Essential AAS scholarship test information for parents.
Get the crucial information you need to guide your child to scholarship test success.
Key details for our scholarship tests
Exam dates
Schools set their own scholarship test dates, which vary throughout the school year.
Please contact your preferred school directly for their unique dates.
Exam length
Each scholarship exam is 40-50 minutes long and includes two test sessions with a 20-minute recess break in-between.
The exception is the Written Expression exam, which is 25-30 minutes.
Subjects
Our scholarship tests cover four subjects:
- Writing
- Reading comprehension
- Mathematics
- Reasoning
Question types
Tests are multiple-choice with four or five possible responses.
The exception is our Written Expression test, which is long-form.
Test format
Schools can choose to test using pen and paper, or online.
Please contact your preferred school to confirm their chosen test format.
Exam location
Typically, paper tests are sat onsite at schools, whereas online tests are sat at your child’s home.
Please contact your preferred school to confirm their chosen format and location.
What your child needs to know for scholarship exam day
For tests held at a school or another venue, we strongly recommend that your child arrives 30 minutes before the test is due to start, to give them time to relax and prepare themselves. Entry for late arrivals is at the discretion of the test supervisor.
For online tests completed at your home, we recommend logging onto the test 15 minutes beforehand, so your child is ready to start.
- Two pens, blue or black.
- Two sheets of blank paper for planning/calculating during the test.
- If your school requests them, bring the invoice for the test and identification for your child.
Nutritious food and drink for the 20-minute break between sessions.
- Listen carefully to directions from the exam invigilator.
- Read the questions carefully, and a second time if needed. Try not to rush!
- Nobody is expected to answer every question. Just do your best!
- Use the process of elimination to choose the best answer.
- If it helps, skip tough questions and return to them later.
- Always match the answer number correctly from the test booklet.
The following items aren’t allowed for our scholarship exams:
- Mobile phones
- Smart watches (analogue watches allowed)
- Bags
- Rulers
- Calculators
- Mathematical instruments like compasses or dividers
- Photographic or other recording equipment
Any other unauthorised materials
Cheating in our exams will not be tolerated. This includes:
- Bringing forbidden materials into the exam, such as those listed above.
- Taking materials from the test room.
- Communicating with other students.
- Refusing to obey any other reasonable instructions from the exam invigilator.
Any student caught cheating will be asked to leave the test room and have their results cancelled. Under these circumstances, there will be no refund of fees issued.
How to help your child prepare for their scholarship test
As a high-stakes test, we strongly recommend your child prepares well for their scholarship exam. These are four highly effective strategies for doing so, which can help your child achieve their best possible test result.
Try our practice tests
Our practice tests are created by the same experts who write the real AAS scholarship exams, helping your child build skills, fill knowledge gaps and feel confident on test day.
Get plenty of sleep
Sleep is vital for cognitive performance.
Encourage your child to get as much sleep as possible on the night before the test.
Eat nutritious food
Healthy, nutritious foods have been shown to improve brainpower.
This includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish and more. They’re great fuel for test day.
Try deep belly breathing
If your child feels stressed, ask them to take a deep breath through their nose, aiming to expand their belly as they breathe in (rather than their chest). Then breathe out slowly.
Repeat as many times as needed.
How do I find schools that run scholarship programs?
Scholarship testing programs are organised individually by schools, so we’re not able to provide details on which schools participate.
We suggest checking school websites or social media pages, or getting in touch with schools directly to learn about their scholarship opportunities.
How do I apply for an AAS scholarship program?
If a school is running AAS scholarship tests, they’ll be able to share details on how to apply and pay – usually through their dedicated portal.
We recommend contacting the school directly for more information.
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Frequently asked questions
Unfortunately, AAS do not accept late applications once registrations close. We test on behalf of schools and cannot make that decision.
During the registration process, you may be asked to upload documents to support the application. There is a limit of 10 documents per document category. Each document may be up to 5 megabytes and may be a PDF, JPG/JPEG, TIFF, BMP, GIF or PNG file.
An exam reminder will be sent approximately five days prior to the exam and will have all the information required for the day. If the exam is less than five days away, please double-check your junk/spam folder.
Sometimes if you are trying to log back into the registration site through a saved link, it may block access. We suggest clearing your browser history and logging back in through the school’s website, using your email and password.
Occasionally you may also have problems if you are using a work device to access the site, as their firewall may be blocking us. We suggest trying a different device to submit the application.
Once a scholarship is closed for new registrations, you cannot log back in.
Scholarship tests are designed to identify and distinguish between students of high academic ability, or for those who excel in certain areas. They are more difficult than the normal achievement tests students often take in schools.
They are timed tests that assess how clearly a student can demonstrate higher-order critical thinking skills.
Entry to the exam is at the discretion of the test supervisor. We recommend arriving 30 minutes before the test is due to start.
Please contact the school as early as possible to discuss your options.
Most tests increase in difficulty over time, with each question more difficult than the one before.
Yes.
Study notes and other external resources are not permitted for use in our tests.
If your child has a condition that requires monitoring or special equipment (e.g. an EpiPen), please notify their school in advance.
Please speak to your school about what your child should wear.
Pens are only needed for the writing task, and students can bring more than two pens if required (but no pencil cases). The pens need to be either blue or black ink so that our scanner can read them.
Yes.
The email examination reminder will be sent to paid applicants during the week prior to exam day. If you have an incomplete application, you will receive a courtesy reminder 10 days prior to the examination day.
Only the primary parent registered will receive email and SMS reminders.
Individual schools decide when to share scholarship results. Please contact them directly for more information.
Individual schools decide how to share results, so you’ll need to contact them directly. You may be able to find this information in the school pack provided to you, or on their website.
Results cannot be shared between schools (unless the schools are in a scholarship co-op). Students must sit each individual exam.
The school is the sole decision maker. They may advise you of their selection criteria, but your child’s academic ability is usually one of many factors taken into account.
For an online registration, Academic Assessment Services will retain 20% of the registration fee to cover transaction and administrative costs. The balance will be returned to the applicant.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide a refund.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide a refund.
with our online practice tests
Our practice tests cover the same skills as our scholarship and placement exams, helping your child get ready for the real thing.