EduTest Scholarship Exams: Format, Schools & How to Prepare

EduTest scholarship exams are the entrance and scholarship tests many Australian independent schools use to award academic scholarships. The test has four 30-minute multiple-choice sections — Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics — plus a 15-minute Written Expression task, with no calculators allowed. Each school sets its own test date and fee, and results can be transferred to other EduTest schools that test later.

This guide explains how the exams work, which Victorian schools use EduTest, how it differs from the ACER selective entry exam, and how to prepare. Looking specifically for timed mocks? See our EduTest practice tests comparison.

What Is Edutest?

Edutest is an Australian educational testing company that runs scholarship and entrance tests on behalf of schools. Results are reported by comparison with thousands of other students in the same year level across Australia, so schools can compare applicants on a common scale.

Unlike the government selective entry exam (which is administered by ACER for the four state selective entry schools), Edutest scholarship exams are used by private schools to award academic scholarships — typically partial or full fee remissions for high-achieving students.

Which Victorian Schools Use Edutest?

More than 100 Victorian schools appear on EduTest's client list (checked September 2026), including:

• Brighton Grammar School
• Camberwell Girls Grammar School
• Carey Baptist Grammar School
• Caulfield Grammar School
• Fintona Girls' School
• Geelong Grammar School
• Hume Anglican Grammar
• Kilvington Grammar School
• Methodist Ladies' College (MLC)
• St Catherine's School
• The Knox School
• Trinity Grammar School
• Wesley College
• Westbourne Grammar School

The full, up-to-date list is on the EduTest client schools page. Schools in other states use it too, and in NSW EduTest is used for out-of-year-group entry (Years 8–11) to selective high schools such as James Ruse.

Important: Always check directly with your target school to confirm which testing provider they use, as this can change from year to year. Some schools use ACER or Academic Assessment Services (AAS) instead of Edutest.

Edutest Scholarship Exam Format

EduTest's scholarship and entrance test has five components — four multiple-choice sections and one writing task:

EduTest does not publish question counts; its only public statement is that tests have between 40 and 60 questions. Older EduTest booklets have around 50–60 questions per 30-minute section, so the pace is roughly 30–35 seconds a question. Calculators, dictionaries, working-out paper, rulers, phones, smart watches and erasable pens are not allowed. Some schools add an interview or their own requirements, so confirm the details with your school.

Ability Tests vs Achievement Tests

Edutest categorises its assessments into two types:

• Ability tests (Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning) assess problem-solving and reasoning capability. These sections test how a student thinks, not what they have memorised. No specific prior knowledge is required beyond basic literacy and numeracy.
• Achievement tests (Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Written Expression) assess learned knowledge and skills. These sections are curriculum-based and test content the student should have covered in school up to their current year level.

Results are reported in these two groups, Ability and Achievement, so schools can see both how a student reasons and what they have learned.

Edutest vs ACER: Key Differences

Many Victorian families prepare for both a scholarship exam (EduTest) and the government selective entry exam (ACER). The skills overlap, but the format, purpose and pacing differ.

Purpose

• Edutest: Used by independent schools for scholarships and entrance. Students can apply to several schools.
• ACER: Used for entry into the four Victorian government selective entry schools (Melbourne High, Mac.Robertson Girls', Nossal, Suzanne Cory). One exam, one sitting, in Year 8 for Year 9 entry.

Format and pacing

• Edutest: Four separate 30-minute multiple-choice sections plus a short writing task. With long sections and short time limits, speed is a big part of the challenge — EduTest itself says it is normal for students to get only about half the questions right.
• ACER (from the June 2026 exam): Three parts — Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning (60 minutes), Reading & Verbal Reasoning (55 minutes) and Writing (2 tasks, 40 minutes). Multiple choice is A–D, and ACER does not publish question counts. The knowledge needed never goes beyond the Year 8 curriculum.

Timing

Each EduTest school sets its own test date, listed on EduTest's testing dates page. The ACER selective entry exam is held in June. If your child's scholarship test falls before June, it doubles as a real-world practice run.

How Edutest Scholarship Exams Are Scored

Results are grouped into Ability and Achievement and are based on comparison with thousands of other students in the same year level across Australia. The results go to the schools, and each school sets its own scholarship threshold — there is no single “pass mark”. A result that earns a scholarship at one school may not be enough at another.

Result transfers: If you apply to several EduTest schools, results can be transferred to schools whose testing date is after the date your child sat the test (not backwards), and some schools do not accept transfers. You still pay each school's application fee even when results are transferred.

