NSW Selective — Results
NSW Selective School Results: Scores & Next Steps
NSW Selective High School placement outcomes are released to parents mid-year through the online application portal — not by post. The result is a placement score out of 120, and there is no fixed pass mark: offers depend on how your child ranks against the applicant pool for each school. This guide explains how to read the score, how reserve lists and appeals work, and what to do next whatever the outcome.
How to read the score
The report shows a placement score out of 120. It is not a raw test mark — it is scaled across the whole cohort. Compare it to the estimated ranges on our selective school entry-score guides, remembering those figures are estimates because the Department stopped publishing official cutoffs after 2021.
Reserve lists and offers
If your child is not in the initial offer round, they may be placed on a school’s reserve list and offered a place later as others decline. Reserve-list movement can continue for several weeks — keep checking the portal and respond to any offer promptly.
Appeals and reviews
The Department offers a review process for illness or misadventure and for administrative or data errors. Reviews check the process, not the marking, and the window is short — act quickly if it applies to you.
If your child is below the cutoff
A reserve-list offer may still arrive, and many families succeed through OC placement, partially-selective streams, or private-school scholarship (AAS) pathways. Keep momentum with Selective practice tests and targeted puzzles while you weigh the options.
Frequently asked questions
What does a selective school score out of 120 mean?
The placement score is reported out of 120 and combines your child’s test results across the sections. A higher number is more competitive, but there is no single pass mark — each school’s effective cutoff shifts with its applicant pool each year.
What is a reserve list?
If a school fills its places, remaining eligible students are ranked on a reserve list. If an offered student declines, the next student is offered a place. Movement can continue for several weeks after the main offers.
Can I appeal a selective school outcome?
The Department runs a review process for illness or misadventure that affected the test, and for data or eligibility errors. Reviews check that the process was applied correctly; they do not re-mark the test. Check the official page for the current review window.
What should we do if our child is below the cutoff?
A place can still come through the reserve list, and there are strong OC, partially-selective and private-school (AAS) pathways. Keep skills sharp with practice tests and puzzles while you weigh the options.
Source: NSW Department of Education — Selective High School Placement Test. Last verified: July 2026.