Free OC practice test for Year 4: start a timed section
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Start a free NSW OC practice section with no sign-up: Reading, Mathematical Reasoning or Thinking Skills, each at the Year 4 OC test's real time limit. The result explains every answer but can't predict an OC place.
Free practice · no account
Free OC practice test
Answers stay in this browser tab and are never uploaded.
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What does the free OC practice test cover?
Every section of the OC test, one at a time, with the real question counts and time limits. There's no Writing section, because the OC test doesn't have one. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
| Section | Questions | Time | What's in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 141NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published questions, 331NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published answers | 401NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutes | Texts include non-fiction, fiction, poetry, magazine articles and reports1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Some questions have several parts, so there are more answers than questions |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 351NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published questions | 401NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutes | Problems with 51NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published options each, worked without a calculator |
| Thinking Skills | 301NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published questions | 301NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutes | Questions on critical thinking and problem solving, with no previous knowledge needed1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published; 41NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published options each |
What happens before, during and after a section?
Your child picks a section, works through it on the timer, then reads every answer explained. Nothing is sent: the page loads the questions once and marks them on your device.
Choose a section
Pick Reading, Maths or Thinking Skills. A short screen lists what to have ready, such as paper and a pencil.
Work through it on the timer
One question at a time, with a timer your child can hide, a question map, flags and cross-outs. At zero the section ends.
Carry on after a reload
Answers and time used stay in this browser tab only, so a reload carries on from the same question. Finishing clears them.
Read the results together
The mark, the time used and marks by topic, weakest first. Every question shows your child's answer, the right answer and why.
Choose what's next
Another section on another day, or a method page for the weakest topic. There's nothing to sign up for.
What kinds of questions are in each free section?
The same kinds the OC test uses, at a Year 4 level.
| Section | What your child meets in our free set |
|---|---|
| Reading | A story with questions, a text with missing words to choose, a poem, a text with missing sentences to place, and short extracts to match to questions |
| Mathematical Reasoning | Number and operations, fractions and decimals, measurement, time, flat shapes and solids, patterns, data in tables and graphs, chance and counting, and early algebra |
| Thinking Skills | Judging arguments, logic puzzles with rules, "if… then" reasoning, folding and turning shapes, number logic, patterns, switches and simple systems, and reading data |
How close is this practice test to the real OC test?
The format and timing match: the same sections, counts and time limits. The questions are our own, written to that format at a Year 4 level, so no one can promise the same difficulty as this year's real test.
| What | The real OC test | This free section |
|---|---|---|
| Sections, questions and time | The three sections, with the counts and limits in the table above | Same. One section at a time, and the timer stops it at zero |
| Screen | On computers provided by the Department2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Similar, in any browser: a timer you can hide, a question map, flags and cross-outs |
| Calculator | No calculator3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | None. Ask your child to work on paper |
| Working paper | 22NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published sheets, more on request | Bring your own |
| Saving | Saved automatically every 30 seconds2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Kept in this tab only; finishing or closing the tab clears it |
| Wrong answers | The Department's practice papers say wrong answers lose no marks 4NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published | The same, so answer every question |
| Marking | Multiple choice is computer-marked, with manual reliability checks5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published; results come as bands 5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Marked in the page. Reading gives one mark per answer, as the Department's online practice does 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Who writes it | The Department. Papers from the computer tests: Not published3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Not published | SelectiveReady, independently. Written to the published format, not copied from any test |
Where are the Department's own OC practice tests?
On the Department's OC practice tests page. We link to them rather than copy them, and keep them apart from our own questions.
Department online OC practice tests
Online practice simulates the real test3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. They are timed, with a countdown your child can hide1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, and at the end the test shows right and wrong answers, with the correct answer on review3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Which should my child try first?
Start with one of the Department's online tests, because it teaches the real screen and tools. It gives instructions on using the software before it starts1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. Then use our free sections for timed practice with reasons, and the PDF papers if you want more.
How do you run an OC practice section at home?
Keep it short and calm: a section in the morning, a timer that doesn't stop, no calculator and paper for working. For many children it's their first test like this 1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, so the first goal is comfort, not a score.
Pick a calm morning
The real test is a morning sitting. In the Department's example timetable, children arrive at 9:30 am2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
One section at a time
A whole section is a long stretch of focus at this age. In the example timetable, there is a 102NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published-minute break after Reading and after Maths.
