What is the SEAL program in Victoria?

Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) is a stream inside some Victorian government secondary schools. Students in it move through the curriculum faster, typically covering Years 7 to 10 in three years. Entry is at Year 7, and children sit the selection test in Year 6.

Is there one SEAL test for all schools?

No. Each SEAL school runs its own selection, with its own test date, fee and process. Many set the same five-part test, but some use a different test with different parts. Check each school's SEAL page to see which test it sets.

When do children sit the SEAL test?

In Year 6, for Year 7 entry the next year. In the 2026 cycle, schools closed registrations between May and July and held their tests from late July to mid August. Dates change every year and differ by school, so check each school's page.

How much does the SEAL test cost?

Each school sets its own registration fee. For 2027 entry, school pages listed fees from $45 to $150, often non-refundable. The SEAL program itself is part of a government school education, so the curriculum it delivers is not charged as an extra.

Does applying for SEAL also enrol my child at the school?

Not always. Some schools say a SEAL registration is separate from general Year 7 enrolment, so you also enrol the normal way. Others only test children who already hold a mainstream place. Read the school's own rules before you apply.

Which schools have a SEAL program?

The Academy of Accredited SEAL Schools lists its member schools across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, and this guide lists them all. A few schools run a SEAL program outside the Academy, so a school missing from the list may still have one.

When should my child start preparing for the SEAL test?

A gentle start around the end of Year 5 or the start of Year 6 leaves two or three terms before the tests. Short, regular practice works better than a late rush, and the last few weeks should be about rest and timing, not new topics.

Are there past SEAL papers?

Schools do not publish past papers. Practice tests sold online are written by publishers. Ours are too: written by Scholar Tests in the style of the common five-part test, with no connection to any SEAL school or test provider.

Last updated 13 November 2026

SEAL Program Victoria: The Test, the Schools, How to Prepare

A note from the parent who built this: I’m prepping my own son for the 2028 Year 7 round across three different boards, and everything on this site gets tested on him before it goes live.

SEAL stands for Select Entry Accelerated Learning. It is a stream inside some Victorian government secondary schools, and it starts in Year 7. Children sit a selection test in Year 6 to get in. This guide covers who runs the test, when it happens, what is usually on it, and how to get ready without making Year 6 all about one morning.

What SEAL is

A SEAL class covers the normal curriculum at a faster pace and in more depth. Schools describe it as compacting the work, not skipping it: Years 7 to 10 are usually covered in three years. That frees up time later for extra senior subjects, such as VCE Units 1 and 2 in Year 10.

SEAL is not the same as Victoria’s four selective entry high schools. Those take students from Year 9, through one exam the state runs for Year 8 students. SEAL is a stream inside an ordinary government school, from Year 7, and each school selects its own students.

Who runs the test

There is no single state SEAL test. The accredited schools belong to the Academy of Accredited SEAL Schools, and it says plainly that each school has its own entrance exam dates, fee and process. The Academy’s website lists its member schools, and a few schools run a SEAL program outside it.

Schools also choose their own test provider. Many set the same five-part test, described below. Some set a different test with a different set of parts. So the first job is simple: open the SEAL page of every school you are applying to and note which test it sets.

Schools with a SEAL program

These are the schools listed by the Academy of Accredited SEAL Schools. A school marked HAST is listed by ACER as setting its Higher Ability Selection Test, so its test is not the five-part one described below.

Metropolitan Melbourne

Albert Park College
Auburn High School
Balwyn High School (HAST)
Box Hill High School (HAST)
Brighton Secondary College
Dandenong High School (HAST)
Edgars Creek Secondary College (HAST)
Emerald Secondary College (HAST)
Gladstone Park Secondary College
Glen Eira College
Gleneagles Secondary College
Kambrya College
Keilor Downs Secondary College (HAST)
Lilydale High School
Lyndale Secondary College
Mill Park Secondary College (HAST)
Mordialloc College
Reservoir High School (HAST)
Rosebud Secondary College
Springside West Secondary College
Staughton College
Victoria University Secondary College
Werribee Secondary College
Williamstown High School

Regional Victoria

Bass Coast College
Bellarine Secondary College
Belmont High School
Chaffey Secondary College
Horsham College
Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College
Sale College
Trafalgar High School (HAST)
Wangaratta High School
Warrnambool College

A few schools run a SEAL program without belonging to the Academy, so if your local school is missing, ask it directly.

When and how to apply

Your child applies in Year 6 for a Year 7 place the next year. In the 2026 cycle, for 2027 entry, schools closed registrations between May and July, held their tests from late July to mid August, and told families the outcome by around the end of August. Every school sets its own dates, and late registrations are usually not accepted.

A few things that vary by school and are worth checking:

The fee. School pages for 2027 entry listed test fees from $45 to $150, often non-refundable. The SEAL program itself is part of a government school education: the Department’s policy says a select entry program delivering the curriculum is not a user-pays extra.
Enrolment. Some schools say a SEAL registration does not enrol your child at the school, so you also enrol the normal way. Others only test children who already hold a mainstream Year 7 place.
Documents. Schools commonly ask for NAPLAN results and recent school reports. Some also ask for a questionnaire or a piece of writing.
More than one school. Each school runs its own test, so a child applying to two schools may sit two tests.

What is on the common five-part test

The test most SEAL schools set has five parts, sat in one morning. Schools describe it as skills-based rather than curriculum-based: it looks for ability more than for what has been taught. Four parts are multiple choice; the last is a short piece of writing.

