6,500 Students, About 1,000 Places: Victoria's Selective Entry Exam Is Getting Tougher
What the 2023–2026 figures tell us, and how students can prepare for the 2027 exam
Victoria Selective Entry Exam | Melbourne High | Mac.Rob | Nossal | Suzanne Cory | 2027 PreparationIn 2025, around 5,700 students sat Victoria's Selective Entry Exam. In 2026, approximately 6,500 students sat the exam. Across the four selective entry high schools, the number of available Year 9 places remained at around 1,000.
That is roughly 800 more students competing for almost the same number of places in just one year. For families preparing for the 2027 Victorian Selective Entry Exam, these figures explain why good preparation matters.
Selective Entry Exam competition: 2023 to 2026
| Exam year | Students / applicants | Year 9 places | Approx. places per student |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Around 5,000 (indicative estimate)* | ~1,000 | Around 1 in 5* |
| 2024 | Over 5,000 applicants | ~1,000 | Less than 1 in 5 |
| 2025 | ~5,700 sat the exam | ~1,000 | About 1 in 5.7 |
| 2026 | ~6,500 sat the exam | ~1,000 | About 1 in 6.5 |
How to read the table: These are overall places-to-candidates ratios, not an individual student's guaranteed probability of selection. The 2023 figure is an indicative estimate; an independently verified exam-year count was not located. The 2024 figure counts applicants, while the 2025 and 2026 figures describe exam participants. All place counts are approximate.
The clearest comparison is between 2025 and 2026. Candidate numbers rose by around 14% in one year, without a similar increase in places.
Why is the exam becoming more competitive?
More students are competing
More families are considering the four selective schools, but available Year 9 places have remained close to 1,000 annually.
Students have access to more preparation resources
Practice tests, online lessons and tutoring are widely available. This may mean more candidates arrive better prepared, although comparable skill-level data is not published.
A student can know the syllabus well and still struggle with an unfamiliar question under time pressure. It helps to practise different ways a question can be asked, not just repeat a familiar set of problems.
How Curious4ever prepares its Selective Entry practice tests
We have followed the Victorian Selective Entry Exam for many years. Each year, we review feedback from students who sat the exam, look at the question formats they remember, and compare those reports with previous years. We use that work to develop new questions and revise our practice tests.
For example, students who sat the 2026 exam reported more application-based Mathematics questions and a combined Reading and Verbal Reasoning section. Our 2027 series places greater emphasis on these formats, while retaining earlier question types because the exam can change again.
Our 2027 practice series includes
- Core Skills: build accuracy in Mathematics, language and reasoning fundamentals.
- Exam-Style Full Tests: practise question formats and timings based on recent student reports.
- Subject-Focused Tests: work separately on Mathematics, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading and Verbal Reasoning.
- Selective Edge: attempt harder questions and unfamiliar formats developed to extend students beyond routine practice.
- Vocabulary Builder: improve word knowledge and usage for Reading, Verbal Reasoning and Writing.
- AI-Assessed Writing: submit writing responses and receive immediate feedback on structure, clarity, grammar, ideas and use of evidence.
We also create our own question formats to test whether students can apply what they know in new situations. Our aim is to prepare students for a range of challenges rather than assume the next exam will repeat the previous one.
You can read the specific changes in our 2027 Selective Entry Practice Test Series update.
Watch: How we maintain the quality of our questions
Here is a look at how we review and prepare questions for Curious4ever practice tests.
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More practice resources are coming before the 2027 exam
The 2027 test series is already available, and we will keep adding questions and practice tests during the preparation year. We plan to expand the Vocabulary Builder, add more varied questions, and develop additional practice where students need it.
New tests added to the series will be available to existing purchasers at no additional cost. Students can begin now and use the new material as it becomes available.
Preparing for the 2027 Victorian Selective Entry Exam?
Explore Curious4ever's updated practice tests for Mathematics, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading, Verbal Reasoning and Writing. Start with a free trial and review the full series before deciding.
Explore the 2027 Selective Entry Practice TestsFree trial tests available.
Frequently asked questions
How many students sat the Victorian Selective Entry Exam in 2026?
Approximately 6,500 students sat the exam, according to The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School.
How many Year 9 places are available across the four schools?
The Victorian Department of Education states that approximately 1,000 Year 9 places are available each year.
Does a one-in-seven ratio mean my child has exactly a one-in-seven chance?
No. It is a simple comparison of candidates and places. Selection also depends on exam performance, school preferences and the official selection policy.
Is the 2027 exam format confirmed?
No. Our 2027 practice tests use feedback on previous exams, particularly 2026, while covering a wider mix of question formats.
Sources and figures
- Victorian Department of Education: approximately 1,000 Year 9 places annually and the selection policy.
- The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, June 2026: approximately 6,500 exam participants in 2026.
- The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, June 2026: approximately 5,700 candidates in 2025, derived from the reported increase of 700 to a projected 6,400 in 2026.
- KIS Academics: more than 5,000 applicants in 2024.
Numbers are rounded. ACER does not publish the secure exam questions, and descriptions of past question formats are based on student recollections. Exam year refers to the year the test was sat; for example, the 2027 exam is for Year 9 entry in 2028.
