12 months. One test.
Every advantage matters.
The NSW Selective test is May 2027. Year 5 is the critical preparation year. Five live online classes per week covering all four test components — Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills, and Writing. 50 sessions per term.
Most Year 5 students arrive with a Year 3 brain.
Here’s what actually happens. A student finishes the OC test in May of Year 4. Whether they get a place or not, they’re mentally done. The parents thought: “We’ll just give OC a go. We weren’t too serious about it.” And from mid-Year 4 through to the start of Year 5 — 6 to 8 months of nothing. No structured learning. No skill development. Just decay.
Then they arrive in Year 5 Selective and discover the material has jumped 3 grade levels.
The Knowledge Decay Timeline
2-3 step questions
Nonfiction-heavy reading
Basic pattern recognition
No formal writing component
Skills plateau then decay
Reading fluency drops
Maths strategies forgotten
Writing never developed
6-8 months lost
4-5 step integrated problems
Poetry, paired passages, evaluation
Advanced spatial + logical reasoning
Full writing section (feature, speech, diary)
The student arrives in Year 5 with a Year 3 skill set.
The material requires Year 8-9 capability.
That’s the gap this programme closes.
OC material vs Selective material: side by side
Reading Comprehension
OC Level (Year 4)
Selective Level (Year 6)
Mathematical Reasoning
OC Level (Year 4)
Steps: 3 × $2 = $6. $10 − $6 = $4.
Two operations. One variable. Direct.
Selective Level (Year 6)
Steps: Set width = w. Length = 3w. Perimeter: 2(w + 3w) = 48 → w = 6, length = 18. Inner dimensions: (18−3) × (6−3) = 15 × 3 = 45. Outer area = 108. Path area = 108 − 45 = 63m².
Five operations. Algebra + geometry + nested subtraction.
Thinking Skills
OC Level (Year 4)
4, 8, 12, 16, ___
Rule: +4. Single-level pattern. One operation to identify.
Selective Level (Year 6)
Two simultaneous transformation rules. The student must track rotation AND shading independently across rows and columns, then predict the intersection. This question type is never taught at school.
This is why students plateau. They get swept into a whirlwind of trial tests — test after test after test. But their scores don’t move. Because doing more questions at a level you can’t access doesn’t build the skills needed to access that level. You can’t “practice” your way to Year 8 comprehension if you’re reading at Year 5 level. This programme builds the bridge.
Can you tell the difference?
At selective level, two answer options will both seem correct. The difference is emotional precision — the exact shade of feeling the text implies. If these distinctions are hard for adults, imagine a 10-year-old under exam pressure.
We teach this emotional vocabulary explicitly — through character analysis in literary texts, not through vocabulary lists. By Term 3, your child reads emotion with the precision the exam demands.
Collocations: the words that naturally go together
The 2027 selective test includes cloze-style questions — selecting the correct word to complete a passage. This tests collocations: word combinations that “sound right” to a fluent reader. Can your child hear the difference?
One question. Five skills. Miss one and it collapses.
Selective maths questions integrate algebra, geometry, fractions, measurement, and unit conversion into a single problem. If your child has a gap in any one of those skills, the entire question becomes inaccessible.
Five discrete skills in one question. If the student can’t convert m³ to litres — or can’t find ⅔ of 108 — the entire problem is inaccessible. This is why drilling practice papers doesn’t work if the foundations aren’t there. We build each skill first, then integrate them.
Seven writing modes. Your child learns them all.
The selective Writing section demands one extended response — and the prompt can be anything. We cycle through seven distinct writing modes so your child is ready for whatever the exam throws.
Actual writing prompts from our Year 5 programme:
We study seven distinct Australian and international authors — Tim Winton’s truncated rhythms, Morris Gleitzman’s first-person directness, Jackie French’s dual timelines, Markus Zusak’s metaphor density, Judith Wright’s landscape imagery, Dorothea Mackellar’s patriotic personification, and Banjo Paterson’s ballad narrative — so your child develops their own voice with professional techniques in their toolkit.
How the two terms build on each other
Building Phase
Close the gap. Build genuine capability across all four components. Ensure real understanding before applying it under pressure.
- Reading
- All text types: fiction, non-fiction, poetry. Inference, emotion vocabulary, author’s purpose. Reading speed development.
- Maths/TSA
- Discrete skill building: fractions, algebra, geometry, unit conversion. Thinking Skills: foundational patterns, spatial reasoning, logical chains.
- Writing
- Seven modes introduced week by week. Grammar audit. Timed writing (400-500 words) with detailed feedback.
- Trial Tests
- Weekly trial test sessions (Parts 1 + 2). Building format familiarity. Error analysis and targeted review.
Sharpening Phase
Exam-level difficulty. Full-length components under timed conditions. Integration of discrete skills into complex problems.
- Reading
- Paired passages, cloze (2027 format), poetry analysis, evaluation. Timed reading under exam conditions.
- Maths/TSA
- Multi-variable integration. Advanced spatial. Full timed sections. 3-pass triage method.
- Writing
- Exam-condition writing (25 min). Multiple stimulus types. Voice refinement. Self-editing.
