Resources

Free guides for Brisbane families.

Exam strategies, program comparisons, and study advice written by the team that teaches these programs every week.

26 August 20265 min read

Preparing for QCE external exams: a term-by-term plan

The external exam is worth 50% in maths and science and it lands in one three-week block at the end of Year 12. What the papers actually look like, and a realistic revision plan working back from October.

Year 11-12QCEExam prep

12 August 20265 min read

Starting Year 7 in Brisbane: what actually changes and how to prepare

The move to high school changes more than the uniform: eight teachers, an assessment calendar, and a real jump in maths and writing. What to expect, the early warning signs, and what support helps.

Year 7Parents' guideTransition

29 July 20265 min read

How to choose your senior subjects in Queensland

Subject selection shapes two years of work and your ATAR options, but most of the folklore around it is wrong. What actually matters when picking QCE subjects, and the mistakes we see every year.

Year 10ATARQCE

18 July 20265 min read

QASMT Year 7 entry: how the process works

QASMT is the only Queensland Academy that takes students from Year 7, and you apply in Year 5. Here's the entrance test, the selection stages, and the timeline, verified against the official process.

ScholarshipQASMTExam prep

8 July 20266 min read

How to get into Brisbane State High from outside the catchment

Brisbane State High's catchment is one of the tightest in Queensland, but the school reserves places for out-of-catchment students who earn them. Here's how Academic Selective Entry and the HAST test actually work.

ScholarshipBSHSHAST

24 June 20265 min read

UCAT for Queensland students: the timeline nobody explains early enough

The UCAT is sat in the middle of Year 12, months before the ATAR, and the families who find that out late lose their best preparation window. How the test works, who needs it, and when to start.

UCATMedicineYear 10-12

10 June 20265 min read

QCE English assessments, explained

Four assessments, 25% each, and each one demands a genuinely different skill. What IA1, IA2, IA3, and the external analytical exam actually ask for, and where students lose marks in each.

Year 11-12EnglishQCE

20 May 20263 min read

Student Experiments and Research Investigations: the QCE science IAs that decide 40% of your grade

In Chemistry, Physics, and Biology, two written investigations are worth 40% of your final result before you sit a single exam question. What IA2 and IA3 each demand, and where students go wrong.

Year 11-12ScienceQCE

6 May 20264 min read

The maths PSMT, explained: how to approach the 20% task

The Problem-Solving and Modelling Task is worth 20% of your final maths result in Methods, Specialist, and General, and it rewards a completely different skill set from exams. How to approach it properly.

Year 11-12MathsQCE

22 April 20265 min read

How much does tutoring cost in Brisbane? (2026 guide)

Private tutoring in Brisbane typically runs $40-80 per hour and group classes far less, but the ranges hide big differences in what you actually get. Here's how to read the market before you pay.

PricingParents' guide

8 April 20264 min read

How your ATAR is actually calculated in Queensland

Best five subjects, scaling, and why Year 11 marks mostly don't count: the Queensland ATAR process explained without the mystique, plus what actually moves your rank.

ATARYear 11-12QCE

10 March 20264 min read

EduTest vs ACER: A plain-English guide to Brisbane scholarship exams

Most Queensland Academies, BSHS, and private schools use one of two exams for selective entry. Here's what actually differs between them, and what that means for how your child prepares.

ScholarshipYear 4-6Exam prep