There is a conversation that happens in every parent group chat around March. Someone asks how much they are paying for selective test coaching, and the numbers that come back are staggering. Three thousand. Five thousand. Eight thousand across two years. One parent described literally borrowing money from family and friends to cover coaching fees.

Fast price guide

Budget	Best use of the money	What to avoid
$0	Official ACER practice and one baseline diagnostic	Assuming one or two free papers are enough for the whole cycle
Under $200	One focused platform with digital practice and writing feedback	Layering multiple low-value subscriptions
$200-$1,000	Platform plus a small amount of targeted tutoring if genuinely needed	Buying premium tutoring before you know the actual weak areas
$3,000+	Only worth considering if your child truly benefits from structured classes and the family can absorb the cost comfortably	Treating cost itself as proof of quality

What Coaching Actually Costs

Here are typical 2026 prices across Sydney, based on published rates and parent-reported figures.

Preparation Type	Typical Cost	What You Get
Coaching college (James An, North Shore, etc.)	$3,000-$5,000/year	Weekly group classes (15-30 students), homework booklets, periodic mock tests
Small group tutoring (3-6 students)	$4,000-$7,000/year	Weekly sessions, more individual attention, some feedback
Private 1-on-1 tutor	$80-$150/hour	Personalised instruction, typically 1-2 hours per week
Online platform (one-time)	$50-$200	Full question banks, instant feedback, progress tracking
Free government resources	$0	ACER sample tests, limited official practice materials

A family starting in Year 4 might spend $6,000 to $15,000 across two years. As UTS researcher Dr Christina Ho has documented, this has "really locked out a lot of families" from selective test preparation.

For the parent working at a grocery store, saving everything they can to give their child a shot, those numbers are not just inconvenient. They are a barrier.

What a low-cost digital plan actually gets you

Online platforms have changed what is available at lower price points. Here is what a platform like SelectiveReady offers through a 3-day Pro trial, then a $15-$30/month plan, compared to a $5,000 coaching college enrolment.

Feature	Low-cost digital plan	$5,000 Coaching College
Practice exams	20+ full sets, all 4 modules	10-15 mock tests per year
Feedback speed	Instant, after every question	Days or weeks (if at all)
Writing feedback	AI-powered, rubric-based, immediate	Generic comments, delayed
Computer-based format	Yes — mirrors the real test	Rarely (most use paper)
Schedule flexibility	Any time, any device	Fixed weekly time slot
Progress tracking	Detailed analytics per module	Basic or no reporting
Personalisation	Adaptive to your child's level	One pace for the whole group

Coaching colleges offer a classroom environment, social motivation, and an experienced teacher in the room. Those are genuine advantages for some families. But on practice volume, feedback quality, and format realism, the low-cost digital option matches or exceeds what $5,000 buys.

What the NSW Government Says

This surprises many parents. The NSW Department of Education has been clear: coaching is not necessary for the Selective High Schools Test.

The test assesses aptitude — how a child thinks and reasons — not how many practice papers they have completed. The Department explicitly discourages expensive coaching, and the shift from General Ability to Thinking Skills was partly designed to reduce the advantage that intensive coaching provides.

Preparation is not pointless. Format familiarity and timed practice genuinely help. But there is a meaningful difference between sensible preparation and a $5,000 coaching programme.

Is Coaching Worth It?

It depends on your family.

Coaching may be worth it if your child thrives in a structured classroom with peers, you need the accountability of a fixed weekly commitment, and budget is not a constraint.

Coaching is probably not worth it if you are stretching financially to afford it, your child already dislikes tutoring, the centre still uses paper-based materials, or you mainly need practice volume and writing feedback.

Some families spend thousands only to find their child resents it. As one parent put it: "Tutoring didn't work — she hated it." If your child needs to be dragged to coaching, the return on investment drops sharply.

The Free Starting Point

Before spending anything, use the ACER practice tests provided by the NSW government. They are free, computer-based, and the closest thing to the real test.

The limitation is supply. Most families exhaust the free materials in one or two sessions. After that, you need fresh practice — and that is where the decision between a low-cost digital plan and a $5,000 coaching college becomes real.

What We Would Recommend

Start free. Use the official practice tests. See where your child stands.

If they need more practice — and most children benefit from it — a focused digital platform with a 3-day trial and $15-$30/month gives you comparable content to a coaching college, plus instant feedback and realistic computer-based format. That is still less than a single hour of private tutoring.

Save the thousands for something else. A family holiday before the test might do more for your child's confidence than another year of Saturday classes.

20+ practice sets, all 4 modules, instant writing feedback. Start with a 3-day Pro trial, then choose $15/month Standard or $30/month Pro.