- Trial Tests
- Full-length selective-format trials. Performance tracking vs cohort. Detailed error analysis and strategy adjustment.
The advantage of starting in Term 2. Most students don’t begin serious selective prep until Year 6 Term 1 — when they immediately get buried in trial tests. By starting in Year 5 Term 2, your child gets 4 full terms. That’s 200 sessions of dedicated skill-building. When trial tests start, your child approaches them with genuine capability — not just familiarity with the format.
Five classes per week. 50 sessions per term.
Weekly homework: English, Maths, Thinking Skills (drills + main), Writing, Vocabulary. All tracked in the Scholarly LMS. Sessions recorded for catch-up.
See what a Selective Prep class looks like
Watch real lesson extracts so you know exactly what your child will experience — live instruction, real-time interaction, and genuine skill-building in action.
A suite of intelligent learning apps, built into your child’s programme
Every Selective Prep student gets access to Scholarly’s suite of adaptive learning apps. Each app is custom-tailored to your child’s individual needs, continuously adapting to their progress and ensuring they’re always challenged at the right level.
Readly
Personalised reading comprehension with selective-level texts, poetry, and paired passages
Writely
Guided writing across all seven modes with timed practice and structural feedback
Vocably
Advanced vocabulary and collocation building tied to weekly reading texts
Mathly
Adaptive maths from multi-step word problems to algebra and data interpretation
Unlimited personalised practice
With endless, personalised questions and reading materials, these apps provide your child with unlimited practice opportunities — especially valuable for students who finish their weekly homework and want more.
One connected ecosystem
Every app is a bonus addition to the Scholarly platform, giving students more ways to grow in Reading, Writing, Vocabulary, and Maths — all connected to their classroom learning, all in one place.
Why parents choose Scholarly
Selective Prep isn’t just a tutoring class. It’s a complete learning environment built around your child’s growth — with technology, expert instruction, and support that goes far beyond a weekly session.
In-Class Learning Support
- Instant Q&A help during lessons via Lana and iDoubt
- Unlimited questions with safe, confidential support tied to lesson content
- Students never feel stuck or left behind in a live session
Interactive Technology
- Real-time lesson transcripts and live polls
- Smart note-taking system with auto-save
- Parent dashboard tracking progress and engagement in real time
Expert Instruction & Support
- Highly-qualified tutors with stellar academic backgrounds
- 7-day support via multiple platforms
- Detailed progress reports with percentile rankings
- Gamified learning with points and awards
Don’t just take our word for it. See our results →
Scholarships: the goal most parents don’t know about yet.
Most parents think selective is the top. It’s not. Private school scholarships are more competitive, more valuable, and more prestigious. A full scholarship to SCEGGS, Sydney Grammar, Kings, Barker, Newington, or Cranbrook is worth $200,000-$300,000 over 6 years.
Scholarship exams — typically ACER or AAS format — test Reading, Maths, Reasoning, Writing, and often include an interview. In 2025, the ACER exams were harder than ever. Reading passages at Year 9+ level. Maths questions requiring multi-variable integration. The families who performed best were the ones who had been building depth — not just drilling papers.
This is something your Success Coach discusses with you from day one. Most families don’t even know scholarship applications exist, let alone the timeline, the schools, or the preparation required. When you join the programme, your Success Coach maps the full pathway — OC, Selective, and Scholarship — and adjusts the strategy as your child’s performance data comes in.
The Rest of Year bundle includes a dedicated Scholarship Prep add-on (ACER/AAS format) at no extra cost.
BONUS: Writing Wizards Programme
Rest of Year enrolments include one term of Writing Wizards at no extra cost. 11 weeks of analytical and creative writing instruction that directly strengthens your child’s Selective Writing component.
- ✓ Dystopian genre conventions, atmosphere & tension techniques
- ✓ Indirect characterisation with evidence-based profiles
- ✓ PEEL analytical paragraphs: from narrative to argument
- ✓ Persuasive essays, poetry (anaphora, volta, enjambment)
- ✓ Weekly homework with model responses + expert feedback
- ✓ Original dystopian narrative as final portfolio piece
The preparation your child deserves.
150 sessions across 3 terms. Five classes per week. All four selective test components. Plus one term of Writing Wizards included as a bonus.
- 150 live online sessions across 3 terms (50/term)
- 5 classes/week: English + Maths/TSA + Writing + Trial Test P1 + P2
- 5 weekly homework tasks + vocab lists
- Readly, Writely, Vocably & Mathly apps
- Monthly parent strategy calls with Success Coach
- FREE Scholarship Prep add-on (ACER/AAS)
- BONUS: 1 term of Writing Wizards included
- 11-week novel study: Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen
- Weekly 60-min live writing class
- Monthly parent strategy calls continue
- 2 free private coaching sessions
- 150 total sessions across 3 terms
Payment plans available. Two equal instalments at the same total price.
Common Questions
This is the year that matters most.
The selective test is one shot. No redo. No appeal. The preparation you choose in Year 5 determines where your child spends the next 6 years. Don’t let them enter that exam with a Year 3 brain.