How should we prepare for the OC test?
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Start with the Department's own OC practice tests, then build a short, regular routine across the three sections before the 2027 test, which is not yet announced and is expected between late April and mid May 2027. The Department says coaching or tutoring for the test is not necessary, because the test needs no new or special knowledge.
Facts checked Last updated Sources
Practice: the Department publishes free OC practice tests. SelectiveReady's practice tests are for the selective test.
What does a preparation plan look like, month by month?
A plan for the OC test can be short and gentle: a first look at the real test format now, a proper summer break, light regular practice early in Year 4 and one or two full runs in the last month. For opportunity classes, parents usually apply at the end of Year 3 or the start of Year 4. The child sits the test in Year 4 and starts in Year 5. The 2027 test date is not yet announced. Our estimate from past years is Expected: 30 April to 16 May 2027, so the plan below counts back from late April 2027.
| When | What to focus on |
|---|---|
| October to November 2026 (end of Year 3) | Try one of the Department's online OC practice tests together, untimed and without pressure. Note which section felt hardest and which tools on screen were new. Keep up reading for pleasure. |
| December 2026 to January 2027 | Let the summer holidays stay holidays. Reading, games and puzzles they enjoy are plenty. |
| February to March 2027 (start of Year 4) | Short sessions, two or three a week, rotating Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills. Practise on a computer, so the screen feels normal. Check the application dates. |
| April 2027 | Timed practice for one section at a time, then one or two full runs of the online practice tests. Go over mistakes calmly, then ease off in the last week. |
| Expected: 30 April to 16 May 2027 | The test itself. Print the ticket, pack the night before and keep the days around it ordinary. |
The plan follows the shape of the test. The Opportunity Class Placement Test is a computer-based test with 3 sections. All questions are multiple choice. Both placement tests are computer-based and held in May. Only one test is held on each test day. Because every answer is chosen on screen, a little practice on a computer helps a young child feel at home with the format.
If you are starting later than October, compress the rows rather than adding hours. What each section asks, with ideas for practice, is on the pages for OC Reading, OC Mathematical Reasoning and OC Thinking Skills. The dates, including when the test date is announced and when applications open and close, are tracked on OC test dates.
When should we start, and is coaching necessary?
The Department says coaching is not necessary, and we found no Department advice on when to start. A few months of light, regular practice is enough to learn the format and the pace. 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.
- The Department says the test needs no new or special knowledge, so extra paid coaching outside school will not give a child an advantage.
- The practice test pages say the Department does not recommend or endorse coaching for the placement test.
- The placement procedures say the Department does not recommend or endorse any coaching for the tests.
The questions draw on concepts from the NSW curriculum up to Year 4, and the Department says students do not need extra knowledge. For a child in Year 4, that means ordinary schoolwork already covers what the test draws on. The most useful preparation is familiarity: knowing the three sections, the timing and the test software, so nothing on the day is a surprise. Some families still choose a tutor or a course. That is their call, but the Department's position is that it gives no advantage, and it is worth knowing before you spend.
What should we practise first?
Start with the Department's own OC practice tests, before anything else. The Department offers 2 types of practice test: online computer-based tests and PDF tests. The online practice tests simulate the real test, so your child can get used to the test software and its tools.
- The Department publishes 3 PDF sample tests, each with Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills.
- The PDF practice tests come from older paper-based versions of the test, so they do not reflect the current format. Use them for the kinds of questions, not for the look of the test.
- For students with disability, practice materials are available in large print, black-and-white or braille.
All of them are on the Department's OC practice test page. Sit beside your child for the first one, so you both see how the screen works. A score on any practice test is a guide for what to work on, not a forecast. Practice and sample test results do not show how a student will perform, and selection committees do not consider them.
How is preparing for OC different from selective?
Preparing for OC is smaller in scope: there is no writing to practise, and the child is two years younger. The OC test has 3 sections (Reading, Thinking Skills and Mathematical Reasoning). Unlike the selective test, there is no Writing section. So there is no typed piece to rehearse, and practice time goes to reading, maths and reasoning questions, all multiple choice.
The child is also in Year 4 rather than Year 6, so sessions should be shorter and more playful than a plan for an older child. If you have an older child preparing for the selective test too, see preparing for the selective test, which covers Writing as well.
How do we keep preparation in proportion for a Year 4 child?
Keep practice short and regular, beside normal school, sport, friends, play and sleep, not in place of them. The placement procedures say parents must not take their child out of school to prepare for the tests, and too many unjustified absences may put an offer at risk.
It helps to say out loud that the test is one day, and that an opportunity class is one option among several good ones for Years 5 and 6. How the test runs, from the sections to test day, is on how the OC test works, and the main OC guide covers applying, results and offers.
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.
- Placement test
- OC test (expected)Checked
Our estimate: In 2025 the OC test was on the same weekend as the selective test; in 2026 it was one week later (8–9 May, after selective on 1–2 May). With selective expected 30 April – 9 May 2027, OC is expected 30 April – 16 May 2027 (our confidence about 0.5; only one year of the new pattern).
- Computer-based, held in MayChecked
The source's words
“The placement tests are computer-based and held in May. Only one test is held on each test day.”
- Opportunity classes (list of schools)
- When families apply for OCChecked
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.”
- Opportunity class practice tests
- Three sections, all multiple choice on computerChecked
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.”
- No Writing sectionChecked
The source's words
“There are 3 test sections: reading, thinking skills and maths.”
- Concepts up to Year 4Checked
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.”
- Official practice: online and PDFChecked
The source's words
“There are 2 types of practice test: online computer-based practice tests PDF practice tests.”
- Online practice simulates the real testChecked
The source's words
“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.”
- Three PDF sample testsChecked
The source's words
“Sample practice test 3 Section Links to samples Reading Reading sample questions”
- PDF tests are from the old paper testChecked
The source's words
“The PDF practice tests below are from older paper-based versions of the test. So they do not reflect the current test format.”
- Accessible practice materialsChecked
The source's words
“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.”
- Selective high school practice tests
- The Department says coaching is not necessaryChecked
The source's words
“It is important to know that coaching or tutoring for the placement test is not necessary.”
- Paid coaching gives no advantageChecked
The source's words
“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.”
- Coaching: practice test page wordingChecked
The source's words
“The department does not recommend or endorse coaching for the placement test.”
- Selective high schools and opportunity classes placement procedures (PD-2002-0006-06)
- Coaching: placement procedures wordingChecked
The source's words
“The department does not recommend or endorse any coaching for the tests.”
- Practice scores are not consideredChecked
The source's words
“Results of practice and sample tests do not show how a student will perform in the test and selection committees do not consider performance on sample or practice tests.”
- Don't take children out of school to prepareChecked
The source's words
“Parents and/or carers must not take their child out of school to prepare for the placement tests. Too many unjustified absences may jeopardise a placement offer”