What Qualitities Does It Take to Get Into a Selective High School

Not sure what to do if your child is not in Year 6? In this article, we discuss the process for entering Selective Schools in years 8-11.

Entering Selective Schools in Years 8 to 11

Students can enter a selective school after Year 7 if they didn't succeed in their Year 6 Selective School test. In most schools, an extra 15-30 spots may be offered in Year 11.

Placements for students in Years 8 to 12 do not depend solely on a centralised test system. Although there is a common application for all schools, an extra separate application form is required at each school you wish to apply for.

The process can be quite complicated so we have included a summary of what you need to apply to the top 12 Selective Schools in NSW according to the 2020 HSC ranking.

Need help preparing a stronger application?

Download our Selective School Application planner to compile the best application you can.

Application Procedure

Now we'll look at the application process on a school by school basis.

James Ruse Agricultural High School (HSC Rank: 1)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Procedure	Fee
8-10	No	Complete the Department of Education application form. Interviews may be held to determine outcomes. More information can be found here.	$50
11	Yes	Complete the Department of Education application form. Sit the EDU-Test. Information can be found on their website. Interviews may be conducted.	$100

Baulkham Hills High School (HSC Rank: 2)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Process	Fee
8-12	No	Complete the Department of Education application form. Complete the school's supplementary form. More information can be found on their website.	$60

North Sydney Boys High School (HSC Rank: 3)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Procedure	Fee
8-11	Yes	Complete the Department of Education application form. Complete the school's supplementary form. Submit two most recent reports and evidence of co-curricular involvement. Sit the Selective Entrance Exam. Information can be found on their website.	$100

North Sydney Girls High School (HSC Rank: 4)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Procedure	Fee
8-11	Yes	Complete the Department of Education application form. Complete the school's supplementary application form. Sit the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST). More information can be found on their website.	$100

Hornsby Girls High School (HSC Rank: 6)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Procedure	Fee
8-11	Yes	Complete the Department of Education application form. Sit the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST). More information can be found on their website.	$100

Normanhurst Boys High School (HSC Rank: 7)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Procedure	Fee
8-11	Yes	Complete the Department of Education application form. Complete the school's internal application. Sit the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST). More information can be found on their website.	$100

Sydney Girls High School (HSC Rank: 9)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Procedure	Fee
8-12	No	Complete the Department of Education application form. Interviews may be conducted. More information can be found here.	$0

Sydney Boys High School (HSC Rank: 10)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Procedure	Fee
8-9, 11	No	Complete the Department of Education application form. Supply a copy of 2 recent school reports. Supply a copy of an extended piece of handwritten writing with teacher's assessment grade. More information can be found here.	$89

Northern Beaches Secondary College (HSC Rank: 13)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Procedure	Fee
8-11	Yes	Complete the Department of Education application form. Sit the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST). More information can be found on their website.	N/A

Fort Street High School (HSC Rank: 18)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Procedure	Fee
8-10	No	Complete the Department of Education application form. Submit a Handwritten English essay. Topic set by school. Submit 2 Recent school report Submit evidence of co-curricula and academic activities Submit English, Writing and Maths Competition results. More information can be found here.	N/A
11	Yes	All the above Sit the Maths and English Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST). More information can be found on their website. Interviews may be conducted.	N/A

Girraween High School (HSC Rank: 27)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Procedure	Fee
8- 12	Yes	Complete the Department of Education application form. Submit your two most recent school report. Sit the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST). More information can be found on their website.	N/A

St George Girls High School (HSC Rank: 39)

Years Accepted	Selection Test	Application Procedure	Fee
8- 12	Yes	Complete the Department of Education application form. Submit your two most recent school report. Sit the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST). More information can be found on their website.	$100

Key Dates for Entry in 2022

If the school you wanted to get into is not listed here, you can find out how to apply by visiting the school's website but the process will be more or less the same. If you're interested, jot down these key dates in your diary (exact dates TBA):

June 2021: Applications open
July 2021: Applications close
August-September 2021: Outcome released

Increasing Your Chances on Getting into Selective Schools

If you are applying to gain entry into a Selective School in Years 8 – 10, spots can be extremely competitive. For example, in 2018 at St George Girls:

2 places were offered in Year 8
4 places were offered in Year 9
3 places were offered in Year 10

The best way to transfer into Selective School is to apply in Year 10 for entry into Year 11 as most schools will have more spots open. At St George Girls, 18 Year 10 students were offered a spot in 2018 for entry into Year 11. Note that this varies school to school, as at James Ruse Agricultural High School, up to 30 students are accepted in Year 9 and Year 11.

While it is certainly competitive, there are steps you can take to ensure you have the best chances of getting into your desired school. Some of these include:

Performing well in the NAPLAN
Performing well in other external exams such as ICAS, Big Science, APSMO and AMC
Do extracurricular activities like sports, volunteering or music after school or on the weekend
Establish a weekly study routine
Do lots of practice exams for the examination required for your desired school, e.g. Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST) or Edutest, to maximise your marks. To find out how, read our next section!
Aim high. Have faith. Ask yourself why you want to go to a Selective School. Is it because you want to challenge yourself in an academic environment? Is it because you will fit in better with highly motivated peers? Whatever it is, make sure to keep that vision front and centre.

What's HAST and how do you ace it?

In the next section, we will explain how you can excel in the Higher Ability Selection Test (HAST) which is a requirement for most Selective Schools.

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What Qualitities Does It Take to Get Into a Selective High School

Source: https://www.matrix.edu.au/year-6-selective-schools-guide/part-5-entering-selective-schools-in-years-8-to-11/