The Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology (QASMT) in Toowong is a fully selective state school and consistently one of the top-performing schools in Queensland. It teaches the International Baccalaureate from start to finish: the IB Middle Years Programme in Years 7 to 9, then the IB Diploma pathway through Years 10 to 12.
For Brisbane families, one fact shapes everything else: as of mid-2026, QASMT is the only Queensland Academy with Year 7 entry. The other academies, QAHS (health sciences, Gold Coast) and QACI (creative industries), take students from Year 10. If you want the Queensland Academies pathway from the start of high school, QASMT is the pathway, and the process starts earlier than most parents expect.
You apply in Year 5
This is the detail that catches families out. Applications for QASMT Year 7 entry are made while the child is in Year 5, roughly eighteen months before they would start.
As of mid-2026, the current round looks like this (for students starting Year 7 in 2028, currently in Year 5):
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications close | 4pm, Friday 21 August 2026 |
| Entrance test | 5-6 September 2026 (session auto-scheduled) |
| Alternate test dates (approved arrangements) | 7-8 September 2026 |
| Outcomes released | Late Term 4, 2026 |
The application fee is $270 and non-refundable. Applications go through the Queensland Academies admissions office online, and dates change every cycle, so confirm the current round on the Queensland Academies website before planning around anything here.
The entrance test
Queensland Academies currently use EduTest, an independent testing company, to run the entrance exam. The test runs for roughly three hours across five sections:
| Section | Time | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal reasoning | 30 min | Ability |
| Numerical reasoning | 30 min | Ability |
| Reading comprehension | 30 min | Achievement |
| Mathematics | 30 min | Achievement |
| Written expression | 15 min | Achievement |
A few practical points from the official test policy: sessions can fall on school days or weekends, morning or afternoon, and your child is allocated a session automatically. Deferrals are only granted for genuine illness, misadventure, or family emergency, not for holidays or clashes with regular activities. Plan to be available across the published window.
Note the split between ability and achievement sections. The reasoning papers are designed to measure how your child thinks with unfamiliar material; the achievement papers measure what they've actually mastered in reading and maths. Preparation looks different for each, which is why generic test drilling underperforms.
The four selection stages
Selection isn't the test alone. The process runs in four stages:
- Online application and test registration, with the fee paid up front.
- Entrance test plus academic evidence. School reports and other academic records are assessed alongside test performance.
- Engagement activity for shortlisted candidates.
- Final outcome, released to families late in Term 4.
The academies do not publish cut-off scores and do not release individual test results. You will get an outcome, not a mark. That's worth knowing in advance so the process doesn't feel opaque on the day it matters.
How to prepare, realistically
QASMT selects from a pool of students who are nearly all strong at school. Being top of the class at a local primary school is the entry ticket to the applicant pool, not a differentiator within it. What separates candidates:
- Reasoning fluency. Verbal and numerical reasoning questions are unlike normal schoolwork. Students who have practised pattern-based and logic-based question types are faster and calmer on the day.
- Reading and maths above year level. The achievement sections reward students working ahead of the Year 5 curriculum, comfortably rather than fragilely.
- Fifteen-minute writing. The written expression task is short. There is no time to warm up. Students need a practised structure they can execute immediately on an unseen prompt.
- Test stamina. Three hours of concentration is a lot for a ten-year-old. Timed, full-length practice matters as much as content.
An honest note on expectations: this is a genuinely competitive process with limited places, and many excellent students miss out. The preparation is not wasted either way. The same skills carry directly into scholarship exams, BSHS selective entry, and strong performance in any Year 7 classroom.
Where to from here
Our Scholarship Exam Preparation program covers the reasoning, reading, maths, and timed writing skills the QASMT entrance test measures, with EduTest-style format practice for students targeting the academies. Classes run weekly for Years 4-6 at Mansfield and Stretton.
If the current application window applies to your child, don't wait for next term to start. Enrol here or contact us and we'll be straight with you about what's achievable in the time available.
Written by the tutors and teachers who run our scholarship classes. Dates, fees, and test details above were checked against the Queensland Academies enrolment pages in mid-2026; always confirm the current cycle with the academies directly. Questions or corrections? Email us.