HAST test: where it's sat, when, and how to register
There is no single HAST test day and no public test centre. The Higher Ability Selection Test is run by ACER, but each school that uses it chooses its own date, sits the test on its own grounds, and takes registrations itself.
So if you searched “HAST test Penrith” or “HAST test Parramatta” and found nothing with a date and an address, that is why. The date and the venue belong to a school, not to a suburb. The question to answer is which schools near you use HAST, and what each of them has set.
How to register
- Find the schools that use it. ACER keeps a list of participating schools on its HAST site. Start there rather than with a search engine.
- Contact each school directly. You register with the school, not with ACER.
- Check that school’s closing date. Each school sets its own, and they are not aligned with each other.
- Ask the school about fees. ACER does not publish a price. Whatever is charged is set by the school.
If you are applying to two schools that both use HAST, ask each one whether your child needs to sit it twice. Results are reported to the school you registered with, so do not assume one sitting covers both.
Where your child sits it
At the school you registered with, on the date that school sets. Families who live interstate, or who are moving, can ask the school whether it will arrange testing elsewhere. ACER leaves that decision with the school.
Which test your child sits
HAST comes in levels, matched to the year your child is entering:
| Level | Sat in | For entry to |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Year 4 or 5 | Years 5 and 6 |
| Junior Secondary | Year 6 or 7 | Years 7 and 8 |
| Middle Secondary | Year 8 or 9 | Years 9 and 10 |
| Senior Secondary | Year 10 | Year 11 |
Most families searching for HAST are looking at Junior Secondary — sat in Year 6 for entry to Year 7.
What the test covers
| Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Reading Comprehension |
| Mathematical Reasoning | Mathematical & Scientific Reasoning |
| Abstract Reasoning | Abstract Reasoning |
| Written Expression | Written Expression |
The multiple-choice sections are machine-scored. Written Expression is marked by trained human markers. A school may not use every section, so ask which ones yours requires.
The test is on paper. Unlike the NSW Selective and OC tests, which are now computer-based, HAST is paper-only. If your child has only practised on a screen, that is worth knowing.
The section that surprises families: Abstract Reasoning
The NSW Selective test does not have an abstract reasoning paper. HAST does, and it is the section children who have prepared only for Selective are least ready for.
The questions are visual rather than verbal. Find the next shape in a sequence. Complete a grid with one cell missing. Put a set of figures in order and choose the middle one. There is no curriculum behind any of it, which means no child has been taught it at school — and which also means familiarity with the question types is worth more here than in any other section.
Results
ACER sends results to the school, not to you. The school then contacts you. The report shows how your child performed relative to other students of a similar age who sat the test.
ACER’s stated turnaround is about ten working days from when it receives the completed tests, so the wait after test day depends partly on when the school sends them in.
Adjustments for disability
With supporting medical evidence, ACER can provide testing arrangements for candidates with disabilities — for example modified materials for a vision impairment, or a scribe for an injury. Raise this with the school when you register, not on test day.
Practice materials
ACER sells one official HAST Sample Question Booklet through its online shop, and publishes some free sample questions in its student information bulletins. Beyond those, there are no official past papers — anything sold as a “HAST past paper” was written by someone else.
HAST is not the Selective test
Families in Western Sydney often have both on the table, so the differences matter:
| HAST | NSW Selective | |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | ACER, through each school | NSW Department of Education |
| Used by | Individual schools that choose it | Government selective schools |
| Date | Set by each school | One statewide date in early May |
| Format | Paper | Computer-based |
| Abstract reasoning | Yes, its own section | No |
| Apply through | The school | The department’s online portal |
Sitting one does not register your child for the other, and a result in one is not passed to the other. If you are considering both, plan for both — see how to apply for Selective.
Where to start this week
Open ACER’s participating schools list, pick the schools you would actually consider, and email each one asking three things: the test date, the registration closing date, and which sections they use. That gets you everything a suburb search could not.
If you want your child to see abstract reasoning questions before the day, Cognora includes a HAST mode with abstract, reading and maths practice, and it is free to start.
Details on this page were checked against ACER’s published HAST information on 24 September 2026. Dates, fees and registration are set by each school — always confirm with the school directly, and see acer.org/au/hast for the participating schools list.