NSW Selective test study plan: an eight-week attempt-and-review schedule
An eight-week preparation schedule balancing official familiarisation, focused section drills, writing and full timed practice.
Plan backwards from the official test date and protect three or four short sessions each week. The objective is not maximum worksheet volume; it is accurate performance on unseen work.
Weeks 1–2: format and baseline
Read the Department’s current test and preparation pages. Complete official familiarisation material, then sit an original diagnostic. Record errors by section, skill, cause and time spent.
Weeks 3–4: repair foundations
Devote two sessions a week to the weakest objective skills and one to writing. Re-attempt missed methods after two or three days without viewing the solution. Add short fluency work only where arithmetic or reading speed is a proven bottleneck.
Weeks 5–6: mixed timed work
Mix item types so the candidate must select the method independently. Complete one section-length sit each weekend and one full writing response. Review lucky guesses as seriously as wrong answers.
Weeks 7–8: rehearsal and taper
Complete one or two realistic rehearsals with proper breaks and materials. In the final week, revisit the error log and a small number of fresh items; stop heavy practice before test day.
Weekly review questions
- Which skill caused the most lost marks?
- Which errors repeated after correction?
- Did pacing fail because of slow method selection or slow execution?
- Can the candidate explain the correction without the solution open?