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CMC Selective preparation class
Selective Preparation

Selective Preparation

Premium preparation for the NSW Selective High School Test.

Our method

We test, we diagnose, we teach.

Most Selective prep centres test students and tell them a mark. We do more. Each week, students sit a mock exam in class. Our tutors identify the gaps it reveals and teach them on the spot. Students then practise the topic at home, alongside another mock paper to consolidate.

Test. Diagnose. Teach. Practise. Every week.

When our students sit a paper, they know the material — and their scores reflect it.

The diagnostic edge

Every paper seen, every gap taught

Each week your child sits a mock paper — and because classes stay small, the tutor reads every one. They see exactly where marks were lost and teach it before the lesson ends.

Marking a paper tells a student their score. Diagnosing it tells them why — and fixes it on the spot. That is the kind of attention a tutor stretched across a full room simply cannot give.

What we cover

Two dedicated classes

Each focused on a different component of the test.

Mathematical Reasoning

  • Algebra and word problems
  • Arithmetic, number & problem solving
  • Measurement and 2D shapes
  • Volume and 3D shapes
  • Money and angles
  • Coordinate geometry and direction
  • Time, date and timezones
  • Speed, distance, time and rate

90 minutes per week.

Thinking Skills

  • Strengthening & weakening arguments
  • Identifying mistakes in reasoning
  • Evaluating reasoning
  • Logic puzzles
  • Relevant selection
  • Finding procedures
  • Identifying similarity
  • 2D & 3D visual-spatial reasoning

90 minutes per week.

In-house resources for every gap

Over years of teaching, we've built our own library of topic-specific resources covering every area of the Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills tests. When a mock paper reveals a gap, our tutors don't improvise — they deploy the exact teaching materials and practice worksheets needed to address that specific topic.

40+ mock papers

Across Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills. Students sit one in class and one at home each week — substantial timed exam exposure across the term. Every paper is written and refined by our team, calibrated to the format and difficulty of the actual Selective Test.

Adaptive teaching

We pause when something needs teaching

The weekly rhythm gives us structure. But teaching isn't always linear, and our tutors adapt when it matters.

Year 5 students haven't formally learned algebra at school. So when an algebra question appears in a mock paper that students can't approach, we don't drill them on it. We stop, and we teach algebra properly. The pause might take a single lesson, or several weeks across class and home practice. Then we resume.

Tutors trained by a teacher

Every tutor is trained personally by David Luo, a former Head Teacher of Maths with 15 years' classroom experience.

When to start

Year 4 and 5 students may begin any time. Most join 12–18 months before the Test, allowing the full diagnostic cycle to do its work.

The journey continues

After the Test in April, students transition into our Year 6 Accelerated class — learning the entire Year 7 syllabus before high school begins.

Find a class for your child

Our live timetable shows every current Selective class, filterable by year level and location.