When Should You Start Preparing for the NSW Selective Test?

If you're reading this, you've probably heard wildly different advice about when to start preparing your child for the NSW Selective High School Placement Test. Some parents swear their kids have been "prepping since Year 3." Others say they started six months before and did fine. So what's the truth?

Here's my honest take, as a parent who spent thousands on tutoring before building SelectiveGuru: most families should begin meaningful preparation at the start of Year 5, roughly 12 to 15 months before the test. But the type of preparation matters far more than when you start.

Let me explain why.

The Panic Is Real (But Often Misplaced)

Around 17,000 students sit the NSW Selective test each year, competing for approximately 4,300 places. That's roughly one in four applicants receiving an offer. It sounds competitive, but it's not as dire as some make it seem.

The anxiety often comes from social circles. In certain Sydney suburbs, it feels like every family is doing intensive tutoring from Year 3. Parents worry they're already "behind" before their child has even started Year 5.

Here's what I've learned: starting earlier doesn't guarantee better results. In fact, starting too early can backfire.

What Research Says About Kids This Age

Children aged 10 to 12 have genuine cognitive limits that we need to respect:

Focus capacity: Most Year 5 students can concentrate effectively for 20 to 30 minutes before needing a break. Pushing beyond this doesn't build stamina. It builds resentment.

Learning retention: Studies consistently show that distributed practice (spreading study across many short sessions over weeks) dramatically outperforms cramming. One study found students who spaced their learning scored 21 percentage points higher than those who crammed the same material.

Motivation matters: Children who associate learning with stress and pressure tend to underperform compared to those who feel capable and confident. A child who dreads practice sessions is learning less than a child who approaches them willingly.

The Danger of Starting Too Early

I've seen it happen. A well-meaning family starts intensive selective prep in Year 3 or early Year 4. By the time the actual test arrives in Year 6, the child is:

Exhausted and burnt out before the race even begins
Resentful of learning and "practice questions"
Anxious about an exam that's become their whole identity
Sometimes performing worse than kids who started later with fresh energy

The NSW Department of Education itself states that coaching or tutoring is not necessary and will not give your child an advantage. While I think some familiarisation with question formats genuinely helps, the government's point stands: you don't need years of drilling.

A Practical Timeline That Works

Based on what I've seen work for real families, here's a sensible approach:

18+ Months Before (Year 4 or Early Year 5)

Focus: Build foundations, not test prep

At this stage, forget about "selective prep" entirely. Instead:

Develop reading habits. A child who reads widely and for pleasure will naturally develop the comprehension skills the test measures. Fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, magazines: variety matters.
Ensure solid maths fundamentals. If your child has gaps in basic operations, fractions, or times tables, address these through normal schoolwork or light support.
Nurture curiosity. Kids who ask questions and explore ideas develop the thinking skills the test values.

This isn't "prep", it's just good parenting. And it pays dividends.

12 to 15 Months Before (Start of Year 5)

Focus: Introduce the test format gradually

This is when meaningful preparation can begin, but gently:

Take a baseline assessment. Find out where your child currently stands across Reading, Maths, Thinking Skills, and Writing. This prevents wasted time on areas they've already mastered.
Introduce question formats. The Thinking Skills section, in particular, contains question types most kids have never seen. Familiarity reduces anxiety.
Keep it light. Two to three short practice sessions per week (20 to 30 minutes each) is plenty at this stage.

6 to 9 Months Before (Mid-Year 5)

Focus: Build consistency and address weaknesses

Now you can increase the intensity slightly:

Four to five sessions per week, still keeping each session to 30 to 40 minutes.
Target weak areas identified in your baseline assessment. There's no point drilling probability if your child already understands it. Focus where it matters.
Start timed practice occasionally, but don't make every session a race.

3 to 6 Months Before (Year 5 Term 4 to Year 6 Term 1)

Focus: Test conditions and strategy

This is the intensive phase:

Full practice tests under timed conditions, replicating the real exam experience.
Review and learn from mistakes. This is where real improvement happens. It's not just about doing more questions, but understanding why wrong answers were wrong.
Writing practice becomes important here, as it's now weighted equally with other sections (25% of the total score).

Final Weeks

Focus: Maintain routine, reduce pressure

Don't cram. A well-rested, confident child will outperform an anxious, exhausted one.
Keep practice sessions shorter and focused on maintaining skills, not learning new ones.
Ensure your child gets good sleep, eats well, and has time for activities they enjoy.

