Opportunity class practice tests
Helping your child prepare for the placement test
The placement test assesses your child’s intellectual abilities. There are 3 test sections: reading, thinking skills and maths. The questions draw upon concepts from the NSW curriculum up to Year 4 that your child learns at school. We review all questions to make sure students do not need any extra knowledge.
It is important to know that coaching or tutoring for the placement test is not necessary. The test will not need your child to know any new or special knowledge. So, extra paid coaching outside of school will not give your child an advantage.
The department does not recommend or endorse coaching for the placement test. There is no credible research that shows coaching helps a child gain entry. A child who is coached and gets in is likely to have got a place anyway. Many students who get coaching don’t get a place, and too much coaching can harm their wellbeing.
The department provides free resources to help your child prepare for the test. We encourage students to access these in the Student Resource Hub. The resources will help your child:
- understand what to expect on test day
- learn about the test structure
- prepare for the different types of questions
- get tips for taking the test.
Please ensure your child attends school regularly leading up to the test. If they miss too many days without a good reason, we tell the selection committee. The committee may not place students who do not have good attendance.
Going to school regularly has many benefits for your child including:
- helping to maintain a routine
- not missing out on important learning
- supporting their social connetions.
This will help your child's general learning and readiness for the test.
Test dates, centre and locations
To learn about test centres, locations, and what to expect on test day, visit Placement test.
What is in the test?
The Opportunity Class Placement Test is a computer-based test that has 3 sections. All questions are multiple-choice and are answered using the computer. Some items are common across all test versions to ensure consistency and comparability. These items will not affect your child's final scores.
| Test component | No. of questions | Time | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Test | 14 (3 questions have multiple parts to answer) | 40 minutes | 33.3% |
| Mathematical Reasoning Test | 35 | 40 minutes | 33.3% |
| Thinking Skills Test | 30 | 30 minutes | 33.3% |
More about the 3 test sections
Reading Test
| Number of questions | Time | Test type |
|---|---|---|
| 14 (3 questions have multiple parts) | 40 minutes | Multiple-choice |
This section tests your child's reading skills. It uses different types of reading material and genres. These include:
- non-fiction
- fiction
- poetry
- magazine articles
- reports.
Mathematical Reasoning Test
| Number of questions | Time | Test type |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | 40 minutes | Multiple-choice |
This section tests your child's mathematical reasoning skills. Your child will use different concepts from maths to solve problems.
Remember that these concepts are based on what your child already learns at school. They do not have to study any extra maths concepts to prepare.
Students cannot use a calculator during this, or any other, test.
Thinking Skills Test
| Number of questions | Time | Test type |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 30 minutes | Multiple-choice |
This sections test's your child's general critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
No previous knowledge is required for this test.
Video – Opportunity Class Placement Test: a guide for students (duration 3:58)
[Transcript of video: ‘Opportunity Class Placement Test – a guide for students (3 minutes 58 seconds)]
This video about the Opportunity Class Placement Test will provide an overview of the test sections and types of questions used in the test.
The Opportunity Class Placement Test has been designed to allow you to demonstrate your reading, reasoning and thinking ability. This means that you do not need to learn or memorise facts about specific subjects. Instead you need to apply what you know to find the best answer.
There are three tests which are reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills. You will take the test one after another on a computer in a test centre. Most test centres will be a local high schools. You will read the questions and enter your answers on the computer. You cannot use a calculator, but we'll be able to do any working out on paper.
Let's take a look at each test.
For the reading test, you'll have 40 minutes to provide 33 answers across 14 questions. The questions are based on a diverse range of texts and assess a range of reading comprehension skills. You will read all texts on screen. Reading questions come in different contexts to test a range of skills. The questions are based on different genres and include non fiction and fiction such as poetry, magazine articles, reports and extracts from books. This is an example of a reading question. It is a multiple choice question assessing the reader's understanding of a poem. More reading example questions are available in the Practise tests on the website.
