Our Selective Test
Prep Curriculum
SelectiveGuru's own guided program for preparing your child for the NSW Selective High School test, step by step. We teach each skill, let your child practise it, and build from the fundamentals all the way to test ready, across Maths, Thinking Skills, Reading and Writing.
This is our own approach to Selective preparation, the way we think works best. It is not an official or prescribed Selective syllabus.
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What is the SelectiveGuru Curriculum?
It is our own guided study plan for the NSW Selective High School test, our take on how to prepare best, not an official syllabus. It decides what your child should learn next and keeps everything in a logical order, so you never have to design a study schedule or guess what to cover. Each skill is taught, then practised, then revisited, so understanding builds up properly over time rather than being crammed at the end.
How the Curriculum works
A simple idea done properly: teach the skill, practise it, then keep building.
Learn the skill first
Every new skill is introduced and explained before it is ever tested. Your child sees how it works with a clear example, so they start from understanding rather than guessing.
Practise and master
Your child works through questions on the skill they have just learned, then keeps meeting it again over time so it really sticks. Skills are not dropped after one go.
Builds toward test level
The work starts with the fundamentals and steadily gets more challenging as your child improves, so by the time the test approaches they are working at full test difficulty.
No planning for you
The Curriculum decides what comes next and keeps it all in order. You simply open it and your child knows exactly what to do that day, with nothing left for you to organise.
Everything the test asks for
The Curriculum covers all four parts of the Selective test, plus the smaller skills that add up on the day.
Mathematical Reasoning
Number, fractions, money, measurement, geometry, data and more, taught skill by skill and built up to multi-step problem solving.
Thinking Skills
Logical reasoning, critical thinking and spatial reasoning, with the kinds of puzzles and argument questions the test is known for.
Reading
Comprehension across prose, poetry and linked extracts, building the close-reading and inference skills the test rewards.
Writing
Regular writing practice across the styles the test can ask for, so your child is comfortable putting ideas on the page under time pressure.
Plus mental maths and vocabulary built in along the way, so the quick-recall skills that make a real difference on test day grow steadily over time.
Who is the Curriculum for?
It is built for families who want a clear plan rather than a pile of questions. Whether your child is just starting their Selective journey or has done some preparation already, the Curriculum meets them where they are and takes them forward at the right pace.
It works best when your child has time before the test, so the skills can build properly. The earlier you start, the more the plan can do.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SelectiveGuru Curriculum?
The Curriculum is a guided, year-round study plan for the NSW Selective High School test. Instead of leaving you to work out what to study and when, it lays out a clear path that teaches each skill, lets your child practise it, and then keeps building. It covers every part of the test, so your child is preparing across Maths, Thinking Skills, Reading and Writing in a sensible order rather than jumping around.
How is the Curriculum different from just doing practice questions?
Practice questions test what your child already knows. The Curriculum teaches first, then practises. Each new skill is introduced and explained, your child works through it, and only then does it become part of their ongoing review. Nothing is graded before it has been taught, so your child builds genuine understanding rather than guessing at topics they have never seen.
Which subjects does the Curriculum cover?
All four areas of the Selective test: Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills, Reading, and Writing. Alongside these it weaves in mental maths and vocabulary so the smaller skills that make a big difference on test day are built up steadily over time.
Does the Curriculum get harder over time?
Yes, on purpose. It begins with the fundamentals so the foundations are solid, then steadily steps up the challenge as your child masters each skill. The early work can feel easy, and that is by design. By the time the test approaches, your child is working at full test difficulty.
When should my child start?
The earlier the better. The Curriculum is designed to be followed over the months leading up to the test, so starting well ahead gives your child the most time to build skills properly. It still adapts to the time you have available, so it is worth starting whenever you are ready.
Do I need to plan my child's study myself?
No. That is the whole point. The Curriculum decides what your child should work on next and keeps everything in a logical order, so you do not have to design a study schedule or guess what to cover. You can simply open it and your child knows exactly what to do that day.
Can my child still use the other features?
Absolutely. The Curriculum sits alongside everything else on SelectiveGuru, including full mock tests, the Strategy Lab, practice by topic, and revision on every mistake. The Curriculum gives structure to the journey, and the rest of the platform is there whenever your child wants extra practice.
Is the Curriculum suitable for a child just starting out?
Yes. It is built to meet your child where they are and start with the basics, so a child new to Selective preparation is not thrown in at the deep end. It is equally useful for a child who has done some preparation already, because the difficulty builds toward the real test standard.
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