GATE is Gifted and Talented Exam, whereas ASET is Academic Selective Entrance Test. Both GATE and ASET mean the same test; it was previously called as GATE, now termed as ASET. It is still interchangeably called as Gifted and Talented Secondary Selective Entrance program or ASET by the WA Department of Education. 

The exam is free for any student enrolled in Year 6 and younger in some cases. An applicant must be an Australian or New Zealand Citizen or Permanent Resident in Australia. Getting high score allows students to get an admission to Selective Schools in WA, which offer Selective Programs. Student needs to be amongst top 25% performers.

Three types of programs are offered: 

1.  Academic Program: Students with excellent academic ability get an opportunity of accelerated learning. Enhanced learning is facilitated for a challenging program in a stimulating environment. There are students with similar abilities and mindset in class, which makes it easy to focus, compete and develop. 

This program is offered by 14 Metropolitan Schools (Perth) and 2 Regional Schools. Perth Modern is fully selective school which offers up to 225 seats, whereas the remaining schools typically offer a limited number of seats (typically 30). The remaining schools run the Gifted Students Academic Program and normal students curriculum program simultaneously.

An online program is also available for regional students who live outside the Bunbury or Albany region. 

2. Arts Program: Students with better sense of Arts get an opportunity to thrive in a creative learning environment that can improve their abilities. The areas include: Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music, Theatre and Visual arts. 

3. Language Program: Students get an opportunity to learn a second language and develop their listening, speaking and writing skills in a challenging environment. Languages included are: Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, and Japanese. Selection is made based on ASET score and an interview.

All schools in WA do not offer a Selective Program. Currently only 24 public secondary schools offer this program. 

 Academic Program Schools: (14 - Metropolitan and 2 - Regional WA) 

1. Albany Senior High School 
2. Alkimos College 
3. Bunbury Senior High School 
4. Bob Hawke College 
5. Carine Senior High School 
6. Comet Bay College 
7. Duncraig Senior High School 
8. Ellenbrook Secondary College 
9. Fremantle College 
10. Governor Stirling Senior High School 
11. Harrisdale Senior High School 
12. Kelmscott Senior High School 
13. Melville Senior High School 
14. Perth Modern School (Fully Selective) 
15. Shenton College 
16. Willetton Senior High School 

Arts Program Schools: (6 schools only in the metropolitan area including an arts college - John Curtin). 

1. Applecross Senior High School 
2. Balcatta Senior High School 
3. Churchlands Senior High School 
4. Hampton Senior High School 
5. John Curtin College of the Arts 
6. Kalamunda Senior High School 

Language Program Schools: (2 schools only in the metropolitan area)

1. Mount Lawley Senior High School 
2. Rossmoyne Senior High School

The Test is conducted by WA Department of Education and are designed to identify students with higher intellectual abilities that separate them from the average students.

The GATE/ASET Exam essentially has 4 individual tests in the areas of Reading. Writing, Math and Analytical Ability. 

The four tests and their details are given below 

1. Reading Comprehension 
2. Writing 
3. Quantitative Reasoning (Math)
4. Abstract Reasoning (Logical Reasoning)

The tests are to be completed within a stipulated time. These are as follows:

• Reading: 35 Questions in 35 Minutes i.e. 1 minute per question.
• Writing: One Prompt to Write a passage in 25 Minutes.
• Quantitative Reasoning: 35 Questions in 35 Minutes i.e. 1 minute per question.
• Abstract Reasoning: 35 Questions in 20 Minutes i.e. 34.2 seconds per question.

The above time limit can be overwhelming and intimidating, if a student takes the test without any practice. Therefore, preparation in advance with multiple timed mock tests is highly recommended. This enhances the skill of "working under pressure" while maintaining accuracy. Practice empowers the student to remain calm and confident on "The Final Test" day.

GATE/ASET is very hard, and this remains a fact for past several years. It is becoming increasingly difficult and competitive because the number of students appearing for the exam has been increasing every year. Moreover, the seats limit is restricted. The exam is much more difficult than NAPLAN or the typical school assessments. Therefore, preparation is necessary. 

In 2024, approximately 7000 students appeared for the test and only ~225 can get a placement offer to Perth Modern School. To secure a spot, you'll need to be among the top 3-4% performers to get an admission to Perth Modern School. 

To get an admission in other selective schools the cut off is different, however the student needs to be among top 25% to get an admission with a minimum score of 209.50.

Minimum score for an assured entry depends on the school. For e.g., the minimum cut off Total Standard Score (TSS) for Perth Modern is typically above 240. For 2023, it was 242.52. Click below for the score chart for past 8 years

Score Chart. 

