Victoria's Selective Entry High Schools — A Parent & Student Guide
1. What Are Victoria's Selective Entry High Schools?
Victoria has four government selective entry high schools for Years 9 to 12: Melbourne High School (MHS), Mac.Robertson Girls' High School (MacRob), Nossal High School, and Suzanne Cory High School. Unlike a standard local secondary school or a private school, these four schools only accept students who apply and sit a centralised entrance exam. There is no zoning and no fees in the way a private school charges fees.
Entry is managed through a single process for the whole state. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) runs the exam and the application system on behalf of the Department of Education. Every student, no matter where they live in Victoria, applies through the same portal and sits the same exam.
Here is a quick snapshot of each school:
Melbourne High School — boys' school, located in South Yarra
Mac.Robertson Girls' High School — girls' school, located in Melbourne
Nossal High School — co-educational, located in Berwick
Suzanne Cory High School — co-educational, located in Werribee
Families can apply for any or all of these schools in the one application, and preferences are ranked. The rest of this guide walks through eligibility, the exam itself, and how to genuinely help your child prepare.
2. Who Can Apply? Eligibility and the Application Timeline
Eligibility
To apply for Year 9 entry, a student must:
Be in Year 8 at the time of applying (this exam is specifically for Year 9 entry)
Not have previously sat the Year 9 entry exam before
Be an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen residing in Australia, or hold a visa or ImmiCard that exempts them from international student fees at a Victorian government school
Students from government schools, non-government (private or independent) schools, and registered home schools are all eligible to apply. Students living in Victoria, interstate, or overseas can also apply, as long as they meet the citizenship or visa criteria.
Fee-paying international students already enrolled in a Victorian school are not eligible to apply.
The general shape of the year
The exact dates shift slightly each year, but the overall structure tends to look like this:
Applications open early in Term 1
Applications close in Term 2
The exam is held in June
Offers are sent out in August
Because these dates do change year to year, we won't lock in specific dates here. For the exact current dates, always check the official ACER portal directly: selectiveentry.acer.org/vic
For full eligibility rules and policy detail, the Department of Education's page is the authoritative source: vic.gov.au/selective-entry-high-schools
3. What's Actually in the Exam? Understanding the Test Format
This is usually the part parents are most curious about, so let's break it down clearly.
The exam takes around four hours in total once you include registration and breaks. The actual test time (the time spent answering questions) is 2 hours and 35 minutes, split into three parts:
Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning — 60 minutes
Short break — 20 minutes
Reading and Verbal Reasoning — 55 minutes
Short break — 5 minutes
Writing — 40 minutes
Here's what each section is actually assessing:
Mathematics looks at year-level appropriate maths knowledge and how well a student can apply it to real-world situations, not just recall facts.
Quantitative Reasoning tests how a student thinks and reasons using numbers, patterns, and shapes, in both abstract problems and real-world contexts.
Reading checks how well a student can find, interpret, and evaluate information in a piece of text.
Verbal Reasoning looks at how a student thinks and reasons using words, concepts, and logic.
Writing has two tasks and assesses how clearly and coherently a student can organise and express ideas.
One thing that reassures a lot of parents: the required knowledge in any section does not go beyond the Year 8 curriculum, according to ACER. This exam is testing reasoning and problem-solving skills, not obscure or advanced content your child hasn't seen at school.
4. How to Genuinely Support Your Child's Preparation (Without Adding Pressure)
There is no requirement to cram or revise heavily for this exam, and ACER itself notes there's no need for extensive practice. That said, there are genuinely useful things parents can do:
Build reasoning and comprehension gradually. Regular reading, varied topics, and everyday conversations about what your child is reading or learning help far more than last-minute drilling.
Talk things through. Encouraging your child to explain their thinking, whether it's about a maths problem or a book they're reading, builds the reasoning skills the exam actually tests.
Keep expectations realistic. It is normal for students not to finish every question. The exam is designed to challenge even high-achieving students, so an unfinished paper does not mean a poor result.
Protect sleep and routine in the lead-up. A calm, well-rested student performs better than one who has been pushed into exhausting practice sessions the week before.
The exam is intentionally designed so that many capable students won't finish every section. That is by design, not a sign that something has gone wrong.
5. How UExL Academy Helps Students Prepare
At UExL Academy, preparation is built around structured, exam-relevant learning. Rather than generic tutoring, the focus is on the specific reasoning, comprehension, and problem-solving skills the selective entry exam actually assesses.
This means clear teaching methods, consistent communication with students and families, and a learning structure that stays genuinely connected to what the exam tests, rather than broad or unfocused content.
Online and in person tutoring - flexible learning.
Small group tutoring - for critical thinking and discussions.
A clear, structured teaching method, not random, unrelated worksheets
Consistent communication with students and families, so everyone stays informed
Periodic testing for application.
Focus on real understanding, not last-minute cramming
For more information, visit www.uexlacademy.com.
6. A Sample Question Walk-Through
Question (Quantitative Reasoning style):
A bus leaves the depot every 18 minutes. Another bus from a different route leaves the same depot every 24 minutes. If both buses leave together at 8:00am, what is the next time they will both leave together again?
Step-by-step approach:
Identify what's being asked. We need to find when two repeating events line up again, which is a "lowest common multiple" (LCM) type problem.
Find the LCM of 18 and 24. Break each number into its prime factors: 18 = 2 × 3 × 3, and 24 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3. Take the highest power of each prime factor appearing in either number: 2³ × 3² = 8 × 9 = 72.
Apply it to the question. The buses will next leave together after 72 minutes.
Convert to a time. 72 minutes after 8:00am is 9:12am.
Answer: 9:12am
This is an illustrative example of the style and thinking involved in quantitative reasoning questions. It is not a released exam question, and as ACER notes about its own sample questions, style examples like this are not necessarily reflective of actual exam difficulty.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
What year level can apply for Victoria's selective entry high schools?
Students must be in Year 8 at the time of applying, since the exam is for Year 9 entry.
How many selective entry high schools are there in Victoria, and where are they?
There are four: Melbourne High School (South Yarra), Mac.Robertson Girls' High School (Melbourne), Nossal High School (Berwick), and Suzanne Cory High School (Werribee).
Do I need to prepare or revise for the exam?
There is no strict requirement to revise. However, familiarising your child with the style and format of questions can help them feel more comfortable on the day.
What does the exam actually test?
It tests mathematical and quantitative reasoning, reading and verbal reasoning, and writing.
How long does the exam take?
The full process takes around four hours including breaks, with 2 hours and 35 minutes of actual test time.
Where can I find official dates and apply?
Official current-year dates and the application portal are available at selectiveentry.acer.org/vic.
General policy information is at vic.gov.au/selective-entry-high-schools.
This blog is general information only. While the information in this blog is based on official ACER and Department of Education sources at the time of writing, exam formats, dates, and eligibility criteria can change. Always confirm current details directly via selectiveentry.acer.org/vic and vic.gov.au/selective-entry-high-schools before making any decisions.