Selective test score report: what your child's bands mean
Independent. Not affiliated with the NSW Department of Education.
The Selective and OC reports give no score or rank. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published Each section shows one of four bands, top 10% · next 15% · next 25% · lowest 50%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, comparing your child with everyone who sat that year's test.
A report looks back. A free timed practice test shows each section today. A free section needs no account.
No account · nothing sent
Read your child's report
Check your choices
Choose the test, then the band or the school's outcome from the report.
This cannot be calculated
A practice score can't be turned into a band or a chance of an offer. Bands compare your child with everyone who sat that year's test 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and there's no set minimum score. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published Use practice results to find skills to work on.
This cannot be calculated
No reader, ours included, can turn a result into a chance of an offer. There is no set minimum score, and the level needed changes each year. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
This cannot be calculated
Outcomes give no score, rank or list position. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published A reserve letter is the Department's estimate of timing 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and list movement is Not published1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Not published.
This cannot be calculated
A band isn't a rank. The report gives no score or rank, and the Department can't provide one. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
This cannot be calculated
A band can't be turned back into a score: top 10% does not mean 90% correct1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. An appeal won't reveal a score either. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
For your situation
Top 10%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published in that section: among the strongest results that year. A band compares your child with everyone who sat that year's test 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published; it isn't a percentage of correct answers. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
For your situation
The next 15%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published in that section: inside the top quarter, below the top band. A band compares your child with everyone who sat that year's test 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published; it isn't a percentage of correct answers. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
For your situation
The next 25%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published in that section: inside the top half, below the top quarter. A band compares your child with everyone who sat that year's test 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published; it isn't a percentage of correct answers. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
For your situation
The lowest 50%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published in that section: the lower half, where half of all children are. There is no pass or fail mark1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. A band compares your child with everyone who sat that year's test 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published; it isn't a percentage of correct answers. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Check your choices
OC reserve letters run A to E10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. Check the letter in your dashboard.
For your situation
Letter A. The Department's estimate: By the end of September7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. It's an estimate of timing, not a list position or a promise 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and offers can still come until the end of Term 1 20277NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published.
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Letter B. The Department's estimate: By the end of October7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. It's an estimate of timing, not a list position or a promise 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and offers can still come until the end of Term 1 20277NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published.
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Letter C. The Department's estimate: By the end of November7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. It's an estimate of timing, not a list position or a promise 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and offers can still come until the end of Term 1 20277NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published.
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Letter D. The Department's estimate: By the end of December7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. It's an estimate of timing, not a list position or a promise 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and offers can still come until the end of Term 1 20277NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published.
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Letter E. The Department's estimate: By the end of January7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. It's an estimate of timing, not a list position or a promise 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and offers can still come until the end of Term 1 20277NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published.
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Letter F. The Department's estimate: Unlikely to get an offer7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. Any offer would likely come after the school year starts. 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Letter A. The Department's estimate: By the end of September10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. It's an estimate of timing, not a list position or a promise 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and offers can still come until the end of Term 1 202810NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published.
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Letter B. The Department's estimate: By the end of October10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. It's an estimate of timing, not a list position or a promise 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and offers can still come until the end of Term 1 202810NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published.
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Letter C. The Department's estimate: By the end of November10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. It's an estimate of timing, not a list position or a promise 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and offers can still come until the end of Term 1 202810NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published.
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Letter D. The Department's estimate: By the end of December10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. It's an estimate of timing, not a list position or a promise 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and offers can still come until the end of Term 1 202810NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published.
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Letter E. The Department's estimate: Unlikely to get an offer10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. Any offer would likely come after the school year starts. 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
An offer. Accept or decline it in the dashboard by its due date, or it is lost. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published You can accept now and decline later, but a declined offer can't be taken back. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
For your situation
An offer, and a place on a higher choice's reserve list. You can keep the offer and stay on that list until 3 December 2026, 3 pm (Sydney time)8NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Reserve list only. The letter is the Department's estimate of when an offer might come, not a promise. 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Read your reserve letterFor your situation
Unsuccessful for that school. Every NSW public school offers high potential and gifted education 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and each selective school runs its own entry for Years 8 to 11. 9NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
For your situation
Not applicable: that school was a lower choice than the school that made an offer1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, so no outcome was needed.
For your situation
An offer. Accept or decline it in the dashboard by its due date, or it is lost. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published You can accept now and decline later, but a declined offer can't be taken back. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
For your situation
An offer, and a place on a higher choice's reserve list. You can keep the offer and stay on that list until 3 December 2026, 3 pm (Sydney time)8NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Work out the reserve decisionFor your situation
Reserve list only. The letter is the Department's estimate of when an offer might come, not a promise. 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Read your reserve letterFor your situation
Unsuccessful for that school. Every NSW public school offers high potential and gifted education. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published An OC result doesn't decide Selective entry: you apply separately in Year 5. 11NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
For your situation
Not applicable: that school was a lower choice than the school that made an offer1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, so no outcome was needed.
What does your child's report say?
Choose what you're reading: a band, a school's outcome or a practice score. The reader explains it, with what it can't tell you beside the answer.
An example: a parent sees Next 15%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published for Reading. The reader says that band is inside the top quarter, below the top band. It isn't a percentage of correct answers. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
No report reader can tell you a score or rank 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, a chance of an offer 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, or how your child is doing at school. The test is not a measure of school learning1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
What does the Selective performance report show?
