How to Apply for GATE: Step-by-Step Guide for the 2028 Intake

Applications for the WA Gifted and Talented Secondary Selective Entrance programs open on Tuesday 13 October 2026 and close at 6pm Friday 5 February 2027. This round is for students entering Years 7, 9, 10 and 11 in 2028. If your child is in Year 5 this year, it is their round for Year 7: you apply now, and they sit the test on Saturday 6 March 2027.

All applications are made online, and a parent or carer has to lodge it. Here is the whole process, then what the form asks for.

The five steps

1. 1

   Explore the programs

   Academic, languages and arts programs run at different schools. Look at all of them before you apply, so your preferences match your child's strengths and your family's logistics.

2. 2

   Apply online

   Lodge the application between Tuesday 13 October 2026 and 6pm Friday 5 February 2027, with up to three program preferences. Requests for adjusted testing conditions are made separately, by the same deadline.

3. 3

   Testing

   Every applicant sits the Academic Selective Entrance Test (ASET). Year 6 students sit it on Saturday 6 March 2027 in Perth metro, Bunbury and Albany. Arts applicants also audition or attend a workshop, and arts and languages applicants may be interviewed.

4. 4

   ASET Performance Report

   Reports are emailed in early June 2027. They explain your child's results and how they are used.

5. 5

   Offers of placement

   Offers go out in rounds: Round 1 in late June 2027 and Round 2 in late July 2027, followed by reserve lists, which close on 1 December 2027.

What the online form asks for

The application has three parts. Having these ready makes it a short job.

1. Your child's details

• First and last name, and preferred name if they use one
• Date of birth and current year level
• Whether they live in WA, interstate or overseas
• Their current WA school (home-schooled students give their local catchment school)
• Whether they have a diagnosed condition that may affect their test performance
• Whether a shared custody arrangement may affect decision making

Changing schools before March? List the school your child is most likely to be at in March 2027. All WA students at the same school and year are tested at the same place and time, so this decides where your child sits the test.

If your child's date of birth is outside the standard range for their year group, you will be asked for evidence that they are in the right year. The application cannot go ahead until the year group is confirmed.

2. Parent or carer details

Names, phone numbers and email addresses for up to two parents or carers (and a temporary visa subclass, if it applies). Everything is sent by email, so use an address you check often and keep an eye on your junk folder. The Department is not responsible for a deadline missed because an email went astray.

3. Program preferences

• List at least one and no more than three program preferences, in order from most to least preferred.
• Preferences can mix program types (academic, languages, arts) or all be one type.
• Your preferences decide which assessments your child is invited to. One test covers every academic program. Arts programs add workshops, auditions and interviews, and languages programs add an interview. If your child is interested in an arts or languages program, it has to be one of your three preferences, or they will not be invited to its assessment, and a place cannot be offered without it.
• Put the program you most want first, not the one you think is easiest to get into.
• You can change preferences and their order before each round of offers, as long as your child has completed the testing those programs need. The deadlines are on the Department's key dates page.
• A child already in a Gifted and Talented program does not need to list it again. They stay in it unless they accept a different offer.

Music and dance applicants: music applicants can nominate up to two instruments they play and audition on those. Students are not selected on piano or keyboard alone, so a piano-only player must learn a second instrument if offered a place (Churchlands Senior High School separately offers two funded piano places, for students at about AMEB Grade 7 or above). John Curtin College of the Arts dance applicants choose ballet, contemporary or both.

Submitting, and the confirmation email

Before you submit, check that names and email addresses are spelled correctly, that the preferences are in the order you want, and that any attachments are not password-protected. You will then get an email confirming the application, with a record of your preferences. Keep it: it is your proof of application.

You cannot edit an application once it is submitted. To change something, email [email protected] or call 9264 4307 before the relevant deadline.

Adjusted testing conditions

If your child has a disability, chronic illness or impairment, you can request adjusted testing conditions or an exemption. This is a separate request from the online application and needs supporting evidence. It must be in, in full, by 6pm Friday 5 February 2027. Outcomes for ASET requests are emailed on Monday 15 February 2027, and adjusted-conditions testing runs in Perth metro from 16 to 30 March 2027.

Late applications are rarely accepted

Late applications are only considered when exceptional and unavoidable circumstances stopped every parent and carer from applying during the window. They go to a panel, need supporting evidence, cannot be considered once testing has started, and a refusal is final. Reasons the Department does not accept include:

• Not knowing about the program or the deadline, or not reading the information
• Voluntary travel during the application window
• Work, school or extracurricular commitments
• Short-term illness, or illness affecting only one of two parents or carers
• Not being able to decide, or changing your mind

With almost four months to apply, the simple answer is to apply early.

If your child can't make the test date

• Unwell or a misadventure before the test: call 9264 4307 or email [email protected] before the test to discuss another date. Evidence is required.
• Sick on the morning: email within 48 hours of the test date to request another date, with evidence such as a medical certificate. Children with visible signs of illness are not admitted.
• Pre-booked holidays or state-level representation: a reschedule may be considered for holidays booked before you applied, or for state-level representation (one change per child). Evidence is required.
• Not accepted: work conflicts, school camps and excursions, non-state-level events, personal preference, or anything voluntary or avoidable.

Your checklist

• ✓Look at every academic, languages and arts program before choosing
• ✓Book a parent information evening (optional, but worth it)
• ✓Apply online, with up to three preferences in true priority order
• ✓Request adjusted testing conditions by 6pm Friday 5 February 2027, if needed
• ✓Keep the confirmation email, and watch your inbox (and junk) for testing details
• ✓Keep Saturday 6 March 2027 free

Sources (checked 11 October 2026): WA Department of Education, Applications, testing and offers, Lodge an application, Academic Selective Entrance Test and Key dates. The Department's applicant guidelines for 2028 entry are being updated, so check its pages before each deadline. Questions about your application go to the Gifted and Talented Selection Unit on 9264 4307 or [email protected]. AsetPrep is an independent preparation provider and is not affiliated with the Department of Education.

See also: GATE 2027 key dates, Parent information evenings, GATE schools in WA.