How to prepare for Edutest scholarship tests
A calm plan from your child's first practice test to the morning of the real one.
Practice test 1 is free. No card needed.
The short answer
Start a term or two before your school's test date with one full Practice test, then practise the weakest skills in short, regular sessions. Expect a hard test: Edutest says most students get only half the questions right.
Checked by the SelectiveReady team on 24 October 2026 · Updated 3 November 2026 · How we check facts
Independent. Not affiliated with Edutest or any school named here.
On this page
- Where should preparation start?
- What does a good plan look like?
- How should your child practise each test?
- How does your child handle the clock?
- How should your child prepare for the writing?
- How do we choose a practice test, course or tutor?
- What happens in the week of the test?
- How do you keep your child calm?
Where should preparation start?
With one full test, sat like the real thing. It shows which of the five tests is strongest and which is pulling the result down, and that decides where the next few weeks go. The free Edutest practice test gives results by skill, so you can start there.
Edutest's tests come in two kinds, and they respond to practice differently. The Ability tests measure thinking, reasoning and problem solving, without necessarily relying on prior knowledge; reasoning gets faster once the question types are familiar. The Achievement tests measure actual achievement in Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Written Expression; these grow with steady learning over months.
What does a good plan look like?
One that works back from your school's test date. Because each school selects its own test date, check yours first on Edutest dates, then count back a term or two.
Plan short, regular sessions rather than long weekend ones. They're easier for a child to keep up, and they leave time for the review, which is where the learning happens.
- A term or two before
- The middle stretch
- The last few weeks
- The week of the test
How should your child practise each test?
Each test rewards a different habit, so practise them differently. Start with the test that cost the most marks in the first full test, and add the others once it's moving.
| Test | What helps most | At home |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | Naming the exact link between words | Word games: synonyms, opposites, odd one out |
| Numerical Reasoning | Checking a rule against every number | Spot the pattern in times tables and sequences |
| Reading Comprehension | Finding the evidence for an answer | Read widely, then ask "how do you know?" |
| Mathematics | Accurate working without a calculator | Mental arithmetic and word problems |
| Written Expression | Planning fast, then writing clearly | Timed writing on a surprise topic |
Each test has a page of worked sample questions: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Written Expression.
How does your child handle the clock?
By expecting not to finish. Edutest says many students will not finish every question. The skill is to keep moving: skip a question that is taking too long, and come back if there is time.
Your child should answer every question before time runs out. Edutest says no marks lost for wrong or blank answers, so a blank can never earn a mark.
The answer sheet needs care too. Children shade bubbles on a paper answer sheet, and answers shaded out of order cannot be fixed by hand after the test. Practise checking the question number before shading each bubble.
How should your child prepare for the writing?
With a quick routine, practised on fresh topics. Written Expression is 15 minutes with no separate planning time, so teach a short routine: choose the idea, jot a few points, then write.
Any mode may come up: creative, descriptive, narrative, persuasive, expository or informative. Practise each one at least once, on topics your child hasn't seen before.
Edutest assesses punctuation, creativity, construction, grammar, spelling and relevance to the task. After each practice piece, check one thing at a time: does it answer the topic, is it organised, are the sentences correct?
How do we choose a practice test, course or tutor?
Ask these before you pay anyone, including us, and expect plain written answers. Edutest calls its tests quite demanding, designed to identify the highest achieving students. Steady practice matters more than a crash course.
| Ask | Why it matters for Edutest |
|---|---|
| Does it cover every Edutest test, on Edutest's times? | Verbal and Numerical Reasoning take 30 minutes each, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics 30 minutes each, and Written Expression 15 minutes |
| Does it practise on a paper answer sheet? | Children shade bubbles on a paper answer sheet, and answers shaded out of order cannot be fixed by hand after the test. Online practice, ours included, can't copy the paper itself |
| Does it set timed writing, marked on Edutest's criteria? | Edutest assesses punctuation, creativity, construction, grammar, spelling and relevance to the task. Edutest's own practice sets have no writing test |
| Are its tests as long as the real ones, and timed? | Edutest's own practice has 20 practice questions per test; real tests have 40 to 60. practice is untimed; the real test is timed |
| Does it promise a score or a place? | Walk away. Results are compared with thousands of students in the same year level across Australia, and each school sets its own criteria and alone decides who gets a place |
| What's the full price, for what period, and how do you cancel? | Get it in writing before your child starts |
| Can your child try it first, free? | Ask for a free first test. Ours: Practice test 1 is free. No card needed. |
What happens in the week of the test?
Mostly checking, not studying. You'll get an email in the week of the test with the testing details, so read it the day it arrives and pack the night before.
| What to know | Edutest's rule |
|---|---|
| What to bring | two 2B or HB pencils, a blue or black pen, an eraser and a sharpener |
| Not allowed | calculators, rulers, dictionaries, working-out paper, mobile phones, smart watches and fitness trackers |
| ID | Edutest says photo ID may be required on the day |
| Special arrangements | Ask the school or Edutest at least 14 days before the test |
| If your child is ill | Edutest needs a medical certificate by midday on the first working day after the test |
Ask about special arrangements early, well before that deadline. A medical certificate doesn't settle things on its own: a certificate does not automatically mean another sitting or special consideration.
How do you keep your child calm?
Tell them early that these tests are meant to be hard. Edutest says most students get only about half the questions right.
Remind them that a test is a snapshot of one sitting. Edutest says a result reflects one moment in time, and each school sets its own criteria and alone decides who gets a place.
Practice test 1 is free, with results by skill, so you can start without guessing where your child stands.
See where your child stands
Practice test 1 marks every answer and shows results by skill: what your child already does well and the three skills to work on next.
Practise for the real test
Practice test 1 is free. Then packs from A$109 for 12 months, or A$9 a week, per exam.