It shows one band for each section of the test, and nothing else about marks. Selective has 42NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published sections; OC has 33NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, with no Writing.
One row per section
Each section is judged on its own, so a child can be in a different band in each.
The same four bands in every section
Top 10% · next 15% · next 25% · lowest 50%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, of the children who sat it.
Your child's band, marked
The report names how many children sat that year's test4NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, the group your child is compared with.
What isn't there
No score, no rank and no pass or fail mark1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
That group is only the children who sat that year's test, not every child in Year 64NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Where do we find the report?
The report is in your application dashboard1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published: select View outcomes, then the Student performance report.
The login code sent by email lasts 151NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutes. Still can't log in? Email the Selective Education Team at set@det.nsw.edu.au1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
What do the four bands mean?
Each band is a slice of everyone who sat that year's test, in that section. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
| Band | Where your child's result sits |
|---|---|
| Top 10%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Among the strongest results in that section that year |
| Next 15%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Inside the top quarter, below the top band |
| Next 25%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Inside the top half, below the top quarter |
| Lowest 50%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | In the lower half, where half of all children always are |
Does top 10% mean 90% correct?
No: top 10% does not mean 90% correct1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. A band compares your child with other children, so the same marks could land in a different band in another year.
Can a Selective score calculator work out my child's score?
No. No calculator can turn practice marks or bands into a Selective score, rank or chance of an offer. The Department gives no scores 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published and sets no minimum score for any school. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
A calculator needs a known score and cut-off
Neither exists in public. Families get bands, not marks, and there is no set entry score.
Offers use performance and your choice order
Some questions don't count
Common items do not count6NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published: they're shared across test versions.
How is the outcome different from the report?
The report says how your child did, section by section. The outcome says what each school decided. A reserve band, if shown, is the Department's estimate of when an offer might come. 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
| Outcome | What it means | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Offer | A place at that school. | Accept or decline in the dashboard by the due date. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published A Selective offer needs enrolment within 21NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published weeks. |
| Offer and higher-choice reserve list | A place, plus a reserve place at a school you ranked higher. | You can hold the offer and wait until 3 December 2026, 3 pm (Sydney time)8NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Work out the reserve decision. |
| Reserve list only | No offer yet; a reserve place with a band. | Wait for an email. Offers can come until the end of Term 1 20277NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published. |
| Unsuccessful | No place at that school this round. If every choice is unsuccessful, the schools are not listed1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. | Each school runs its own entry for Years 8 to 11 9NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and every NSW public school offers high potential and gifted programs1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. |
| Not applicable | That school was a lower choice than the school that made an offer1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. | Nothing to do for that school. |
What do the reserve letters mean?
A reserve letter is about timing, not performance. Selective runs A to F7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published; OC runs A to E10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published.
| Letter | Selective, Year 7 entry in 2027 | OC, Year 5 entry in 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| A | By the end of September7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published | By the end of September10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published |
| B | By the end of October7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published | By the end of October10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published |
| C | By the end of November7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published | By the end of November10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published |
| D | By the end of December7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published | By the end of December10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published |
| E | By the end of January7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published | Unlikely to get an offer10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published |
| F | Unlikely to get an offer7NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published | No Band F |
Can we appeal the result?
Only on set grounds, with documents, by the deadline: usually 51NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published business days after outcomes. For this round, Selective appeals closed 26 August 2026, 11:59 pm (Sydney time)8NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published and OC appeals closed 16 September 2026, 11:59 pm (Sydney time)8NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Grounds | disappointment, practice results or other tests are not valid grounds1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. |
| Marking | No re-marking1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published: questions aren't marked again. |
| Evidence | Up to 31NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published documents, and nothing can be added later. |
| Decisions | A panel decides, and appeal decisions are final1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. |
Can a practice score be converted into a band?
No. A practice result compares your child with a different group, or with none. Use it to find skills to practise.
How do we read a practice test report?
Check four things before you trust a practice percentile or a "projected band".
Who wrote and marked the test.
How many children it compares with, and who they were.
Whether a projection is the provider's own estimate, not a Department result.
Any claim that it predicts an offer. There is no set minimum score to predict against.
If your child has another test ahead
A child with the Selective test still ahead can use practice to see which section needs work. An OC place doesn't lead to Selective on its own: you apply separately. 11NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Our practice is for the Selective test, not OC. 12SelectiveReady · 12 October 2026 · Published Your child can take one full practice test with results, with a free account12SelectiveReady · 12 October 2026 · Published, shown by topic. These are our practice marks, not the Department's bands.
What should we tell our child about the report?
Keep it low key. If you share the report, the Department suggests making clear the test doesn't show how they are doing at school1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Talk about effort, not bands
You worked hard on a test that's hard for everyone.
Keep it separate from school
The test is not a measure of school learning1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, so school reports still say how your child is going.
Let them choose how much to see
Some children want the details; some only want to know what happens next.
Questions parents ask about Selective scores
What is a good score for the Selective test?
There isn't a score to aim for. Families get bands, not marks 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and there is no set minimum entry score for any school. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Does a top 10% band mean an offer?
Not on its own. Places depend on performance and your choice order, and the level needed changes each year. 1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published Check the outcome for each school instead.
What is the Selective test out of?
Families aren't told a total. The report gives a band per section, and some shared questions don't count. 6NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Are the OC bands the same?
Yes. The four performance bands work the same way across OC's 33NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published sections. OC reserve letters run A to E10NSW Education · 18 October 2026 · Published, one fewer than Selective.