Queensland Academies Entrance Test: A Parent's Guide

Queensland Academies are three state schools that teach the International Baccalaureate: the Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology (QASMT) at Toowong, the Creative Industries campus (QACI) at Kelvin Grove, and the Health Sciences campus (QAHS) on the Gold Coast. Every place is selective, and every applicant sits the same entrance test. This guide covers who sits it and when, what is on it, how places are decided, and how to get ready.

Two ways in: Year 7 and Year 10

Year 7 entry is at QASMT only. It is a six-year program, Years 7 to 12, and children apply while they are in Year 5. Year 10 entry is open at all three academies, for the three-year program that ends with the IB Diploma. Year 10 applications open in Term 3 of Year 8, and the test is sat in Year 9.

A child can have only one application under consideration at a time, so Year 10 families choose one academy before they apply. Dates move every year, so always check the Academies’ own enrolments page.

How to apply for Year 7

Parents apply online through the Queensland Academies portal. In the 2026 cycle, applications closed at 4pm on Friday 21 August and the test was held on the weekend of 5 and 6 September. The Academies allocate each child a day and session, and they say requests for a preferred day or session cannot be met. The on-time fee was $270, and it is not refunded, even if the child is not offered a place.

After you apply, the Academies email an invitation to register for the test. Register within three days of that email. The policy is strict: an application is cancelled, and the fee lost, if registration is missed or a child does not attend without an email within three school days. Check your spam folder in the weeks after you apply.

You also upload the last two semester school reports and NAPLAN results where you have them. Children who live a long way away can sit the test remotely for an extra fee, and children with a disability or medical condition can ask for adjustments before registering.

What is on the test

The test takes about three hours. The Academies publish five parts and the time for each, and the same five parts apply at Year 7 and Year 10 entry:

The Academies do not publish how many questions each part has, the pass mark, or how the parts are weighted. On the day, children bring two pens, two pencils, an eraser, a sharpener and ID, and may bring a water bottle, a snack for the break and a simple watch. Smart watches and other connected devices are not allowed.

How places are decided

Places go on merit, with each application compared with all the others. The test is one part of it. The Academies also look at school reports and academic data such as NAPLAN, and shortlisted Year 7 applicants are invited to an engagement activity (an interview, up to 2025) and their primary principal is asked for a letter. Year 10 shortlisted applicants are interviewed and bring a sample of their own writing and a one-page statement about their learning.

The Principal makes the final decision. Outcomes for Year 7 are emailed late in Term 4. Children who are not offered a place may be held in a merit pool for later vacancies, but none are guaranteed. The Academies do not publish cut-off scores or the number of places.

How to prepare

1. Get used to 30-minute blocks. Four of the five parts are 30 minutes each, and the whole sitting is about three hours. Timed practice helps a child keep a steady pace to the last question.
2. Meet reasoning questions early. Verbal and numerical reasoning are rarely taught at school. A few short sets a week make the question types familiar long before test day.
3. Keep school maths and reading strong. Mathematics and Reading Comprehension are achievement tests, so ordinary schoolwork and wide reading are real preparation. For a Year 5 child, the maths runs a little ahead of the classroom.
4. Write short, complete pieces. Fifteen minutes is not long. Practise starting quickly from a fresh prompt and finishing a whole piece, rather than writing half of a long one.
5. Look after the application, not just the test. Reports and NAPLAN count too, and missed emails cost families their place in the queue. Diary the closing date and the registration window.
6. Keep it in proportion. Practice should make the test feel familiar, not take over a Year 5 child’s year. Sleep and a calm morning matter on the day.

Practice in the Queensland Academies style

Our Queensland Academies practice follows the five published parts at their published times. For Year 7 entry, papers are Verbal Reasoning (60 questions), Numerical Reasoning (50), Reading Comprehension (40) and Mathematics (40), 30 minutes each. For Year 10 entry, the same four parts are set at Year 9 level, with six reading texts. Written Expression is one prompt in 15 minutes, marked against three areas, with your child’s own sentences quoted as the reason for each band. Every paper is new when your child starts it, and every question is explained afterwards.

To be clear about what these are: tests we wrote, not real or past Queensland Academies papers, and we are not connected with Queensland Academies or the Queensland Department of Education. The Academies do not publish question counts, so ours are our own choice. Our score is the number right, not a ranking or a prediction of an offer. A free account includes 3 practice tests, and the Queensland Academies pack opens unlimited tests with the answers, worked solutions and marked writing.

What’s next

Start with the Queensland Academies practice page. Weighing up other Brisbane options? Brisbane State High School sets a different test for Year 7: see the Brisbane State High practice page and our parent’s guide to the Brisbane State High test.