ASET practice test: where to find one and how to use it
Independent. Not affiliated with the WA Department of Education or ACER.
What is in the Department's practice ASET?
It has 41WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published parts, one for each test, plus an answer booklet and an answer key. The Department says it shows the types of questions to expect and the timing of each test2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
| Part | What it is | Minutes on the day | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading comprehension | Question booklet, PDF to print | 352WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Open the PDF |
| Communicating ideas in writing | Writing task, PDF to print | 252WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Open the PDF |
| Quantitative reasoning | Question booklet, PDF to print | 352WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Open the PDF |
| Abstract reasoning | Question booklet, PDF to print | 202WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Open the PDF |
| Answer booklet | the same answer booklet your child will use on the day1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published | — | Open the PDF |
| Answers | The key for the multiple-choice questions | — | Open the PDF |
All six come from the WA Department of Education, free. The year or edition of the practice test: Not published1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Not published.
What else does the Department publish to help?
The Department recommends that you go through the handbook with your child before the test1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. Two more free resources sit beside it.
The ASET Handbook
A video for children
The testing page has a video guide for students taking the ASET1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
The test-day sheet
Arrival and what to bring are in a Test Day Information Sheet for Parents, posted on the Department's website once applications close2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Who is the practice test for?
The Department says it is aimed at the Year 7 intake, and also useful for students applying for Years 9, 10 and 111WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. So it suits both the main Year 6 sitting and later entry.
| Your child | ASET date | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Year 6, applying for Year 7 in 2028 | 6 March 20273WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | The practice test is written for this group 1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| Years 8 to 10, applying for later entry | 7 March 20273WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Still a useful guide to the format 1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
Why aren't there any past ASET papers?
Past ASET papers: Not published1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Not published. The Department's testing page and handbook point to the practice ASET and the handbook's examples instead.
Any other paper your child sees comes from someone else, not the Department. The Department has no affiliation with any coaching or tutoring service1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
How do I set up a fair practice morning at home?
Run it like the real morning: the same order, the same times and one break. Your child then knows the pace before the day, with no surprises.
Keep the real order
The tests run Reading Comprehension, then writing, then Quantitative Reasoning, then Abstract Reasoning2WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Stop on time
Use the real rule: stop the moment time is called, with no going back to an earlier test2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Mark together
Use the key for the multiple choice. Read the writing against the handbook's criteria. 2WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
What can a practice result tell you?
Practice results do not show how a child will score1WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and the Department ignores them when it makes offers. Real ASET scores are standardised, and they are not percentages or percentiles4WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
| A practice run can show | A practice run can't show |
|---|---|
| Where time runs out in each test | A Total Standard Score 4WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Answers that slipped out of line | Your child's chance of an offer 1WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Question types that slow your child down | A ranking against other children 4WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Whether the writing keeps the prompt central | How trained markers would score the writing 2WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
Offers for academic programs go on the Total Standard Score only4WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. A practice score is a guide to what to talk about, nothing more.
How much preparation is sensible?
Less than many parents expect. The handbook says the ASET is not curriculum-based2WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published and advises preparation in moderation, because most forms of preparation have limits2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. It also warns that over-preparing can have the opposite effect2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
The Department does not endorse coaching or tutoring1WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Its own advice is to read the handbook carefully and try the Practice ASET2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Read the handbook together 1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published
One timed run of the practice ASET, in the real order 2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published
Talk through any answers that slipped out of line 2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published
Short rounds of two minutes jotting ideas from a picture or a line, as the handbook suggests 2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published
Read the test-day sheet once it is posted 2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published
Keep life normal: the handbook says to keep a healthy balance and carry on with friends and usual activities2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published
Questions parents ask about ASET practice
Are there ASET past papers?
Not from the Department. Past ASET papers: Not published1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Not published. The free practice ASET and the handbook's examples are what it offers.
Is the practice test like the real one?
It shows the types of questions to expect and the timing of each test2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, and it comes with the same answer booklet your child will use on the day1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. It is practice, not a past paper.
Can my child do it on a screen?
Print it if you can. The real ASET is a paper and pencil test at an assigned testing centre, with no online option2WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, so shading a printed answer booklet is part of the practice.
When should my child do the practice test?
After reading the handbook together, and early enough to talk the results through calmly. Keep the last week before 6 March 20273WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published light.
Does the Department look at practice scores?
No. Practice results do not show how a child will score1WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and the Department ignores them when it makes offers.
Does my child need a tutor for the ASET?
The Department does not endorse coaching or tutoring1WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published and has no affiliation with any coaching or tutoring service1WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. The handbook says the test is not curriculum-based2WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, so there is no extra content to learn.