ACER Scholarship Test (Year 7 Entry): Format & Samples

An academic scholarship can change what school is possible for a family — and for Year 7 entry, the most common gateway is the ACER Scholarship Test. It's used by hundreds of independent schools, and it moves fast: three sections, 25 minutes each. Here's how it works, plus a few free sample questions to try.

What is the ACER Scholarship Test?

The ACER Scholarship Test is Australia's most widely used academic scholarship exam, run by the Australian Council for Educational Research. More than 250 independent and private schools across the country use it to award academic scholarships for Year 7 entry — the most common sitting for Year 6 students. Scholarships awarded through it can be worth between $10,000 and $30,000 or more per year, which is why it's one of the most financially significant exams a primary student can sit.

Test structure

The test has three sections, all completed in a single sitting, with a tight 25 minutes each:

Section	Time	Format
Humanities / Reading	25 minutes	Multiple-choice across a range of text types
Mathematics	25 minutes	Multiple-choice (no calculators)
Written Expression	25 minutes	One extended writing task

Total test time is around 75 minutes plus administration. The pace is the defining feature — students need to work efficiently and avoid sinking too long into any single question.

What each section covers

• Humanities / Reading — comprehension across narrative, informational and persuasive texts: identifying main ideas and detail, making inferences, understanding vocabulary in context, and interpreting visual information alongside text.
• Mathematics — number and algebra, measurement, geometry and statistics at a Year 6 level, with an emphasis on problem-solving and multi-step reasoning rather than rote calculation.
• Written Expression — a narrative or persuasive response, marked on ideas, structure, vocabulary and mechanics. Scholarship-level writing rewards well-developed ideas and mature sentence control.

Try some sample maths questions

Here are four free ACER-style Mathematics questions — the kind of multi-step reasoning the scholarship test favours. Tap a choice to check it and read the worked solution.

Notice how few of these are "just calculation" — most hide the arithmetic inside a chain of reasoning. That's the scholarship-test signature, and it's the skill worth building.

Which schools use it, and how selection works

Hundreds of schools across every state use the ACER Scholarship Test, including many well-known independent schools. Each sets its own scholarship criteria and may weight the sections differently. Most combine the ACER result with a school interview and current school reports — but the test score is typically the first filter, and students usually need to reach a threshold to be invited to interview. Scholarships range from full (100% of tuition) to partial (commonly 25%, 50% or 75%), with bursaries sometimes available for families demonstrating financial need.

Because many families register at several schools — each with its own sitting date — it's common to sit more than once.

How to prepare

• Read widely. The Humanities section draws on diverse texts, so regular reading across fiction, non-fiction and media builds the comprehension it tests.
• Sharpen mental maths. With no calculator, fluency with number operations and estimation matters — but reasoning matters more, so practise multi-step problems.
• Write to the clock. Rehearse planning, writing and a quick edit within 25 minutes so the time limit feels normal.
• Practise pacing. Twenty-five minutes per section means moving on from hard questions and coming back if time allows.

You can try more free ACER-style sample questions to see the format across sections. And if your target schools use ACER's other exam for general entry, our guide to HAST explains the difference.

When is it held?

Test dates vary by school, with most sittings between February and April each year. Registrations often close months before the test date, so check individual school websites early, and see the official ACER Scholarships page for general information and official practice materials.