When is the GATE Exam 2027?

Updated June 2026, based on the WA Department of Education ASET schedule.

The next round of the WA GATE / ASET exam is in March 2027. The Department of Education publishes the exact Saturday closer to the date (usually December the year before), but for the last several years the test has consistently fallen on the first Saturday of March.

Year 6 students sit on the Saturday. There is a separate Year 8 entry exam (for students entering Year 9 in 2028) usually on the same weekend.

Who sits the 2027 GATE exam?

Year 6 students in 2027 (i.e. born roughly 2014 to 2015) sitting for Year 7 entry to selective schools in 2028
Year 8 students in 2027 sitting the Year 9 entry exam

That means a student currently in Year 5 (in 2026) is preparing for the March 2027 round. Year 4 students this year are looking at March 2028.

What the exam itself covers

The format is unchanged from recent years: four sections, total run-time about 2.5 hours including a short mid-test break.

Reading Comprehension: 35 minutes, multiple choice across two unseen passages
Written Expression: 25 minutes, single image prompt
Quantitative Reasoning: 35 minutes, set questions plus single items
Abstract Reasoning: 20 minutes, visual pattern matching

When applications open and close

Applications to sit the 2027 exam open around mid-October 2026 through the Department of Education portal. Applications close in late November. There is no late entry. We strongly recommend bookmarking the Department's page and signing up for the AsetPrep newsletter so you don't miss the application window.

When results come out

ASET results are released in late May 2027, with selective-school offers typically going out in June 2027. There is roughly an 8-10 week gap between exam day and offers, which is much longer than parents expect, and worth knowing in advance so the waiting doesn't spiral.

Where to prepare

If you're mapping out the 2027 prep timeline now, the best first step is to sit our Free GATE Mock Exam at Rossmoyne SHS in July 2026. You'll get a detailed section-by-section results email within 3 days that tells you exactly where your child stands today: the cleanest way to decide how much (or how little) structured prep is actually needed.