Free vs Paid Selective Entry Practice Tests — What's Actually Worth It?

Short answer: start free. The official sample questions and a few free timed papers are enough to learn the format and get a baseline score. Pay for a practice library only when your child needs more timed papers than the free options give — usually once weekly practice starts. This guide focuses on the Victorian selective entry exam, but the same logic applies to NSW and EduTest.

What Free Practice Tests Are Available?

Free resources have improved significantly in recent years. Here are the main options families use:

Official ACER Sample Questions

ACER, which runs the Victorian exam, publishes a free set of sample questions on its selective entry website. They are the most authentic guide to question style and format, but ACER itself notes they are not necessarily reflective of the exam’s difficulty, and it is a sample set rather than a full practice test. Look at them early, so the format is familiar.

EduSpark Free Practice Papers

EduSpark offers 1 free practice paper per subject (Mathematics, Numerical Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Reading Comprehension for VIC, and the same for every NSW, OC and EduTest subject). Each is a complete timed paper, run online with instant marking, an explanation for every question, and a score breakdown by topic. No card is needed. You can also try 5 sample questions without signing up.

Past Papers and Shared Resources

Some families share papers through tutoring networks or parent forums. ACER publishes sample questions, not past exam papers, so these are unofficial, and quality varies widely: answers may be wrong, and many were written for the older exam format that changed in 2026. Always cross-check answers if you use them.

What Do Paid Practice Platforms Offer?

Paid platforms mainly give you volume. The main advantages over free resources include:

• More papers — enough to practise weekly over several months without repeating questions
• Progressive difficulty — papers that increase in challenge as your child improves
• Performance tracking — dashboards showing score trends, time per question, and topic-level strengths and weaknesses
• Detailed explanations — worked solutions for every question, not just answer keys

The value of paid resources depends heavily on how they're used. A family that completes one paper per week and carefully reviews every mistake will get far more benefit than one that rushes through papers without analysis.

How to Evaluate Practice Test Quality

Whether free or paid, not all practice tests are created equal. Here are the key factors to look for:

Format Accuracy

The best practice tests mirror the real exam format. Since the June 2026 exam, the Victorian test has three parts: Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning (60 minutes), Reading & Verbal Reasoning (55 minutes) and Writing (two tasks, 40 minutes), with four-option (A–D) multiple choice. Materials still built around the old separately timed Reading, Maths, Verbal and Quantitative tests need adapting.

Difficulty Calibration

Questions should be at a Year 8 curriculum level with reasoning demands that match the actual exam. Tests that are significantly easier give false confidence; tests that are too hard cause unnecessary discouragement.

Explanation Quality

An answer key alone is not enough. Good practice tests include step-by-step explanations that help students understand why the correct answer is right and why each distractor is wrong. This is where the real learning happens.

Timed Conditions

Practice under timed conditions builds pacing and stamina. A platform that enforces the time limit is more realistic than a paper where the student keeps their own time.

A Practical Recommendation

For most families, the best approach combines both free and paid resources:

1. Start with free papers to establish a baseline score and get familiar with the format.
2. Invest in a paid plan once your child has completed the free papers and you want a larger volume of practice material for sustained weekly preparation.
3. Revisit the ACER sample questions in the last couple of weeks, to refresh the instructions and answer format.

The single most important factor isn't whether the test is free or paid — it's whether your child reviews their results carefully after each attempt. If you want to learn how to turn results into a targeted study plan, read our guide on using practice exam results to improve scores.

Practice with EduSpark

EduSpark has timed, auto-marked practice papers for VIC, NSW Year 7, OC and EduTest. Every question has an explanation, and the results page breaks down performance by topic. VIC access is $59 per subject or $149 for all four (the Complete Bundle also includes full-length mocks in the new ACER format), paid once for 12 months with nothing to renew. Details are on the pricing page.