How to Find Out If You Got Into a Selective School

How do you find out if you got into a selective school? Outcomes are released online through the portal you used to apply — not as a paper letter in the first instance. Victoria and NSW use different systems. Below is the accurate parent checklist for each.

Victoria (ACER selective entry — Year 9)

ACER manages applications and offers for Melbourne High, Mac.Robertson Girls’, Nossal, and Suzanne Cory on behalf of the Department.

1. Watch for the published outcome / offer window (often from early August for the June exam cycle — confirm on ACER results and selection).
2. Log in to the ACER application portal with your SEHS candidate number and password.
3. Open the performance / outcome information available to parents/carers.
4. Check the offers tab for Round 1 and later rounds; accept or decline within the stated deadline.

ACER notes that individual raw test access is not provided after the exam for security reasons. Preferencing and equity rules still matter — see the Melbourne selective guide and how to get into Melbourne High.

NSW Selective High School (Year 7) and OC (Year 5)

Outcomes appear in the same online application dashboard used to apply (shsoc / Selective Education portal). An email alert is usually sent when outcomes are available — check spam if nothing arrives.

1. Log in at the NSW application dashboard with the email/password you registered.
2. Select the three dots under the Action column next to your application.
3. Choose View outcomes.
4. Read the outcome for each school preference (Offer, Reserve, Unsuccessful, or N/A as applicable).
5. Open the Student performance report for banded performance information (not a public rank or raw percentage).

Official reference: NSW selective outcomes page. For the 2027-entry cycle, selective outcomes have been scheduled around mid–late August and OC outcomes later (e.g. September) — always confirm the current key dates table on the Department site.

What the NSW performance report does (and does not) show

• Shows relative performance bands compared with other candidates that year.
• Does not publish individual percentage scores or statewide ranks.
• Reserve lists can still move — monitor the dashboard after initial release.

Interpreting practice scores before results day: mock scores explained.

Years 8–12 / out-of-year entry

Later-year selective entry (including some NSW Year 9 EduTest pathways) is often handled by individual schools. Check each school’s timeline for when they email or portal-publish offers. EduTest registration context: EduTest guide.

If you cannot log in

• Reset password using the registered email.
• Search spam/junk for portal messages.
• Contact Selective Education (NSW) via the dashboard message function, or ACER support (VIC) using the contacts on the apply portal.

While you wait — keep practice honest

Results anxiety is normal. If you are preparing a younger sibling or planning a reserve-list contingency, keep using quality timed practice rather than refreshing forums. EduSpark: 1 free paper per subject — try free papers, subjects, practice hub.