The 2026 Selective High School Exam: What Parents Need to Know
Everything has changed since 2025 — ACER writes the questions now, the test is fully digital, and the old prep playbooks don't work. Here's what the exam actually looks like today.
The SelectiveCoach Blog
No filler. No clickbait. Just what I'd tell you over coffee if you asked me how to actually prepare your child — from someone who's taught maths, written code, and spent years decoding how this exam really works.
Everything has changed since 2025 — ACER writes the questions now, the test is fully digital, and the old prep playbooks don't work. Here's what the exam actually looks like today.
Every family asks me this. The honest answer depends on three things most parents haven't thought about — and one of them is the kind of kid you actually have, not the one you hope for.
Your child might be great with a pen but freeze at a keyboard. The shift to Janison isn't just "the same exam on a screen" — here's what actually trips kids up and how to train for it.
Thinking Skills is the section that breaks the most students — not because it's hard, but because nobody teaches it at school. Here's every question type, broken down plainly.
The writing section is 25% of the exam, and most kids lose marks they shouldn't. Here's the exact month-by-month plan I give parents — from typing speed drills to structured essay practice.