By Emily Kowal Lucy Carroll
But surveys run a year earlier 鈥 taken after a pilot selective test in June 2024 鈥 reveal parents told the department that 鈥渋nstructors had no idea how to manage the children鈥 when leaving the pilot test centre, and pick-up time 鈥渨as like chaos鈥.
Other parents whose children participated in pilot exams complained about long travel times to major testing sites. 鈥淧ick-up was chaotic, like at airport arrivals,鈥 one parent wrote on a feedback form. 鈥淭his is only a pilot. The real selective test would have thousands of students sitting for it.鈥
Another parent warned the department that children could get lost in crowds when leaving test sites.
The department ran pilot selective and OC class tests in June last year in Sydney, Newcastle and Bathurst. More than 700 students in years 3 and 5 participated in the trial, designed to spot issues before the exam in 2025.