If your child will be in Year 8 in 2027, you are looking ahead to Year 9 entry in 2028. As at 12 October 2026, 2028-entry dates await the next ACER calendar. Check its official page for the new application and examination dates. A search for “Victoria selective exam 2027” can also bring up information about starting school in 2027: that examination took place on 20 June 2026, and applications have closed. Keep the exam year and entry year together in your notes. ACER's admissions page and the Victorian Department of Education are the places to check for announcements.
Key takeaways
- For Year 9 entry in 2028, look for the new ACER cycle before relying on application or test dates.
- The current Year 9 pathway covers four Victorian government selective entry high schools.
- Students apply while in Year 8 and must meet the published eligibility rules.
- The currently published exam tests reasoning, reading, mathematics and writing. Recheck its format when the new cycle opens.
- Choose school preferences around fit and the daily journey, as well as academic opportunities.
Separate the exam year from the entry year
Entry in 2027
The exam was held on 20 June 2026.
Exam in 2027
For entry in 2028; watch ACER for the dated schedule.
Plan now
Check eligibility, preferences and the daily commute.
Use the next cycle’s published calendar, rather than shifting last year’s dates.
Victorian Department of Education / ACER. Sources checked 12 October 2026.
Which cycle are you planning for?
| Family situation | Cycle to look for | Status checked 12 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Child applied in Year 8 during 2026 | Year 9 entry in 2027 | Applications closed; examination held 20 June 2026 |
| Child will be in Year 8 during 2027 | Year 9 entry in 2028 | Dates await the next ACER calendar |
| Child wants entry after Year 9 | The individual school's later-year process | Contact the school directly |
The published 2027-entry timetable opened applications on 2 March 2026 and closed them on 24 April 2026. Those are historical dates for that entry cycle, not a forecast for the next one. Do not copy them into a 2027 family calendar. ACER administers the centralised Year 9 process; the schools manage later-year entry.
A useful next step is to bookmark ACER and write “check new cycle” in your calendar. Once dates appear, record the application deadline, arrangements deadline, examination date, preference deadline and offer response dates separately. An application reminder alone will not cover the whole process.
The four schools in the centralised pathway
The department's school list identifies these schools:
| School | Location | Student intake |
|---|---|---|
| The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School | Melbourne | Girls |
| Melbourne High School | South Yarra | Boys |
| Nossal High School | Berwick | Coeducational |
| Suzanne Cory High School | Werribee | Coeducational |
This guide covers their shared Year 9 process. Other specialist schools and accelerated programs may have separate arrangements. A label such as “selective” does not make an unrelated school's application part of this examination.
Use the profiles as a starting point, then confirm subjects, student support, open days and travel arrangements with each school. Compare them with your child's current school and other Victorian schools. A selective offer is one possible choice in that wider comparison.
Who can apply under the current rules?
The published eligibility policy requires candidates to be in their second year of secondary schooling, Year 8, and not to have previously sat the Year 9 entry examination. Citizenship and visa requirements also apply. Eligible categories include Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens residing in Australia, and qualifying visa or ImmiCard holders exempt from international student fees, including candidates who meet the criteria by the offer stage.
Students at government and non-government schools can apply. Registered home-school students can also apply. Fee-paying international students enrolled in Victorian schools are not eligible. Eligibility can apply to students living interstate or overseas, but arrangements to sit remotely have their own requirements.
If your child's schooling sequence or immigration status is unusual, ask ACER before committing to the process. Keep the supporting documents together and recheck the new cycle's requirements. Avoid reducing the policy to “any Year 8 student can sit”.
How to prepare your application checklist
When the next cycle opens, use its instructions to make a short checklist:
- Check eligibility and the correct entry year.
- Gather student details and the Victorian Student Number, where relevant.
- Check current fees, waivers and any supporting evidence.
- Discuss school preferences with your child.
- Request accessibility or other permitted arrangements by the published deadline.
- Save the confirmation and candidate number, and keep contact details current.
The department currently provides application-fee waivers for eligible concession-card and First Nations families, with financial hardship reductions available through a separate process. This is current policy, not a promise about the next cycle. Check the official application guidance before paying or submitting evidence.
Remote sittings and alternative dates are not an automatic option for holidays or special occasions. Families who may need them should review the approved circumstances early rather than book travel around an assumed exception.
Currently published selective exam: 155 testing minutes
Maths and quantitative reasoning
60 minutes
Reading and verbal reasoning
55 minutes
Writing
40 minutes
60 + 55 + 40 = 155 minutes. Registration and breaks are extra; recheck the next cycle’s format.
ACER preparation page. Sources checked 12 October 2026.
What is in the currently published exam?
ACER's current preparation page describes this format. It is a reference for familiarisation while awaiting the next cycle, not confirmation of the 2027 examination format.
| Component | Published test time |
|---|---|
| Mathematics and quantitative reasoning | 60 minutes |
| Reading and verbal reasoning | 55 minutes |
| Writing, comprising two tasks | 40 minutes |
| Total task time | 2 hours 35 minutes |
ACER allows approximately four hours for administration, including registration and breaks. The tasks assess applying knowledge, interpreting information and reasoning through unfamiliar problems. Required knowledge does not exceed the Year 8 curriculum.
Use the official sample questions to understand instructions and response formats. ACER cautions that samples do not necessarily reflect the exam's difficulty. A child can practise reading a question carefully, recording answers in the right place and deciding when to move on, without turning every evening into an examination rehearsal.
Choosing preferences without overlooking everyday life
Start with the schools your child could realistically attend. Try the public transport journey at school-day times. Consider the walk between stops, connections, cost and what happens when a service is late. Ask how extracurricular commitments would fit after that journey.
Then talk about learning and belonging. Does your child enjoy a demanding academic environment? Which subjects and activities matter to them? What support would they want while changing schools? Use the same questions for every option so that a prestigious name does not replace a practical comparison.
Our high-school decision guide helps organise that discussion. The Kids Activity Index and activities directory can help you explore interests around school, but they do not measure selective admission chances.
How offers work
Under the current selection policy, standard merit accounts for 85% of places, equity consideration for up to 10%, and principal discretion for up to 5%. Source-school caps also apply, so an exam result alone does not tell a family whether an offer will follow. Read the complete rules rather than calculating a personal admission probability from those percentages.
ACER's offers guidance explains that offers arrive in rounds and carry response deadlines. A family can accept a lower-preference offer and remain eligible for a higher preference in a later round. An offer cannot be transferred to another school. Monitor the designated email account and application portal; missed response deadlines cannot be extended.
For families in the already-tested 2027-entry cycle, follow the existing portal and messages. New applicants should wait for the new published schedule rather than use that cycle's offer dates.
Frequently asked questions
Does “2027 selective exam” mean entry in 2027?
Not necessarily. An examination year and a school-entry year are different. The 2027-entry exam was held in 2026. Always look for both years on the official timetable.
Has the examination date for 2028 entry been announced?
The 2028-entry dates await the next ACER calendar. Check ACER before planning around an examination date.
Can my child use a NAPLAN result instead?
The centralised Year 9 process includes its own entrance examination. ACER says its results are not necessarily directly comparable with other assessments, including NAPLAN.
Is paid coaching required?
ACER says there is no need to practise or revise for the examination, while recommending familiarisation with its sample questions. Start with the official material and realistic expectations.
What if we also want to consider another school system?
Compare daily fit, costs and support using our public, Catholic and independent school guide. Families considering NSW should use its separate 2028-entry guide; Victorian deadlines and rules do not carry across.
Official information checked 12 October 2026. Recheck the next cycle's dates, eligibility, fees and exam format before applying.
