About James Ruse
James Ruse Agricultural High School, located in Carlingford, Sydney, is among the most sought-after selective schools in the country and consistently has the highest entry cut-off in NSW. It topped the NSW HSC rankings for 27 consecutive years to 2022; North Sydney Boys has held first place since 2023, with James Ruse close behind. Year 7 entry is through the Selective High School Placement Test: Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing, authored by Cambridge University Press & Assessment and sat online. Students can also apply for Year 8-11 transfer entry via a separate Edutest exam held in August. Students who apply for James Ruse and any of the participating schools (Baulkham Hills, North Sydney Boys, North Sydney Girls, Sydney Girls, Chatswood) sit the Edutest exam once. The Year 8-11 exam assesses verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, reading comprehension, mathematics, and written expression.
Opportunities
From our latest exam cohort
Students walk into the exam feeling ready
“Questions on Big Brain were similar to the exam, and I felt ready on exam day.”
S.B. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“I don't think I would have been able to perform this well without Big Brain and the tutoring.”
K.T. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Big Brain was really useful and helped me a lot. I'd definitely recommend it to everyone.”
M.B. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Thank you so much. I genuinely could not have done as well as I did without your input.”
S.K. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Big Brain is harder than the real test, so it preps you really well.”
R.M. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“I feel really confident about getting an interview because of your help.”
R.N. · Year 10 · 2026 · Edutest
“A really good platform, cheap and useful.”
R.X. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Questions on Big Brain were similar to the exam, and I felt ready on exam day.”
S.B. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“I don't think I would have been able to perform this well without Big Brain and the tutoring.”
K.T. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Big Brain was really useful and helped me a lot. I'd definitely recommend it to everyone.”
M.B. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Thank you so much. I genuinely could not have done as well as I did without your input.”
S.K. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Big Brain is harder than the real test, so it preps you really well.”
R.M. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“I feel really confident about getting an interview because of your help.”
R.N. · Year 10 · 2026 · Edutest
“A really good platform, cheap and useful.”
R.X. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“The discussion points were almost exactly the same as those on Big Brain.”
M.K. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Exactly like Big Brain. The questions asked were the same.”
P.K. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Exactly like Big Brain, the format and everything. I'm thankful I did Big Brain.”
B.C. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Big Brain has been a big help!!”
R.K. · Year 9 · 2026 · ACER
“They were really similar to the Big Brain questions and the Edutest practice tests.”
S.A. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“My child enjoyed the sessions, and parts of the program aligned really well with the exam content.”
P.L. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“The discussion points were almost exactly the same as those on Big Brain.”
M.K. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Exactly like Big Brain. The questions asked were the same.”
P.K. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Exactly like Big Brain, the format and everything. I'm thankful I did Big Brain.”
B.C. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“Big Brain has been a big help!!”
R.K. · Year 9 · 2026 · ACER
“They were really similar to the Big Brain questions and the Edutest practice tests.”
S.A. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest
“My child enjoyed the sessions, and parts of the program aligned really well with the exam content.”
P.L. · Year 9 · 2026 · Edutest