ACER and selective entry
Scholarship and
selective prep.
What is actually on the ACER papers — and when to start.
What the ACER scholarship tests actually contain.
Most Canberra independent schools select scholarship candidates using tests written by the Australian Council for Educational Research. Families are rarely told what is in them.
Primary level, for entry into Years 4 to 6
Three components: Reading and Viewing, Mathematics, and Writing. Delivered on paper.
Secondary levels, for entry into Years 7 to 12
Three components: Writing Expression, Humanities, and Mathematics. Delivered online or on paper depending on the school. [Level-to-entry-year mapping is set by ACER and should be confirmed on the current ACER parent information page before you rely on it.]
What the tests are measuring — and why cramming has a low ceiling
ACER describes these tests as designed to rank applicants, finely differentiating the top end of performance, and as assessing the ability to think critically and apply higher-order thinking, problem solving and critical thinking skills, rather than only what a student knows.
The commercial consequence is worth stating plainly: on a test built to separate the top few per cent, content cramming runs out of road quickly, because everyone at that end already knows the content. What moves a result is reasoning speed, technique on unfamiliar problems, and having written to a time limit before.
The logistics that catch Canberra families out.
The school registers its test date with ACER. Parents register and pay separately for each school they wish to apply to. ACER marks the papers and reports to the school. The school decides and informs the family.
Two practical consequences: applying to four schools means four registrations and four fees, and the timetable is set by each school rather than by ACER.
Test dates therefore live on each school’s own scholarship page, not on ours, and not on ACER’s. Check the individual school — dates move year to year.
Canberra families most often ask about Radford College, Canberra Girls’ Grammar School, Daramalan College, Marist College, Merici College, Burgmann Anglican School, Brindabella Christian College, Trinity Christian School, St Edmund’s College, St Clare’s College, St Francis Xavier College, St Mary MacKillop College, St John Paul II College and Orana Steiner School. [Confirm on each school’s own scholarship page which currently run academic scholarships and which use ACER.]
The connection nobody in Canberra has drawn.
ACER also designs the ACT Scaling Test that every Year 12 ATAR student in the territory sits.
Both instruments reward the same three things: higher-order reasoning, argumentative writing produced to a time limit, and the interpretation of unfamiliar stimulus. A Year 6 student preparing properly for a scholarship test is building the exact capability that will scale their ATAR six years later.
The overlap makes scholarship preparation a long investment rather than a one-off cram, and it is why this page links to ACT BSSS tutoring.
Timing follows from the same logic: start nine to twelve months out, not six weeks. Reasoning and writing fluency train slowly, while the content ceiling is reached quickly.
Scholarships go to a very small number of applicants, the school decides rather than any tutor, and a strong test result does not guarantee an offer. What preparation reliably delivers is a child who is not frightened by the paper, who finishes it, and who has written to a time limit before.
NSW selective entry is a different system.
NSW selective high school placement is run by the NSW Department of Education and is separate from ACER scholarship testing, with its own application window and its own test. Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong families are usually looking at that system rather than at ACER. [Verify current NSW placement test dates and format at education.nsw.gov.au before relying on any specifics.] Tutoring in Queanbeyan.
NAPLAN is a third thing again, and is not a scholarship or entrance test. More on NAPLAN.
A full 60 minutes with a qualified teacher, in the family’s home, including a timed writing sample and a reasoning task. The family gets an honest read on whether their child is a realistic candidate before committing to a year of preparation.
That honesty is the point. A year of scholarship preparation is a significant investment, and it should start with an accurate picture.
Scholarship exam questions
What is the ACER scholarship test?
A test written by the Australian Council for Educational Research and used by many independent schools to rank scholarship applicants. The primary level covers Reading and Viewing, Mathematics and Writing; the secondary levels cover Writing Expression, Humanities and Mathematics.
When should we start preparing?
Nine to twelve months before the test. ACER designs these papers to assess higher-order reasoning rather than recall, so the content ceiling is reached quickly while reasoning speed and timed writing improve slowly.
Do we register, or does the school?
Both, for different things. The school registers its test date with ACER. Parents register and pay separately for each school they are applying to. ACER marks the papers and reports to the school, and the school makes the decision.
Do we pay a fee for each school?
Yes. Registration and payment are per school, so applying to four schools means four registrations and four fees. Test timetables are set by each school rather than by ACER.
Can you guarantee a scholarship?
No. Scholarships are awarded to a very small number of applicants and the decision belongs to the school, not to any tutoring service. Preparation delivers a child who is not frightened by the paper, who finishes it, and who has written to a time limit before.
Is the NSW selective test the same thing?
No. NSW selective high school placement is run by the NSW Department of Education, with its own application window and its own test, separate from ACER scholarship testing. Queanbeyan and Googong families are usually looking at the NSW system.
Is my child a realistic candidate?
The free assessment is designed to answer exactly that, using a timed writing sample and a reasoning task. Families are told honestly before they commit to a year of preparation, including when the answer is no.
How is this different from NAPLAN preparation?
NAPLAN is a national progress measure, not an entrance or scholarship test, and it is not used for selection. Scholarship tests are designed to finely differentiate the top end of performance. Preparing for one does not prepare a child for the other.