📖 About ACER Scholarship Level 1
ACER Secondary Level 1 – Year 7 or 8 Entry
What Is ACER Scholarship Testing?
The ACER Scholarship Exam is used by over 250 independent schools across Australia to identify and award academic scholarships. The test is deliberately set 1-2 year levels above the standard curriculum and measures reasoning ability, not just curriculum knowledge. A student who has been coaching solely on content will be disadvantaged against one who has developed genuine reasoning skills.
ACER Official Level: ACER Secondary Level 1. Our Level 1 corresponds to Year 7 entry. The exam tests reasoning across Written Expression, Humanities and Mathematics.
How ACER Differs from School Tests
| Feature |
ACER Scholarship Test |
Typical School Assessment |
| Purpose |
Rank candidates nationally for scholarships |
Assess curriculum learning |
| Content level |
1-2 years above current year level |
Current year curriculum |
| What it tests |
Reasoning, inference, logic, novel problems |
Knowledge and application |
| Writing criteria |
Originality and idea quality weighted most |
Technical accuracy weighted more |
| Question design |
Deliberately ambiguous – test thinking, not recall |
Clear recall or procedure questions |
What Schools Look For
Approximate Weighting in Final Scholarship Decision (school-dependent)
Written Expression score
35%
Mathematics/Reasoning
25%
Interview + school report
10%
⚠️ Watch Out: Note: the weighting above is approximate and varies by school. Most schools treat the ACER result as the primary filter, then use interviews and school reports for final selection. The test is where you must stand out.
