Selective School Past Papers: Where to Find Them (2026)

The short answer is no — not as actual past exam papers. The NSW Department of Education does not publicly release previous years' Selective High School Placement Test (SHSPT) papers. Unlike the HSC, which has a full archive of past exams on the NESA website, the selective school test papers are retained by the Department and not distributed after the exam.

However, the Department does provide official practice materials:

• Online computer-based practice tests that simulate the actual Janison platform — including the test software, navigation tools, bookmarking functions, and timed sections. These are the closest official approximation to the real test.
• Downloadable PDF practice tests based on older paper-based versions of the test. The Department explicitly notes that these PDFs do not reflect the current computer-based format but remain useful for reviewing question styles.

Both are described as sample questions, not the actual test. Any third-party resource claiming to sell "official selective school past papers" is either selling reconstructed papers based on student recall, outdated pre-2025 materials, or generic practice questions branded as past papers.

In 2025, the NSW Government contracted Janison and Cambridge University Press & Assessment to redesign and deliver the selective school test on a fully digital platform. The 2025 SHSPT (for 2026 Year 7 entry) was the first test under this new system. Practice papers from before 2025 no longer reflect the current exam in several important ways:

• Computer-based delivery: The test is now fully digital, with on-screen navigation, scrollable passages, flagging tools, and an on-screen writing editor. Paper-based practice doesn't prepare students for this environment.
• Equal 25% weighting: All four sections are now weighted equally at 25% each. The previous format weighted Thinking Skills at 35% and Writing at just 15%.
• New Reading format: Reading is now 45 minutes (up from 40) with 17 displayed questions generating 38 answers, including multi-part items and a new vocabulary cloze passage where students select words from dropdown menus.
• Expanded Thinking Skills: Greater emphasis on abstract and non-verbal reasoning — pattern matrices, figure series, and spatial transformations — alongside traditional verbal critical-thinking items.
• Typed Writing: Writing is now a 30-minute typed response (up from 20 minutes handwritten), marked out of 50 by two independent trained markers.
• SHSPT is the sole determinant: Primary school assessment scores are no longer used in placement decisions — the test result alone determines offers.

Preparing with outdated materials can be counterproductive — students build familiarity with the wrong format, question styles, and timing.

While actual past papers aren't released, the Department of Education does provide free official practice resources worth using:

Online computer-based practice tests are hosted on the NSW Education website. These simulate the real Janison platform and let students experience the actual test interface, including how to navigate between questions, flag items for review, scroll through reading passages, and type written responses. After completing the practice test, students can see which multiple-choice items they answered correctly or incorrectly.

PDF practice tests are also available for each of the three multiple-choice sections, plus sample writing tasks. These are based on the older paper-based format and carry different specifications (for example, the PDF Reading practice test has 30 questions in 40 minutes, versus the current format's 17 questions/38 answers in 45 minutes). They're useful for practising question styles but should not be treated as representative of the current test structure.

There are no separate public practice tests from Janison or Cambridge — all official SHSPT practice materials are distributed through the NSW Education website.

Beyond the official resources, a range of third-party materials exist. Here's how they compare:

Source Type	Pros	Cons
NSW Education practice tests	Official, free, online version simulates real Janison platform	Limited number of questions; PDF versions are outdated format
Monthly mock exams (e.g. SelectiveExams)	2026-format questions, timed conditions, instant results, worked solutions, rankings	Requires account creation
Tutoring centre papers	Large question banks, some aligned to current format	Expensive ($3,000–8,000+/year), variable quality
Bookshop practice papers	Affordable, available offline	Often outdated format, no timed conditions, no analytics
Free online question sets	No cost	Usually low quality, no strict timing, no worked solutions

Whichever resources you use, prioritise materials that match the current 2026 computer-based format — including the 45-minute Reading section with vocabulary cloze, typed Writing, and equal 25% weighting across all four sections.

Even if a full set of official past papers were available, a single set has serious limitations compared to ongoing mock exam practice:

• One data point vs many: A single practice test tells you how your child performed once. Monthly mock exams track progress over time, revealing trends and persistent weak areas.
• No exam conditions: Doing a paper at home without a timer, without auto-submission, and with the ability to pause is fundamentally different from the real test experience.
• No benchmarking: A past paper gives you a raw score. A mock exam with percentile rankings tells you how your child compares to other students preparing for the same test.
• No worked solutions: Most past paper sets come with answer keys but not detailed explanations. Without understanding why an answer is correct, students repeat the same mistakes.
• Freshness: Past papers get shared and memorised. Monthly mock exams provide new, unseen questions every time.

Important for 2026: From 2026, the SHSPT is NSW-only — interstate and overseas students can no longer sit the test remotely and must attend a NSW test centre. This makes local, realistic practice even more important.

Whether you're using the official NSW Education practice tests, monthly mock exams, or a combination, follow these principles:

1. Start with the official practice tests: Use the NSW Education online computer-based practice tests first. They're free and give your child familiarity with the actual Janison platform interface.
2. Establish a baseline: Have your child sit a full-length mock exam without preparation to see where they naturally stand across all four subjects.
3. Monthly cadence: One full-length practice test per month is ideal. This builds stamina and tracks progress without causing burnout.
4. Review every mistake: Spend as much time reviewing wrong answers as you did taking the test. Understand the reasoning behind each correct answer.
5. Track patterns: Are mistakes clustered in one subject? One topic? Use this to guide targeted practice between tests.
6. Simulate exam day: At least 2–3 times before the real test, complete all four subjects in one sitting under strict conditions — the real test takes 155 minutes across all sections.

For a detailed preparation timeline, see our month-by-month preparation guide.

The official NSW Education practice tests are a good starting point, but they're a fixed set of sample questions — once your child has done them, there's nothing new. SelectiveExams fills that gap with a new full-length practice test every month, completely free.

Every practice test includes:

• 2026-format questions aligned to the Janison/Cambridge digital platform
• All four sections — Reading (45 min), Maths (40 min), Thinking Skills (40 min), Writing (30 min)
• Strict timed conditions — the timer runs, cannot be paused, and auto-submits when time expires
• Instant results — MCQ sections scored the moment you submit
• Worked solutions — step-by-step explanations for every question
• Time-per-question analysis — see where your child is spending too long
• State-wide percentile rankings — see how your child compares to other NSW students
• Monthly parent reports — detailed PDF performance breakdowns emailed to you

Think of it as an ongoing supply of realistic, current-format practice material that picks up where the official sample tests leave off.

Start a free practice test now, or create your free account to access the current month's exam.