AEAS

AEAS (Australian Education Assessment Services) is an assessment used by more than 100 Australian and New Zealand schools to decide year-level placement and English (ESL) support for international applicants, mostly students moving from Asia into AU/NZ boarding and day schools.

There's no pass or fail

This is not a pass/fail test the way IELTS or TOEFL sometimes gets treated. There's no universal cutoff score; each school sets its own entry threshold using the AEAS Report. The useful question isn't "did I pass?", it's "what does this specific school need?" If your family has a target school in mind, that school (or your education agent) is the one who knows its own threshold.

Who sits it

Mainly students applying for Years 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12 (Australian/US year numbering). Very young applicants (Years 1-3) typically aren't required to sit the formal test; schools usually assess them a different way.

How to register

AEAS tests are booked through AEAS itself, on its official website (aeas.com.au), or through the school or education agent handling your application. AEAS sets the test dates, places and fees, so check those with them directly. AEAS Practice is an independent practice site and can't book a test for you.

About 3 hours total, across three sections:

• English Language Proficiency (~2 hours): Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Listening, Writing, and Speaking.
• Mathematical Reasoning (30-45 minutes), tailored to the year level you're applying for.
• Non-Verbal General Ability (~30 minutes): language-free, pattern and logic based.

How it changes by year level

Every section has a version for Years 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12, so the questions, timing and length depend on the year you're applying to enter. For example, Year 10-12 Vocabulary has no spelling part, and the Writing task asks for more words at higher levels.

This site covers Vocabulary, Reading, Writing, and Speaking practice, plus a full word list and word-skills units. It doesn't currently include Listening, Mathematical Reasoning, or Non-Verbal Reasoning practice.

The English section reports a score out of 100 plus five component scores. Mathematical Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning are each reported as a stanine, a normalised scale from 1 to 9. The AEAS Report given to schools also includes a recommended number of weeks of English preparation, which is often the single most concrete, actionable number in the whole report.

Where to start

If you're not sure which skill needs the most work, sit one untimed test in each of Vocabulary, Reading, Writing and Speaking first, at your real year band, before building a study plan. A single honest baseline across all four beats guessing which one is weakest.

A simple way to prepare

• Find your year level: the one you're applying to enter, not the one you're in now.
• Take one free practice test in each of Vocabulary, Reading, Writing and Speaking to see where you stand.
• Learn the key words for your level; vocabulary affects every English section.
• Spend most of your time on your weakest skill, and get feedback on your writing and speaking.
• In the last few weeks, sit full tests against the clock, like the real exam.

What does AEAS stand for?

Australian Education Assessment Services. It's an organisation, founded in 1985, that runs English and ability tests for international students applying to schools in Australia and New Zealand.

What is the AEAS pass mark?

There isn't one. AEAS reports a student's level, and each school decides what result it needs, so ask your target school or education agent what they look for.

How long is the AEAS test?

About 3 hours in total: around 2 hours of English (Vocabulary, Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking), plus Mathematical Reasoning and Non-Verbal General Ability.

Are there free AEAS practice tests?

Yes. AEAS Practice has free Vocabulary, Reading, Writing and Speaking practice tests for every year level, marked instantly with explanations, plus free printable PDF tests.

Is AEAS "hard"?

It's designed to measure where a student genuinely is, not to fail people; since there's no universal pass mark, "hard" isn't really the right frame. The more useful question is whether a student's current level matches their target school's threshold, and if not, how many weeks of focused prep closes that gap.

How is AEAS different from IELTS or TOEFL?

The four core skills overlap (vocabulary/reading/writing/speaking, or their equivalents), but the question formats genuinely differ, not just the difficulty. A few concrete examples: AEAS Reading has no "Not Given" option the way IELTS does: every statement is strictly True or False. AEAS Vocabulary uses a shared 5-word pool matched against several definitions, a format neither IELTS nor TOEFL uses at all. And AEAS Writing's genre (letter, narrative, article, opinion essay) is often named explicitly in the prompt, where IELTS Writing Task 2 is essay-only. If you've prepared for IELTS or TOEFL before, expect the underlying skills to transfer, but not the question formats.

Which year band do I sit?

The band follows the year level you're applying to enter, not your current grade at your existing school: Years 4-6, 7-9, or 10-12 (Australian/US numbering). If you're unsure which band your target year level falls into, your school or education agent can confirm it, since it determines which version of every section (including word counts, section order, and question types) you'll actually sit.

What if Maths or Non-Verbal Reasoning is also a concern?

This site focuses on the English Language Proficiency section, since that's where targeted practice makes the most measurable difference in a short window. Mathematical Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning are scored and reported separately as stanines; if either is a concern, that's worth raising with your school or agent alongside your English prep plan, not instead of it.