In 2024 and 2025, a record 18,500 and 17,559 students sat the Selective Schools Test. Roughly only 4200 students make it every year.

The truth is that the test is extremely competitive and, to the quote the Selective High Schools Unit, "discriminatory" (but in a good way). After all, the program is geared towards motivating gifted and talented students.

For the purpose of informing parents and to save time, here is our take on the test and the students who try out, based on decades of teaching all kinds of students:

1. Genetics help but it's not everything. The truth is some students understand concepts faster than others.
2. Hard work and drive definitely help as you can train your child for the styles of questions in this test.
3. Rote learning is necessary but not without true understanding first. For the latter, you need good educators who know how to break down concepts.
4. This test is not for everyone and that's alright. We know many creative students who scored in the top 10% for writing but had no interest in mathematical reasoning and thinking skills.
5. Consistency beats intensity. Your child will be better off studying 30 minutes daily than 3.5 hours one day of the week.
6. The fastest and cheapest way to improve in reading and comprehension is to read advanced books and short stories. For example, Wind in the Willows.
7. Polish your poetry skills. Students in year 5 and 6 can intepret things literally when sometimes it's about figure of speech.
8. The close passage looks simple but it's not.
9. The mathematical reasoning questions are not difficult for our students but it is when you have 40 minutes to complete 35 questions.
10. On simple questions, careless mistakes kill. Show working-out.
11. Thinking Skills has a lot of debating-like questions where your child will need to choose the best answer over good answers. For example, a question might ask which of the following statements in the multiple choices MOST STRENGTHEN another statement.
12. Even if you have amazing writing skills, you can lose half your marks if you get side-tracked and write a response that does not relate sufficiently to the stimulus.
13. Writing a cohesive, complete response in 30 minutes takes skills and practise. Most adults would have trouble.
14. Exam conditioning in trial tests is crucial for most students who are serious about getting in.
15. Peaking at the right time reduces the risk of burn-out when your child is studying.

In 2015, one of our top students, Leeroy Ma, achieved the top rank in NSW. You can check out our HONOURS LIST here.

Most of our students receive offers in top-tier schools like:

• NSB
• James Ruse
• NSG
• SB
• SG
• Caringbah
• Sydney Tech
• St George Girls

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SIGI Programs

ROCKET SELECTIVE TRIAL TESTS: Perfect for exam conditioning and questions

CORE CLASS: Structured learning that emphasises strong foundations

WRITING CLASS: A program that dives deep into the art of writing

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ROCKET SELECTIVE TRIAL TESTS

🔥Introduction

Selective High School exams are not just tests of knowledge, they’re battles that demand resilience and sharp thinking. SIGI's Rocket SSTT program aims to inspire your child to learn and experience the rush of truly understanding a poem or a math problem, or mastering a specific type of thinking skills, and writing style.

This year, SIGI’s Rocket SSTT Mock Exam Program has been fully upgraded to give your child the ultimate competitive edge.  Beyond hyper-realistic mock exams, we’ve launched four academic power tools designed to engineer breakthroughs:

🔥 NewElite Modules – Built for Results

Parent Review Questions

"I want to help but don’t know how?"

Precision Assist Guide (5 tactical questions  per subject)

With the right support, parents can help children review  incorrect answers more effectively, strengthening their ability to  independently analyse mistakes and improving accuracy on similar questions in  future exams.

Master Class

"Does tutoring only  give my child a rank?"

SIGI’s SSTT program does much  more; our master classes are designed to unlock your child’s full exam  potential with comprehensive revision. We help students turn mistakes into learning breakthroughs by transforming wrong answers into new questions, building flexible thinking. They’ll also learn smart strategies like how to manage time under pressure and which section to tackle first for maximum marks.

Video access

“Why did my child lose  marks?”

Valuable mistakes to boost exam performance and avoid common pitfalls.

Top Trial Test

"Lack of elite  competition?"

A great opportunity for your child to assess their readiness against, potentially, many students in NSW.

🔥The Right Programs for Your Child (you can purchase the additional power tools if you wish)

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