For the Mathematical Reasoning test you will have 40 minutes to answer 35 questions. The questions are all multiple choice with five possible answers. This tests mathematical reasoning skills and your ability to apply your mathematical understanding or knowledge to new problems. You can't use a calculator, but can use paper for working out. Questions can be drawn from a range of mathematical content areas. This is an example of a mathematical reasoning question. Select the best answer from the five options provided. More mathematical reasoning example questions are available in the Practise tests on the website.
For the Thinking Skills test, you'll have 30 minutes to answer 30 questions. The questions are all multiple choice with four possible answers. This test will assess your ability in critical thinking and problem solving. No previous knowledge is required. There are a range of different question types in the Thinking Skills Test. You can see them in the Practise Tests available on the website.
For further information and support, visit the Selective High Schools and Opportunity Classes website. For students, work through the activities in the Student Resource Hub and view the online practise tests. You can ask your parents to contact the selective education team by sending a message in the application dashboard if they have any questions.
[End of transcript]
Student resource hub
Did you know there is a Student resource hub where your child can:
- learn more about whether an opportunity class might be a good fit
- take interactive quizzes
- practise test items to help them prepare
- and lots more.
Practice tests
The practice tests help your child feel confident and prepared on test day.
There are 2 types of practice test:
- online computer-based practice tests
- PDF practice tests.
If you can't access the practice tests at home, visit your local public library. Or, ask your child's school for support to access the practice tests.
Online computer-based practice tests
The online computer-based practice tests will simulate the actual placement tests. This helps your child get familiar with the test software and its tools.
The test will present the different types of questions that your child might get in the actual test.
When finished, your child will be shown a screen with the questions they got right and wrong. For any they got wrong, they can click on the question to review it again. This will also show the correct answer.
Each individual response is worth 1 mark. Some questions ask for multiple responses and so are worth more than 1 mark.
The tests are timed, with a timer counting down on the screen – just like in the real test. Your child can hide the countdown timer if they prefer.
Before the test begins, there are instructions on how to use the testing software.
Computer requirements
The online computer-based practice tests work on most computers and devices. If you are having trouble, check the computer requirements below.
Equipment, network and browser requirements
The table below outlines these minimum requirements to operate the online practice tests.
Screen
Display must measure 24.6 cm (9.5 inches) diagonally and support resolution of at least 1024 x 768 at 32,000 colours.
Keyboard
Physical keyboard (wired or wireless) is required for laptops and desktop computers.
Physical keyboard (wired or wireless) is required for Windows touch devices.
Pointing device
Mouse, trackpad, touchpad or touch screen or other pointing device that the student is familiar using. Apple pencil is not supported.
Network
Connected to the internet with at least 100 kilobit per second download and 5 kilobit per second upload for each concurrent device in a test session.
Browsers
| Browser | Supported Versions |
|---|---|
Internet Explorer |
Not supported |
Microsoft Edge |
121 or later |
Firefox |
122 or later |
Safari |
17 or later |
Chrome |
121 or later |
Device requirements
| Device type | Supported operating system | Hardware | Not supported |
|---|---|---|---|
Windows |
Windows 10, version 22H2 or later |
PC or tablet capable of running supported operating system, 1GB hard drive space free Note: Physical keyboard (wired or wireless) and mouse (or touchpad) are required for Windows touch devices. |
Windows RT, Windows 10S, Windows CE, Windows Terminal Services, Virtual D |
Mac |
macOS 10.15.6 or later |
Mac capable of running supported operating system, 1GB hard drive space free |
N/A |
Chromebook |
Chromebook version 90 or later |
Manufactured during 2016 or later. Note: Physical keyboard (wired or wireless) and mouse (or touchpad) are required for Chromebook touch devices. |
|
Apple iPad |
iPadOS 15 or later |
iPad Air 2 Pro (1st generation) iPad (5th generation) Note: Apple pencil is not supported. |
iPad Mini (all models) iPad Air (1st generation) |
Android |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
PDF copies of the practice tests
The PDF practice tests below are from older paper-based versions of the test. So they do not reflect the current test format.
