Scholarship tests in Tasmania, a calm guide.

There's no selective school test in Tasmania. Every government high school takes its students from its feeder primary schools.^[1] The exams Tasmanian families prepare for are scholarship tests set by independent schools.

Schools that offer academic scholarships

A few examples, all checked on the schools' own pages in October 2026:

• The Hutchins School in Hobart offered academic scholarships for entry to Years 5 to 12 in 2027. Applications closed in late March and the exam was held on Saturday 11 April 2026.^[2]
• Launceston Church Grammar School awards academic scholarships through testing in general reasoning and problem solving, mathematics, reading comprehension and written expression. Testing for 2027 entry was held in February 2026.^[3]
• Fahan School in Hobart has used the Edutest scholarship examination.^[4]

Other schools run scholarships too, and many also offer music, sport, community or means-tested awards. Each school sets its own rules, so read the details for every school on your list.

The test providers

• ACER, the Australian Council for Educational Research, writes scholarship tests used by schools around Australia.^[5]
• Edutest runs its own scholarship tests, which some schools use instead.
• Some schools write and run their own exam.

Ask each school which test it uses before you start, then look at that provider's current information.

Timing is early

The dates above show the pattern. Tests for the next year's entry are sat early in the year, in February to April, and applications close weeks before that. For Year 7 entry, that means early in Year 6. Put the dates in your calendar during Year 5.

What's usually tested

• Reading passages a step harder than class texts, with questions on meaning and the writer's choices.
• Maths problems built on Year 5 and 6 content, often in unfamiliar wording.
• Writing under time pressure, judged on ideas and control.
• Reasoning puzzles, verbal or numerical, that school doesn't teach directly.

Preparing sensibly

• Get the maths secure first. Fractions, decimals and multi-step problems run through every paper. That pays off more than extra practice tests.
• Keep reading, and talk about it. Asking why a character did something builds exactly the thinking these tests reward.
• Write to a timer a few times. Planning in five minutes and finishing on time is a skill worth practising.
• See the format once or twice. A handful of reasoning questions takes away the surprise.
• Keep it in perspective. A scholarship is a bonus. The same habits set your child up well for Year 7 wherever they go.