How Many Hours Should My Child Study for the Selective Test?

Every parent preparing a child for the NSW Selective High School Placement Test asks the same question: how many hours is enough? The honest answer is that there is no official number. The NSW Department of Education does not publish a required study load, does not recommend a tutor, and sets no minimum practice threshold. The test is designed to measure ability that develops over years of schooling, not a figure you can hit by logging hours in the fortnight before the exam.

That does not mean hours are irrelevant. It means the shape of the hours matters far more than the total. A child who does 20 focused minutes five days a week, reviews every mistake, and sits a timed mock every fortnight will out-perform a child who does a frantic six-hour block the Sunday before. Below is a study plan built around that principle, with concrete weekly structures you can copy.

What you are actually preparing for

Before you plan hours, know the target. The Selective test is sat in Year 6 and is held in early May — the most recent confirmed cycle ran across 2–4 May 2025. Check the current cycle's dates on the official test dates page rather than assuming, because the exact days shift each year.

The test has four timed sections:

• Reading — 45 minutes
• Mathematical Reasoning — 40 minutes, 35 questions
• Thinking Skills — 40 minutes, 40 questions
• Writing — 30 minutes

Two facts fall straight out of that structure. First, the pace is brutal: Thinking Skills gives one minute per question and Maths gives just over a minute. Time pressure, not content difficulty, is what trips most capable children up. Second, Thinking Skills is the section families neglect, because it is not taught at school. Budget disproportionate practice there — start with our Thinking Skills guide to see the question types.

The overall timeline: Year 5 into Year 6

Split preparation into two phases.

Year 5 (foundation phase). The goal here is not test technique — it is closing knowledge gaps and building reading stamina. Twenty to thirty minutes on most days is plenty: a chapter of a challenging book, a few Maths problems above grade level, one Thinking Skills puzzle. No timed papers yet. A child who reads widely through Year 5 walks into the Reading section with an advantage no cramming can buy.

Year 6, term 1 to early term 2 (exam phase). With the May test roughly one term away, shift toward timed practice and error review. This is when full practice tests earn their place. Aim for one full mock every one to two weeks, never more than one a week — mocks are diagnostic tools, not the study itself.

A realistic weekly plan: Year 5

Keep it light and consistent. A workable week:

• Monday: 20 min Maths (problem-solving, not drills)
• Tuesday: 25 min reading a book slightly above level
• Wednesday: 20 min Thinking Skills puzzles
• Thursday: 25 min reading, then discuss the plot together
• Friday: 20 min mixed Maths and Thinking Skills
• Weekend: rest, or one relaxed puzzle if the child is keen

That is roughly two hours a week of deliberate practice, and most of it should feel like curiosity rather than exam prep. If a session becomes a battle, stop — a resentful child learns nothing.

A realistic weekly plan: Year 6, exam term

Same daily rhythm, more structure, and the introduction of timed conditions:

• Monday: 30 min timed Maths section under real time limits
• Tuesday: 30 min reviewing Monday's wrong answers — this is the most valuable session of the week
• Wednesday: 30 min Thinking Skills, half of it timed
• Thursday: 30 min writing practice to the 30-minute limit, alternating persuasive and narrative
• Friday: 20 min light reading, no pressure
• Alternate Saturdays: one full mock across all four sections, in one sitting, timed exactly

That comes to around three hours a week plus a mock every fortnight. Even in the final stretch, there is no reason to exceed four hours of structured work weekly for a primary-aged child.

Why reviewing wrong answers beats doing more questions

The single biggest mistake families make is treating practice as volume: more papers, more questions, more hours. But a question you got wrong and never revisited teaches you nothing. A question you got wrong, understood, and re-attempted a week later rewires how your child thinks.

After every practice section, spend as long reviewing as you spent doing. For each wrong answer, work out why: careless slip, ran out of time, or genuinely didn't understand. The three causes need three different fixes — slow down, practise pacing, or reteach the concept. Keep a running list of recurring error types; it becomes the most honest study plan you'll ever have.

Spaced practice, not cramming

Memory research is unambiguous: the same total hours spread across many short sessions produce far more durable learning than the same hours crammed together. This is why the plans above favour daily 20–30 minute blocks over weekend marathons. It is also why you should revisit topics: a Thinking Skills pattern practised in week one should reappear in week three, not be ticked off and forgotten.

Spacing has a second benefit — it protects against burnout, which is the real risk in Selective prep.

Protecting against burnout

A child who arrives at the May test anxious and exhausted will underperform a well-rested child of equal ability. Guard the downside:

• Keep sessions short. For a 10–11 year old, concentration fades after about 30 minutes. Two 20-minute sessions beat one 40-minute grind.
• Protect at least one full rest day a week. No practice, no test talk.
• Watch for warning signs — tears over practice, declining school engagement, trouble sleeping. These mean you are pushing too hard, and no test result is worth them.
• In the final week, taper. Lighten the load, do a little confidence-building revision, and stop entirely the day before. Rest, not last-minute cramming, is what a tired brain needs.

So — how many hours?

If you want a single figure to anchor on: roughly two hours a week in Year 5 and three to four hours a week in the exam term of Year 6, with a full mock every one to two weeks in the months before early May. But treat that as a ceiling, not a target to chase. A consistent, review-focused, well-rested child doing those hours will be better prepared than one grinding twice as long.

Start with a diagnostic practice test to see where your child actually stands, confirm your timeline against the official test dates, and build the weeks backwards from there.

Last verified: July 2026.