Can You Retake the Selective Entry Exam?

Can you retake the selective entry exam if you fail? No. In Victoria and NSW, each student sits the government selective test once, in one specific school year. There is no “fail” either: selective placement is a ranking for a limited number of places, not a pass/fail exam you can reattempt. The only second sitting is a make-up test for students with approved illness or misadventure, and that is not a retake after an unwanted result.

What does exist are later entry points: vacancies in higher year levels that schools fill themselves. These are small in number and are a new application, not a second go at the same paper.

Victoria (ACER, Year 9 entry)

Students sit the VIC selective entry exam in Year 8 for Year 9 entry. The eligibility rules require that a candidate has “not previously sat the examination for Year 9 entry”, so it can only be sat once. The government says a small number of places may become available at Years 10 and 11, and entry at those levels is managed directly by the schools (vic.gov.au: selective entry high schools). Appeals are tightly limited; see our appeal guide.

NSW Selective High School Placement Test (Year 7 entry)

Year 6 students sit the NSW selective test for Year 7 entry. The Department states that students cannot sit the test more than once; the only exception is an approved make-up test after illness or misadventure, which must be requested within 5 business days of the test (NSW DoE: placement test).

For Years 8 to 11, each selective school manages its own vacancies and assessment. Families apply to the school directly; some schools set a placement test and others review school reports. Vacancies depend on students leaving, so some years have none (NSW DoE: Years 8 to 11 applications). Several of these schools use EduTest for that testing.

NSW Opportunity Class

The OC test is sat in Year 4 for a two-year OC placement in Years 5 and 6. There is no Year 6 entry and no Year 5 resit. Families who miss out usually look ahead to the Year 6 selective test (can Year 5 students sit the OC test?).

EduTest and scholarship exams

Independent-school scholarship tests follow each school’s own rules. Some families sit in more than one year or at more than one school. Read that school’s candidate information before assuming either way.

If there was no offer this time

• Read the performance report calmly. The bands compare your result with other candidates; they are not a percentage of correct answers (how to check results).
• Watch for reserve-list offers, which can arrive after the first round.
• Make a solid plan at your local school. Selective is one path, not the only one.
• If a later entry point exists, treat it as a new application with months of steady practice.