"Is It Too Late to Start?"

I get asked this constantly. Here's the honest answer:

3 to 6 months before: Absolutely not too late. Focus on test format familiarity, time management strategies, and addressing the most significant gaps. Many successful students started here.

1 to 3 months before: You can still make meaningful progress, but be realistic. Focus on the Thinking Skills section (most improvement possible with practice) and Writing (easy quick wins with structure). Don't try to cover everything.

Less than a month: At this point, focus on reducing anxiety, building confidence with easier practice questions, and ensuring your child is well-rested for test day.

The key insight: some improvement is always possible, but expectations should be calibrated to the time available.

How Much Practice Is Actually Enough?

More isn't always better. Here's what works:

Daily consistency beats weekend marathons. Twenty minutes of focused practice five days a week produces better results than three-hour sessions on Saturday.

Quality over quantity. Ten questions with careful review of mistakes teaches more than fifty questions rushed through.

Watch for diminishing returns. If your child is making the same mistakes after weeks of practice, the problem probably isn't "not enough practice". It's the approach.

Signs you're doing too much:

Your child resists or dreads practice sessions
Performance is declining despite more effort
Sleep, appetite, or mood is affected
They're withdrawing from friends or activities they used to enjoy

If you see these signs, pull back. The goal is a child who walks into the test feeling capable and confident, not one who's relieved it's finally over.

What Actually Matters Most

After all my experience with selective prep, both as a parent who spent a fortune on tutoring and as someone who now builds practice tools, here's what I believe matters most:

A child who reads. Wide reading builds comprehension, vocabulary, and general knowledge more effectively than any drill.
Solid curriculum fundamentals. The test is based on Year 5 and 6 content, applied in challenging ways. Gaps in basics will show up.
Familiarity with question formats. The Thinking Skills section especially contains unfamiliar question types. Practice removes the "surprise" factor.
Time management skills. Learning to pace yourself across 35 to 40 questions in 40 minutes is a skill that can be developed.
A healthy mindset. A child who believes they can succeed, handles pressure reasonably well, and doesn't catastrophise mistakes will perform better than one crippled by anxiety.

The Bottom Line

You don't need to start in Year 3. You don't need to spend thousands on elite tutoring. You don't need to sacrifice your child's childhood to selective prep.

What you need is:

A child with solid foundations in reading and maths
Roughly 9 to 12 months of consistent, moderate practice
Familiarity with the test format and question types
A healthy, confident mindset going into test day

Start at the beginning of Year 5 if you can. Focus on quality over quantity. And remember: this test is one opportunity among many. Your child's worth isn't determined by an exam at age 11.

Try Sample Questions Now

Want to see what NSW Selective questions actually look like? Here are a few examples across different sections:

Sample Maths Question

Mia has a rectangular garden that is 12 metres long and 8 metres wide. She wants to build a path that is 1 metre wide around the entire outside of the garden. What is the area of the path?

A) 20 m²
B) 40 m²
C) 44 m²
D) 96 m²
E) 140 m²

Answer: C) 44 m²

Explanation: The outer rectangle (including path) is 14m × 10m = 140 m². The inner rectangle (garden) is 12m × 8m = 96 m². The path area is 140 - 96 = 44 m².

Sample Thinking Skills Question

If all Blips are Blops, and no Blops are Blaps, which statement must be true?

A) Some Blips are Blaps
B) No Blips are Blaps
C) All Blaps are Blips
D) Some Blaps are Blops

Answer: B) No Blips are Blaps

Explanation: If all Blips are Blops, and no Blops are Blaps, then no Blips can be Blaps (since every Blip is a Blop, and no Blop is a Blap).

Sample Reading Question

Read the following extract:

"The morning light crept through the curtains, though Emma wished it hadn't. She pulled the blanket over her head, dreading the conversation that awaited her downstairs. Her mother's voice, already sharp with frustration, echoed up the stairwell."

How does Emma feel about the coming day?

A) Excited and eager
B) Anxious and reluctant
C) Peaceful and content
D) Confused and uncertain

Answer: B) Anxious and reluctant

Explanation: Emma "wished" the light hadn't come, pulled the blanket over her head, and was "dreading" the conversation. These details show anxiety and reluctance about facing the day.

This article was written for SelectiveGuru, an Australian-made platform helping Year 5 and 6 students prepare for the NSW Selective High School Placement Test.