Academic scholarships vs government selective entry
Parents often hear “scholarship test” and “selective test” used as if they were the same thing. They are two different pathways, and mixing them up is one of the most common planning mistakes.
| Academic scholarship | Government selective entry | |
|---|---|---|
| Who offers it | Independent and some Catholic schools | State government (for example, Victorian selective entry high schools, NSW selective high schools) |
| What you get | A place plus a fee reduction, from partial to (rarely) full | A place at a government selective school |
| Who runs the test | Usually ACER, Edutest or AAS, booked by each school | Run for the state education department through its own process (in Victoria, by ACER) |
| Common entry years | Year 7 most common, also Years 5, 6, 9 and others | Varies by state, for example Year 9 in Victoria and Year 7 in NSW |
| How you apply | Register with each school, usually with a test fee | One application through the state system, by its deadline |
Some families do both. The reasoning, reading, writing and maths skills overlap, but the dates, applications and question styles do not, so plan each pathway on its own. This hub and its guides focus on private school academic scholarships for Year 5, 6 and 7 entry. Victoria’s four selective entry high schools are different: they take students into Year 9, through their own exam sat in Year 8 (see Victorian selective entry: what Year 5 and 6 parents need to know). Always check the current rules on your state education department’s website.
The three common scholarship test providers at a glance
Many schools use one of three providers. Each tests a different mix of skills, so the first job is matching your practice to the provider named on each school’s page.
- ACER: Reading, Mathematics and Writing at primary level (Level P), and Written Expression, Humanities and Mathematics at secondary level.
- Edutest: reasoning and achievement sections, commonly five, in short timed blocks.
- AAS (Academic Assessment Services): writing, reading, maths and reasoning, in the parts each school chooses.
For sections, timing, calculator rules and delivery side by side, read ACER vs Edutest vs AAS: which scholarship test is your child sitting?
Which entry years Tuterly Scholarship covers
Year 7 entry
The most common scholarship intake. Children usually sit the test during Year 6, so preparation often starts in Year 5. Read the Year 7 entry guide.
Year 6 entry
Offered by fewer schools. Tests are sat in Year 5, often at a primary level such as ACER Level P. Read the Year 5 and 6 prep guide.
Year 5 entry
Earlier entry, usually sat in Year 4. Practice should stay light and age-appropriate. Read the Year 5 and 6 prep guide.
Where Tuterly Scholarship fits
Tuterly Scholarship is designed by Australian educators at Bayside Academics, a Melbourne tutoring business that helps students prepare for scholarship tests. It covers Numerical Reasoning only, so it sits alongside, not instead of, provider-specific practice papers and feedback on your child’s writing. If you want to see the question style today, the free scholarship numerical reasoning practice has 10 questions per level, marked instantly with worked solutions.
Parent checklist: before you start preparing
- List your target schools and open each one’s scholarship or admissions page.
- Write down the provider (ACER, Edutest, AAS or a school-run test) for each school, for this year’s intake. Do not assume it is the same as last year.
- Note the test date, registration deadline and fee exactly as the school publishes them. Fees and dates vary by school and provider.
- Check the format: which sections, paper or online, at the school or at home, and whether calculators are allowed.
- Check what else counts: interviews, school reports, portfolios or co-curricular criteria.
- Work back from the earliest test date to set a realistic weekly practice plan, starting months ahead rather than weeks.
- Get a baseline with a short diagnostic so practice targets real gaps, not skills your child already has.
- Plan writing practice with feedback, because writing is the section children find hardest to improve alone.