Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
ACER scholarship test: primary and secondary sections
The ACER scholarship test ranks applicants for a school scholarship. Primary and secondary sittings use different sections, and the school sets the date.
What is the ACER scholarship test?
It is a skills test used by Australian schools to rank applicants for a scholarship. ACER marks the papers and reports to the school. The school decides whether a scholarship is awarded.
ACER’s scholarship page describes the tests as a way to differentiate high performance, using critical thinking and problem solving rather than a checklist of remembered facts. A search for “ACER exam” can also mean HAST, GAMSAT, LANTITE or another ACER program. This guide is the scholarship test. Read the name on the school’s letter before you choose practice.
The school registers the test date with ACER. A parent registers and pays for each school. ACER marks the papers, reports to the school, and the school tells the family whether a scholarship is awarded. Result reports then come from ACER or the school.
What is in the primary ACER scholarship test?
For entry into Years 4 to 6, ACER lists Reading and Viewing, Mathematics and Writing. That sitting is paper based.
ACER’s 2019 notes for candidates then in Years 3, 4 or 5 describe Reading and Viewing as several short passages and 25 multiple-choice questions in 30 minutes. Mathematics is 20 multiple-choice questions in 30 minutes, including the four operations and problems. Writing is two short pieces in different genres, with 40 minutes to plan and write. The letter for your sitting states the sections and times you have.
Reading and Viewing asks you to interpret written and visual material. When you practise, cover the choices, write what the passage actually says, then see which choice matches that statement.
What is in the secondary ACER scholarship test?
For entry into Years 7 to 12, ACER lists Written Expression, Humanities and Mathematics, at Levels 1, 2 and 3. Delivery may be online or on paper.
ACER’s 2017 mathematics notes describe 32 to 36 multiple-choice questions. At Level 1 they are mathematics. At Levels 2 and 3, those notes say half the questions are mathematics and half are science. The current scholarship page lists the test as Mathematics. Use the level named by your school, and treat scientific reasoning as part of preparation for Levels 2 and 3.
Humanities, in ACER’s example material, uses writing and images such as an explanation, a poem, a story, a diagram or a cartoon. The information for the question is in that material. Mathematics focuses on interpreting quantities, selecting what matters and applying it. ACER’s example material says calculators are not used.
How should you use the result?
Use it as the school’s ranking information for that scholarship. Ask the school which level you are sitting and which sections are included.
A strong practice score on one section does not decide the scholarship. The school combines the report with its own rules. If the letter names EduTest or HAST instead of the ACER scholarship test, practise that test. The sections are not interchangeable.