Part	Time	What is on it
Verbal Reasoning	30 min	Word meanings, analogies, codes and logic puzzles, at speed
Numerical Reasoning	30 min	Number patterns, sequences and quick number problems
Reading Comprehension	30 min	Questions on short passages: stories, poems and information texts
Mathematics	30 min	Upper primary maths problems
Written Expression	15 min	One piece of writing to a prompt, with no separate planning time

The number of questions in each part is not published. What is clear is the pace: the multiple-choice parts are short and the questions come quickly, so speed matters as much as knowing how to do each one. For the writing, the child may choose the form, such as a story, a description or a persuasive piece, but it has to answer the prompt.

If your school sets a different test, its parts and times will be different too. The school’s page or confirmation email is the place to find them.

How children are selected

The test is the main step, but rarely the only one. Schools commonly shortlist on test results, then interview the shortlisted children. Many also look at NAPLAN results, school reports, attendance and what the primary school says. Places are limited: one school, for example, offers 25 a year. Schools do not publish cut-off scores, and final decisions weigh everything together.

How to prepare

Good SEAL preparation is short, regular and started early enough that nothing is rushed. Here is a plan that works for most families. Shift it to suit your school’s test date.

A term-by-term plan

When	What to do
End of Year 5	Choose the schools, open each SEAL page, and note which test each sets and when registrations close.
Year 6, Term 1	One untimed practice in each part, to see what is new. Most children find verbal and numerical reasoning the least familiar.
Year 6, Term 2	Two or three short sessions a week on the weakest parts, plus one 15-minute piece of writing. Register before the deadline.
Year 6, Term 3, before the test	Full timed papers, about one a week, to build pace. Go over every wrong answer.
The last week	No new topics. One light practice, early nights, and a plan for getting to the test centre.

Tips for each part

Verbal Reasoning. Reading widely builds vocabulary faster than word lists. For analogies, say the link between the first pair out loud as a sentence, then test each option with the same sentence.
Numerical Reasoning. For a number series, write the gaps between the numbers underneath. Most patterns show up in the gaps, or in the gaps between the gaps.
Reading Comprehension. Read the questions first, then the passage, and find the line that proves each answer. Poems and information texts deserve as much practice as stories.
Mathematics. Keep times tables, fractions and percentages quick, since the clock leaves little room for slow working. Skip a long question and come back to it.
Written Expression. Practise a one-minute plan in the head: a beginning that grabs, one clear middle, and an ending. Then check spelling and full stops in the last minute.

Six things that matter most

Find out which test each school sets. Do this first. It decides what kind of practice makes sense.
Get used to the clock. Thirty minutes goes fast when the questions are short. Timed practice is the only way to feel that pace before the day, and to learn to move on from a hard question.
Meet verbal and numerical reasoning early. Analogies, letter codes and number series are rarely taught in class. A few practice sets make them far less strange on the day.
Write to fresh prompts in 15 minutes. With no separate planning time, a one-minute plan in the head and a clear ending matter more than length. Write to a new prompt each time, not a memorised piece.
Prepare for the interview too. Talk at home about books, interests and things your child has worked hard at. The goal is a relaxed child who can speak about themselves, not rehearsed answers.
Keep it in proportion. SEAL suits children who enjoy a faster pace and a heavier workload. Practice should make the test familiar, not take over Year 6.

Practice in the SEAL style

Our SEAL practice follows the common five-part test at Year 7 entry level: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics, each timed at 30 minutes, plus a 15-minute Written Expression task. Every piece of writing comes back marked, with your child’s own sentences quoted as the reason for each mark. 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 SEAL test questions, and we are not connected with any SEAL school, the Academy of Accredited SEAL Schools or any test provider. The real question counts are not published, so ours are estimates from sample papers. Our score is the number right, not a ranking or a predicted result. Our papers follow the common five-part test only; if your school sets a different test, check its parts first. A free account includes 3 practice tests, and the SEAL pack opens unlimited tests with the answers, worked solutions and marked writing.

What’s next

Start with the SEAL practice page, which also lists the SEAL schools in Victoria. If your child is in Year 8, the selective entry high schools page covers the Year 9 exam instead. Weighing a private school scholarship as well? The scholarship tests page covers those.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SEAL program in Victoria?: Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) is a stream inside some Victorian government secondary schools. Students in it move through the curriculum faster, typically covering Years 7 to 10 in three years. Entry is at Year 7, and children sit the selection test in Year 6.
Is there one SEAL test for all schools?: No. Each SEAL school runs its own selection, with its own test date, fee and process. Many set the same five-part test, but some use a different test with different parts. Check each school's SEAL page to see which test it sets.
When do children sit the SEAL test?: In Year 6, for Year 7 entry the next year. In the 2026 cycle, schools closed registrations between May and July and held their tests from late July to mid August. Dates change every year and differ by school, so check each school's page.
How much does the SEAL test cost?: Each school sets its own registration fee. For 2027 entry, school pages listed fees from $45 to $150, often non-refundable. The SEAL program itself is part of a government school education, so the curriculum it delivers is not charged as an extra.
Does applying for SEAL also enrol my child at the school?: Not always. Some schools say a SEAL registration is separate from general Year 7 enrolment, so you also enrol the normal way. Others only test children who already hold a mainstream place. Read the school's own rules before you apply.
Which schools have a SEAL program?: The Academy of Accredited SEAL Schools lists its member schools across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, and this guide lists them all. A few schools run a SEAL program outside the Academy, so a school missing from the list may still have one.
When should my child start preparing for the SEAL test?: A gentle start around the end of Year 5 or the start of Year 6 leaves two or three terms before the tests. Short, regular practice works better than a late rush, and the last few weeks should be about rest and timing, not new topics.
Are there past SEAL papers?: Schools do not publish past papers. Practice tests sold online are written by publishers. Ours are too: written by Scholar Tests in the style of the common five-part test, with no connection to any SEAL school or test provider.