The minimum cut-off TSS for selection has been generally increasing. For example, in 2014, Perth Modern School cut off was 233.86, which has increased to 242.52 in 2023. Every year a high number of students are preparing harder and proving to be smarter! So, timely preparation is paramount.

More details can be found on WA Department of Education website.

Start preparing early. We recommend starting 6 - 12 months before the exam. Parents have noticed significant improvement in the problem solving ability and speed with timed tests. It is found that timed mock tests are very useful. Following tips are recommended to be followed for preparation of each Test.

Reading: Students should read a lot of books, daily newspapers, articles and any suitable material that can enhance their vocabulary. The test typically consist of a mix of topics that include stories, newspaper articles, infographics, poems, scientific information, text analysis problems (such as quotes, phrases, proverbs etc.), speeches, passages, conversations etc.

Questions test the ability to analyse long text in a short time (this is difficult due to students age). Many times synonyms and antonyms are asked. Attention to detail is tested. Therefore a good vocabulary is essential.

The questions can be easy for a student who completely understands the text. This is difficult because there are multiple sections - typically in the range of 6 to 9 with 3-7 questions in each section. Therefore, not losing focus is critical. This can be challenging for young students, but practice makes perfect. 

Writing: Students in the age of 9 to 11 years find it hard to put ideas on paper. So, writing practice of at least 2-3 passages per week is recommended. Different writing prompts should be used. Most of the years, a picture prompt with short text has been the pattern for GATE/ASET. So practising regularly makes the student comfortable. Reading and Writing habits are interlinked, so development of both skills must go hand in hand.

Quantitative Reasoning: The test can be difficult if students do not prepare and rely upon school preparation. Start with simple questions and develop a habit to tackle tough questions.  Students must be very good at mental maths and solving word problems. The questions include comparison with Math operations (+ - x ÷ ), data interpretation and relationships, profit/loss, fractions, decimals, probability, charts, infographic analysis, age changes, 3D blocks, patterns, data handling, geometry, etc. The difficulty level could be actually of Year 7 or 8 levels. Sometimes, the answers are simple, however understanding the text in the questions is necessary. So, practising difficult problems will be beneficial.

Abstract Reasoning: Preparation for this test is not straightforward because the questions can vary in a wide range. Pattern recognition with identification of shapes, size, numbers etc. is required. Understanding of positioning, directional changes such as clockwise or anticlockwise, orientation changes, angles. Attention to minute details can be useful. For example, the number of spikes in stars in patterns may appear to be the same, but there could be a difference in the pattern.  

As the GATE/ASET is time restricted, it is crucial that students develop speed and accuracy in problem solving. 

Ace mock tests are timed and provide clear explanation of answers. Furthermore, students get detailed analytics of the performance which allow parents to understand the areas for improvement.

Repeated practice help students to manage time and familiarise with challenging questions. If a difficult question is encountered it can be marked for review and easier questions can be answered before coming back to the difficult question. Judging easy or difficult questions become part of this skill and facilitates brain programming. Getting familiarised with the exam and its questions is essential. Also, repeated practice of questions would mean student gain mastery and feel confident with a sound conceptual understanding.

ACE online tests are convenient and meticulously crafted to enhance the skillset necessary for cracking the GATE exam.

Sooner is always better for an exam like ASET. This is due to the time pressure and the higher difficulty level that students have to overcome. In addition, there is a tough competition created by the high number of students competing for limited number of admission seats in Selective Schools. We recommend at least 1-2 hours of work daily for one year.

Starting early is useful in many ways. Firstly, it means that parents can develop a better understanding of students strength and weaknesses. This allows them to spend more time on the weak areas. Secondly, starting early allows sufficient time to practice tests, which helps them develop a habit of working under time pressure without sacrificing accuracy. Finally, having more amount of time to prepare reduces anxiety and stress that can affect the morale of young children. 

Our survey confirmed that almost everyone who got an admission to prestigious selective schools were well prepared a few months before the exam. 

We suggest students should enjoy the "process of learning" and the experience of preparing for a tough exam. It must be acknowledged by parents and students that there are many exams that they have to take in their educational journey. So, scoring high in ASET should not be the only goal. It is essential that during preparation, all activities whether it is arts, music, sports or study must be balanced. 

Whilst it is an extraordinary achievement for a student to get an admission in a prestigious Selective School, it does not mean this is the last one to prove capabilities. The exam is conducted at a very young age of ~11 years. There have been many examples of students who did not score well in GATE/ASET but eventually scored a high ATAR of 99+ in Year 12. So, we suggest enjoying the "process" because that teaches a lot - to both parents and children!