All tests are now completed on computers. To experience the current test format, go to the online computer-based practice tests.
The PDF practice tests include the explanation of answers. This is helpful for your child to review to understand why an answer is correct.
You can download and print the PDF versions of each test section.
Copyright in the sample tests and related materials on this webpage is owned by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. The sample practice tests and related materials may contain copyrighted content owned by third parties. For clarity, the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence does not apply to the sample tests, related materials and third party content. You may only download, display, reproduce or use these materials (or any part of them) for your personal or non-commercial use. For any other use not expressly indicated, prior written permission must be obtained from NSW Department of Education and Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
Sample practice test 1
| Section | Links to samples | |
|---|---|---|
Reading |
Reading sample questions (PDF 1.4 MB) Reading sample answers (PDF 95 KB) Explanation of answers - Reading (PDF 2.6 MB) |
|
Mathematical Reasoning |
Mathematical reasoning sample questions (PDF 1.8 MB) Explanation of answers - Mathematical reasoning (PDF 3.6 MB) |
|
Thinking Skills |
Thinking skills sample questions (PDF 2 MB) Thinking skills sample answers (PDF 78 KB) Explanation of answers - Thinking skills (PDF 1.7 MB) |
Sample practice test 2
| Section | Links to samples | |
|---|---|---|
Reading |
Reading sample questions (PDF 1.6 MB) Reading sample answers (PDF 91 KB) Explanation of answers - Reading (PDF 2.8 MB) |
|
Mathematical Reasoning |
Mathematical reasoning sample questions (PDF 1.6 MB) Explanation of answers - Mathematical reasoning (PDF 3.3 MB) |
|
Thinking Skills |
Thinking skills sample questions (PDF 1.1 MB) Thinking skills sample answers (PDF 92 KB) Explanation of answers - Thinking skills (PDF 3 MB) |
Sample practice test 3
| Section | Links to samples | |
|---|---|---|
Reading |
Reading sample questions (PDF 1.6 MB) Reading sample answers (PDF 37 KB) Explanation of answers - Reading (PDF 2.9 MB) |
|
Mathematical Reasoning |
Mathematical reasoning sample questions (PDF 1.1 MB) Explanation of answers - Mathematical reasoning (PDF 3.3 MB) |
|
Thinking Skills |
Thinking skills sample questions (PDF 1.5 MB) Thinking skills sample answers (PDF 39 KB) Explanation of answers - Thinking skills (PDF 3 MB) |
Reasonable adjustments
Students with disability or medical conditions should try the online computer-based practice tests. This is a chance to test any assistive technology they may use. Students can also try the accessibility tools in the software. For example, they can change the colour and size of text.
If your child will need an adjustment to have fair access when taking the test, please send us a request in the application dashboard.
For example, if your child already has an adjustment at school, a similar adjustment can be made for the test. Learn more about the types of support available at Using the application website (see step 4).
How to request a reasonable adjustment
As part of the application process we ask you if your child needs an adjustment to take the test. You enter in the details needed at this question. You may need to submit supporting evidence.
For more help visit Using the application website (see step 4).
Accessible practice test materials
For students with disability, practice materials are available in different formats. For example, we can provide test material in:
- large print
- black-and-white
- braille.
To ask for modified materials, message our team in your application dashboard. Or call us on 1300 880 367.
Video – What students can expect before, during and after the OC test
Social stories
Social stories are designed to help your child feel comfortable about what to expect on test day.
For many students, this is the first time they have sat a test like this. There will be other students at the test that they do not know. Also, the location may not be at their regular school. These changes may cause your child to feel uncertain.
To help your child feel positive and learn about what to expect, show them the 'social story'.
There is one for students sitting the test in a large test room, and another for a small test room. To personalise it, download the PowerPoint version and add photos of your child.
Read the social story with your child. You can talk about how they might respond to unfamiliar situations during the test.