Leave the timer running
No pausing and no hints. If time runs out, that tells you something useful about pace.
Answer every question
The Department's own practice papers say there are no marks lost for incorrect answers4NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. Teach your child to choose an answer before moving on.
Review together, kindly
Ask your child to explain one wrong answer back to you. Praise the effort and the thinking, not the mark.
What does an OC practice score tell you, and what can't it?
It tells you which questions and topics your child missed, and how the time went. It can't tell you a band, a rank or whether your child will get an OC place.
Which answers were wrong, and why. Each one comes back with the right answer and the reason.
Which topics to practise. Marks by topic, weakest first, point to the next method page.
How the time went. Unanswered questions at the end usually mean pace, not knowledge.
Not a band. Real reports place a child in a band compared with everyone who sat that year: Top 10% · next 15% · next 25% · lowest 50%5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Each section is 33.3%1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published of the real test, so one hard section is never the whole picture. A low score early on is normal: it shows where to start. The Department says the test is not a measure of school learning5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, so no score says how your child is doing at school.
What should a Year 4 child do after a free section?
Read every explanation, pick the one weakest topic, practise just that, then try another section on a different day. The Department says a small amount of preparation is enough 6NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, so keep each session short.
If Reading was hardest
Find the line in the text that proves each answer.
If Maths was hardest
Work multi-step problems one step at a time, then check.
If Thinking Skills was hardest
One method for every question type, with worked examples.
How often should my child practise for OC?
Less often than you might think. The Department says coaching is not necessary3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published and that too much coaching can harm wellbeing3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Leave a few days between sections, and keep up the rest of life: the Department suggests you keep up activities, friends, healthy food and sleep6NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
How hard should OC practice questions be?
At the test's level, not above it. The questions draw on concepts from the NSW curriculum up to Year 41NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and the maths uses concepts your child already learns at school1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
If your child misses most questions in one topic, go back to that topic's method page before trying again.
What comes after the free OC sections?
The OC dates, and later the Selective test. Our app is for the Selective test, not OC 7SelectiveReady · 12 October 2026 · Published, so there's no OC account to make and nothing to save. These free sections are our whole OC offer.
Get the OC dates and reminders
The next OC test is expected in early May 20276NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Expected. The calendar feed adds each date only once the Department publishes it.
Can my child use a tablet, phone or printer?
For our free sections, yes: they run in any up-to-date browser, but a laptop or desktop is closest to the day. The real test is on computers provided by the Department2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
| Device | Our free sections | The Department's online tests |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop or desktop | Works; closest to the day | Works; needs a physical keyboard on laptops and desktops1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| iPad | Works | Needs iPadOS 15 or later1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| Android tablet | Works | Requirements are to be confirmed1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| Phone | Works, but the screen is small | Screen must be at least 24.6 cm (9.5 inches) measured diagonally1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| Printer | Not offered: on screen only | Use the PDF papers instead: you can download and print each section1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, for personal, non-commercial use only3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
The Department says its online tests work on most computers and devices1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
What if we don't have a computer at home?
The Department suggests your local public library, or your child's school1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. Our free sections also run on a tablet or phone.
What if my child needs an adjustment?
The Department says children with disability or medical conditions should try the online practice tests to check any assistive technology1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published; there they can change the colour and size of text1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. It can also provide practice material in large print, black-and-white or braille1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Questions parents ask about OC practice tests
Are there free OC practice tests from the Department?
Yes. The Department has free online OC practice tests that copy the real test screen 3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and 31NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published PDF sample tests with answers. The PDFs are older paper-based versions1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Are past OC test papers available?
Not from the computer-based tests. Release of those papers: Not published3NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Not published. See every official OC paper and sample, with its format and link.
Is this the same as an OC mock exam day?
No. A mock exam day, often called a trial, is a full sitting in a hall run by a coaching business, usually for a fee. These are free sections done at home, one at a time.
Does my child need an account?
No. There's no account, sign-up or email anywhere on this page, and nothing is sent.
Is there a writing section in the OC test?
No. The OC test has 31NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published sections: Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills. Writing is added in the Selective test, which children usually sit in Year 69NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Should my child guess when unsure?
Yes, after a real try. The Department's practice papers tell children there are no marks lost for incorrect answers4NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, so a blank scores the same as a wrong answer.
Can my child do a section more than once?
Yes. Try this again restarts the same section. The questions are the same, so a second score shows what your child learnt from the explanations, not a fresh measure.