When to Start Preparing

Work back from your school's test date. A solid preparation timeline looks like this:

• 6–12 months before: Build foundational skills. Focus on curriculum-based mathematics, reading widely, and developing vocabulary. Introduce reasoning question types gradually.
• 3–6 months before: Begin regular practice papers covering all four multiple-choice sections. Start untimed, then progressively introduce time limits. Review every mistake carefully.
• 1–3 months before: Shift to full timed practice under exam conditions. Focus on pacing — with around 30 seconds a question, speed is critical. Simulate the full exam experience fortnightly.
• Final 2 weeks: Light revision only. One or two confidence-building practice sessions. Prioritise sleep, nutrition, and arriving calm on exam day.

For a more detailed preparation timeline covering study strategies and study strategies, see our step-by-step preparation guide. Most of it applies to EduTest as well as ACER.

Preparation Strategies by Section

Mathematics

Edutest maths covers the standard curriculum up to the student's current year level: arithmetic, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, algebra, geometry, measurement, and statistics. The key challenge is speed — older EduTest papers have around 60 maths questions in 30 minutes, about 30 seconds each.

• Build fluency with mental arithmetic (10 minutes of daily drills).
• Know common formulas so they are automatic (area, perimeter, volume, percentage calculations).
• Practise skipping and returning to difficult questions — never spend more than 45 seconds on one question.
• Use estimation to eliminate obviously wrong answers quickly.

For detailed topic coverage and study techniques, see our mathematics preparation guide.

Numerical Reasoning

This section tests number series, number grids, and multi-step word problems with several conditions. It needs little maths beyond arithmetic, but the reasoning chains can be long — it tests how you think with numbers.

• Practise identifying sequence rules: addition, multiplication, alternating, combined operations.
• For word problems, underline every condition before calculating — traps often hide in the second or third rule.
• Look for patterns across rows and columns in number matrices.

See our numerical reasoning guide for detailed strategies.

Verbal Reasoning

Edutest verbal reasoning covers vocabulary, word relationships, analogies, odd-one-out, codes, classification and logical deduction. The vocabulary can be demanding, so this section rewards broad reading and flexible thinking.

• Read widely across fiction, non-fiction, and newspapers to build vocabulary naturally.
• Learn word roots, prefixes, and suffixes to decode unfamiliar words.
• For analogies, define the relationship before looking at options.
• For codes, write out the alphabet numbered A=1 to Z=26 as a reference.

See our verbal reasoning strategies guide for in-depth techniques.

Reading Comprehension

Students read passages of varying genres and answer questions on main idea, inference, vocabulary in context, detail retrieval, and author purpose. There are also standalone items on punctuation, sentence correction and interpreting sayings.

• Use the three-pass method: skim the passage, read the questions, then re-read targeted sections.
• For inference questions, find specific textual evidence before choosing an answer.
• For vocabulary in context, substitute each option into the sentence to test which fits naturally.

See our reading comprehension strategies guide for detailed techniques.

Exam Day: What to Know

Registration

Unlike the ACER selective entry exam (which has a single centralised application), EduTest scholarship exams are registered school by school, usually through a link on each school's website. Each school sets its own fee, and you pay for each school you apply to — see exam fees.

Testing Logistics

• The school tells you where and when your child sits the test, and whether it is online or on paper.
• Calculators, dictionaries, working-out paper, rulers, phones, smart watches and erasable pens are not permitted.
• Arrive early. Allow time to find the venue, settle in, and manage nerves.

After the Exam

Results are sent directly to the schools, which then notify families of scholarship offers. Timelines vary by school — some respond within weeks, others take longer. If your child is offered a scholarship, you will typically have a set period to accept or decline.

Can You Prepare for Both Edutest and ACER?

Yes — and many Victorian families do. Both test maths, numerical or quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning and reading, so preparation for one helps the other. The main differences to account for:

• Structure: EduTest keeps four separate 30-minute sections; ACER now combines them into two long parts (60 and 55 minutes), so practise holding focus for longer.
• Pacing: EduTest sections are short and fast; build speed as well as accuracy.
• Writing: EduTest's scholarship writing task is 15 minutes; ACER's Writing part is 2 tasks in 40 minutes.

Practise with EduSpark

EduSpark has timed EduTest-style papers for Year 8 students sitting for Year 9 entry or a scholarship, in Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics. We also have separate papers for the Victorian selective entry exam in ACER's format.

Every question includes a step-by-step explanation, and papers are marked instantly so mistakes can be reviewed while the reasoning is still fresh.

Paper 1 in each subject is free, with no card needed, and you can try 5 sample questions without signing up. Full access is a one-off $59 per subject or $149 for all four, for 12 months, with nothing to renew.