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  • Selective and OC

What is the difference between OC and selective?

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OC is a test sat in Year 4 for a place in a Year 5 and 6 opportunity class, and selective is a test sat in Year 6 for a place in a selective high school from Year 7. They are separate tests with separate applications, so an OC place does not carry over to a selective place.

Facts checked Last updated Sources

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How are the OC and selective tests different?

They are for different years: the OC test is sat in Year 4 for a class in Years 5 and 6, and the selective test is sat in Year 6 for a high school from Year 7. The selective test also has a fourth section, Writing, so each section counts for a smaller share. The table puts the two side by side, in the Department's words.

The selective and OC placement tests side by side. Places and reserve dates are for the cycle now finishing.
Selective high schoolsOpportunity classes (OC)
Who sits it, and whenApply end of Year 5 or start of Year 6; test in Year 6; entry in Year 7Apply end of Year 3 or start of Year 4; test in Year 4; entry in Year 5
Usual age11 years 5 months to 13 years at the start of Year 79 years 5 months to 11 years at the start of Year 5
SectionsReading; Mathematical Reasoning; Thinking Skills; WritingReading; Mathematical Reasoning; Thinking Skills
Weight of each section
  • Reading: 25%
  • Mathematical Reasoning: 25%
  • Thinking Skills: 25%
  • Writing: 25%
  • Reading: 33.3%
  • Mathematical Reasoning: 33.3%
  • Thinking Skills: 33.3%
WritingWriting is one open-response task in 30 minutes, and is worth 25% of the test.No Writing section
What the questions draw onNSW curriculum up to Year 6NSW curriculum up to Year 4
Places across NSWThere are 4,338 places in selective high schools across NSW for Year 7 entry in 2027.There are 1,840 places in Year 5 opportunity classes across NSW for entry in 2027.
School choicesFor selective high schools you can choose between 1 and 3 schools, in order of preference.For opportunity classes you can choose between 1 and 4 schools, in order of preference.
Last reserve offersEnd of Term 1 2027End of Term 1 2028

Three differences matter most in practice. First, the timing: OC comes two years earlier, so a child can sit both tests, in Year 4 and again in Year 6. Second, Writing: the OC test is all multiple choice, while the selective test adds one written task. Third, the scale: there are far more selective places than OC places, and families list fewer selective schools. Each test has its own guide to how it works: how the selective test works and how the OC test works.

The reserve dates differ because the classes start at different points. A selective place starts in Year 7, so reserve offers stop in Term 1 of Year 7. An opportunity class is a two-year program in Years 5 and 6. Parents cannot apply for Year 6 only. So OC reserve offers can still come in Term 1 of Year 6. The details are on the selective reserve list and the OC reserve list pages.

Does an OC place lead to a selective place?

No. A place in an opportunity class does not give automatic entry to a selective high school. You apply again, separately, in Year 5 for Year 7. A child in an opportunity class sits the selective test like every other applicant, and a child who did not sit the OC test, or did not take an OC place, can still apply for selective.

The selective application does not look back at OC. Offers rest on the selective test and the school choices you list. Offers are based on placement test performance and the order of your school choices. So an OC result is not carried over, and missing out on OC does not count against a child two years later.

If your child has just received an OC outcome, the next date that matters for selective is the application window in Year 5. It is listed on selective test dates, and the steps are on how to apply for selective.

What is the same for both tests?

The way the tests are run and how places are offered are the same. Both placement tests are computer-based and held in May. Only one test is held on each test day. Both tests have Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills sections, and both ask only about what is taught at school up to the child's year.

Both use one online application with a list of school choices in order of preference, and both make offers from the test and that order. The Department sets out the two settings on its page What are selective high schools and opportunity classes? The application steps for each test are on how to apply for OC and how to apply for selective.

Which test should my child prepare for, and when?

Your child's school year decides it: a child in Year 3 or Year 4 is in the OC cycle, and a child in Year 5 or Year 6 is in the selective cycle. A child in Year 4 who sits OC will face the selective test two years later, in a longer form with Writing.

On preparation, the Department's view is the same for both tests. The Department says coaching or tutoring for the placement test is not necessary, and that extra paid coaching will not give a child an advantage. What does help is knowing the format: the order of the sections, the timing, and working on a computer. Writing is the one skill the selective test adds, so a child moving from OC to selective has a new kind of task to get used to.

Sources

Each fact on this page, the page we checked it against and the source's own words. An “Expected” date is our estimate from past years, not the Department's.

