Conceptions of fair educational practices develop differently for testing and learning situations. After about age 8, children judged peer tutoring to be an unfair practice during a test. (Most 6–8‐year‐olds judged it fair). Yet, peer tutoring was seen as the most fair way to help students learn until at least age 17. In addition, 4 levels of conceptions of fair testing practices were found. Adult‐like conceptions of fair testing practices emerged at about age 11, which contrasts with about 18 for conceptions of fair learning practices. Conceptions of fair testing practices parallel the development of the concepts of ability and effort as factors limiting immediate performance; whereas conceptions of fair learning practices parallel the development of concepts concerning the long‐term acquisition of intelligence. These findings support the conclusion that children's understanding of different types of situations is reflected in their conceptions of social justice.