr. Nikola" (Australian science-fiction, 1899)
Dr. Nikola tilts a plate of swirling fluid that shifts from purple to blue. As the narrator watches, a picture forms — a long wooden house with a verandah, palms and the sea — a place he recognises from recovering from a fever. Nikola, pleased but self-contained, then tilts the plate and the picture vanishes in a whirl of colour.Q1. Lines 1–6 suggest that Dr. Nikola is
Q7. When the narrator recognises himself in the picture, he
Q14. "The greatest part of our happiness depends on our character, not our circumstances." The quotation suggests that
Q1. Jaxon's 4-digit passcode can use any digits 0–9, repeats allowed. If he randomly enters four digits, what is the chance he enters the correct code?
Q22. A drawer has 10 black, 10 red and 10 blue socks. What is the smallest number Lance must take out to be sure of a red pair?
Q20. If a person walks 10,000 steps every day and lives to 100, which is the best estimate of how far they would walk in their lifetime?
"It's a waste of our valuable time trying to stay tidy. I say, 'Long live mess!'"
Do you agree? What is your experience of 'mess'? Your writing must be based on this stimulus.
Note: in the real test you may lose marks if your writing is judged to be pre-prepared and not developed from the stimulus.Download the full official sample booklets
Higher Ability Selection Sample Tests
Download free, level-by-level HAST sample tests and HAST test papers for every entry point — Primary through to Year 11 — across Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Abstract Reasoning. These free HAST resources are the perfect starting point for HAST test preparation.
Reading
HAST Reading Sample Test — Primary HAST Reading Sample Test — Year 7/8 Entry HAST Reading Sample Test — Year 9/10 Entry HAST Reading Sample Test — Year 11 EntryTry our free HAST mock test online
Reading sample questions is a great start — but nothing beats sitting a real, timed test. SelectiveTrial's free HAST Primary Practice Test (2026) lets your child experience the genuine exam format online, with instant feedback, before committing to anything.
HAST Primary Practice Test Exam 2026
An expert-designed, exam-style practice test covering the core HAST components — sat online in real conditions, so your child knows exactly what test day feels like.
No payment required · suitable for upper-primary students preparing for HAST.
HAST test preparation with SelectiveTrial
Official samples set the baseline — but a baseline isn't a plan. SelectiveTrial's HAST preparation course turns sample questions into a structured, repeatable routine, backed by HAST tutoring and coaching, so your child walks into the real sitting calm, paced and prepared. Our HAST mock tests and exam preparation support students across Australia, including HAST preparation in Sydney.
A complete preparation system
Full-length timed mocks
Real-condition papers that build the stamina and pacing needed across a 2–2.5 hour session — not just isolated questions.
Component-specific drills
Targeted sets for reading, maths, abstract reasoning and writing so students strengthen their two weakest areas first.
Worked solutions
Every answer explains the reasoning — the inference, the maths step, the transformation rule — not just the letter.
Progress tracking
A running record of mistakes by type, so recurring errors get fixed instead of repeated paper after paper.
Writing rubrics
Weekly timed writes marked against clear criteria — the component that responds fastest to deliberate practice.
Staged study plan
A phased 9–12 month build-up: diagnostic, skill-building, mastery and taper — mocks delivered at the right pace.
Your four-phase practice journey
1 · Diagnostic & foundation (months 1–3)
Sit an official ACER sample under timed conditions as a baseline. Mark it carefully, pinpoint the two weakest components, and build accuracy before speed.
2 · Skill building (months 4–8)
One full mock every 2–3 weeks plus two timed component papers each week. Review every paper thoroughly before sitting the next.
3 · Mastery (months 9–11)
One full-length paper per week in real conditions — timed, scored, no notes. Most students sit five to eight papers in this phase.
4 · Taper (final 4 weeks)
One or two papers early, then ease back to vocabulary, mental-maths and abstract-reasoning review. No new mock papers in the final week.
Get more from every practice paper
Keep a mistake log
Write the type of error, not just the question. Reviewing every wrong answer beats simply sitting more papers.
Name the rule
In abstract reasoning, state the rule for every item — right or wrong. A lucky guess doesn't generalise to the next question.
Plan before you write
Five minutes outlining beats five extra minutes writing. Marks are won on structure, not on the topic.
Confirm the components
Schools use three- or four-component packages. Check your target school's page so writing practice is weighted correctly.
Pace yourself
Allow 1–2 minutes per question. If one is too hard, skip it and return later — don't let it eat your time.
Practise in real conditions
Closer to the test, sit full papers timed and scored with no notes, so the real sitting feels familiar.
HAST test preparation — common questions
What is the HAST test?
The HAST test (Higher Ability Selection Test) is an ACER assessment used to identify academically gifted students for high-ability classes and the HAST scholarship test. It measures higher-order thinking across Reading Comprehension, Mathematical Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Written Expression rather than classroom achievement.
Where can I find free HAST practice tests and sample papers?
This page provides free HAST practice tests, HAST practice papers and HAST sample questions for every level from Primary to Year 11, plus the official ACER HAST test papers and SelectiveTrial HAST mock tests — all useful HAST resources for HAST exam practice.
How do I prepare for the HAST exam?
Strong HAST exam preparation combines official sample questions, component drills, full-length HAST mock tests and timed writing. A structured HAST preparation course with HAST tutoring and coaching keeps the practice on track. SelectiveTrial offers HAST test preparation and exam practice for students across Australia.
Is HAST tutoring or coaching available in Sydney and across Australia?
Yes. SelectiveTrial provides HAST tutoring, HAST coaching and a full HAST preparation course online, supporting HAST test preparation in Sydney and right across Australia, for every HAST level and entry point.
What does the HAST scholarship test involve?
Many independent schools use the HAST as a scholarship test. Depending on the school, students sit three or four components, and results are referenced against a high-ability cohort. Our HAST practice papers and mock tests mirror this format so students are ready for the real HAST scholarship test.