  1. Selective high schools (list of schools)

    NSW Department of Education · page last updated 10 September 2026

    • When families apply for selectivePublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “at the end of Year 5 or the beginning of Year 6 when their parents apply - in Year 6 when they sit the test”
    • Usual age for Year 7 entryPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “aged between 11 years and 5 months and 13 years at the time they start Year 7.”
    • Year 7 selective placesPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “There are 4,338 places available in selective high schools across NSW for entry to Year 7.”
  2. Opportunity classes (list of schools)

    NSW Department of Education · page last updated 23 July 2026

    • When families apply for OCPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “at the end of Year 3 or the beginning of Year 4 at the time of applying - in Year 4 when sitting the test.”
    • OC is a two-year programPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “It is a 2-year program (Year 5 to 6). Parents cannot apply for Year 6 placement only.”
    • Usual age for Year 5 entryPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “aged between 9 years and 5 months and 11 years at the time they start Year 5.”
    • Year 5 opportunity class placesPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “There are 1,840 places available in Year 5 opportunity classes across NSW.”
    • OC does not lead to a selective placePublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “No. You will need to apply separately for selective high school placement when your child is in Year 5 for placement in Year 7.”
  3. Selective high school practice tests

    NSW Department of Education · page last updated 20 March 2026

    • Four sections, all on computerPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “The Selective High School Placement Test is a computer-based test that has 4 sections. All questions (multiple-choice and the writing question) are answered using the computer.”
    • Reading: 17 questions, 45 minutes, 25%PublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “Reading Test | 17 (3 questions have multiple parts to answer) | 45 | Multiple-choice | 25%”
    • Mathematical Reasoning: 35 questions, 40 minutes, 25%PublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “Mathematical Reasoning Test | 35 | 40 | Multiple-choice | 25%”
    • Thinking Skills: 40 questions, 40 minutes, 25%PublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “Thinking Skills Test | 40 | 40 | Multiple-choice | 25%”
    • Writing: 1 task, 30 minutes, 25%PublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “Writing Test | 1 | 30 | Open response | 25%”
    • Concepts up to Year 6PublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “The questions draw upon concepts from the NSW curriculum up to Year 6 that your child learns at school. We review all questions to make sure students do not need any extra knowledge.”
    • The Department says coaching is not necessaryPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “It is important to know that coaching or tutoring for the placement test is not necessary.”
  4. Opportunity class practice tests

    NSW Department of Education · page last updated 22 July 2026

    • Three sections, all multiple choice on computerPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “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.”
    • Reading: 14 questions, 40 minutes, 33.3%PublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “Reading Test 14 (3 questions have multiple parts to answer) 40 minutes 33.3%”
    • Mathematical Reasoning: 35 questions, 40 minutes, 33.3%PublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “Mathematical Reasoning Test 35 40 minutes 33.3%”
    • Thinking Skills: 30 questions, 30 minutes, 33.3%PublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “Thinking Skills Test 30 30 minutes 33.3%”
    • No Writing sectionPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “There are 3 test sections: reading, thinking skills and maths.”
    • Concepts up to Year 4PublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “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.”
  5. Choosing a school

    NSW Department of Education · page last updated 18 June 2026

    • Up to 3 selective school choicesPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “For selective high schools you can choose between 1 and 3 schools.”
    • Up to 4 OC school choicesPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “For opportunity classes you can choose between 1 and 4 schools.”
    • Offers depend on the test and the order of choicesPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “Parents are offered a place based on test performance and the order of their school choices.”
  6. Selective high school Year 7 reserve list bands

    NSW Department of Education · page last updated 11 August 2026

    • Selective offers continue to the end of Term 1 2027PublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “Offers will continue to be made from the reserve list up until the end of Term 1 2027, should vacancies arise.”
  7. Opportunity class reserve list bands

    NSW Department of Education · page last updated 11 August 2026

    • OC offers continue to the end of Term 1 2028PublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “Offers will continue to be made from the reserve list up until the end of Term 1 2028, should vacancies arise.”
  8. Placement test

    NSW Department of Education · page last updated 18 August 2026

    • Computer-based, held in MayPublishedChecked
      The source's words
      “The placement tests are computer-based and held in May. Only one test is held on each test day.”

Quotes from NSW Department of Education pages are © State of New South Wales (Department of Education), used under CC BY 4.0.

Not affiliated with the NSW Department of Education. SelectiveReady (ABN 53 930 169 401) is an independent practice product. Every fact here is checked against the Department's own pages, and changes are logged.

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