OC test: what to bring and what happens on the day
Independent. Not affiliated with the NSW Department of Education.
Your child brings the printed ticket, two 2B pencils, an eraser, a sharpener and a clear water bottle1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published to the OC test, expected in early May 20272NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Expected for 2028 entry. The Test Admission Ticket arrives 21NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published weeks before.
Want your child to feel the timing before the day? The free OC test runs one section at real OC time, with no account.
When is the next OC test, and when does the ticket come?
The OC test for Year 5 entry in 2028 is expected in early May 20272NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Expected. Exact days are not published2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Not published.
The ticket comes 21NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published weeks before the test, in your application dashboard. Until it arrives, keep both test days free1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published: children from one primary school all sit on the same day.
Your child gets a local test centre set by your child's primary school, usually a public high school1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. No ticket 21NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published weeks out? The Department asks you to send a message in your application dashboard1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Get the dates and reminders. The OC calendar feed adds the test days once the Department publishes them, with reminders. It needs no account and sends nothing about your child.
How did last year's OC test week run?
The 2027 round's dates show how the test fits with the make-up and the illness requests.
| Step, Year 5 entry in 2027 | Date |
|---|---|
| The OC test (one day each) | 8–9 May 20262NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Illness or misadventure requests closed | 15 May 20262NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Make-up test | 22 May 20262NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Requests for the make-up closed | 29 May 20262NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
What should my child bring to the OC test?
The printed ticket, pencils, an eraser, a sharpener and water, in school uniform. Pack the night before, and check the bag again in the morning.
| For the OC test | |
|---|---|
| Must bring | the printed ticket, two 2B pencils, an eraser, a sharpener and a clear water bottle1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Must wear | school uniform, even on a Saturday1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Bring if needed | glasses, medication, tissues and a clear plastic bag for stationery1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| Leave at home | pens, rulers, calculators, nuts, smart watches, phones and pencil cases1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| No need to bring | no computer or mouse to bring1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
The ticket must be on paper. Printed ticket required1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published: a copy on a phone isn't accepted.
Does my child need a snack for the OC test?
Not for the test itself: in the Department's checklist, a snack is listed for the Selective test only1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. The OC morning has only short breaks, and children stay in the test room for the short breaks1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Give your child a good breakfast, and have something ready at pick-up. In the example timetable, children leave at 12:35 pm1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
What happens on the morning of the OC test?
It's a short morning: arrive, sit three sections with two short breaks, then go home. The Department's example timetable runs like this; your ticket gives the real times.
| Part of the morning | How long |
|---|---|
| Arrival and check-in, from 9:30 am1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Until the first section starts |
| Reading | 403NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutes |
| Short break, in the test room | 101NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutes |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 403NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutes |
| Short break, in the test room | 101NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutes |
| Thinking Skills | 303NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutes |
| Children leave | 12:35 pm1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
Arrive at the time on the ticket: there's no extra time for arriving late1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. At the wrong place, date or time, your child can't sit it. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Where do parents go during the OC test?
Out of the school. Staff take children to the test room, and parents leave the school grounds1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Plan the trip
The Department says public transport is recommended1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. If you drive, read the parking suggestions that come with the ticket.
Say goodbye at the gate
Wait with your child until a staff member takes them in, then leave the grounds. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Someone else collecting?
Your child needs a signed note from you1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published in their bag.
Be at pick-up on time
If the test runs late, you get an SMS with the new pick-up time1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Who looks after the children inside?
Trained people, from the gate to the end. On arrival, staff meet you at the gate and show you to an assembly area1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. The tests are run by trained test supervisors, with school staff to support children1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Every centre has a person trained in anaphylaxis response4NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. If your child has anaphylaxis, give the anaphylaxis kit to the test supervisor before the test4NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Parents can walk their child to the test room only with written permission for medical reasons1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. Ask for that well before test week.
What is the OC test like on the screen?
Your child sits it on computers provided by the Department1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, section by section. Answers save every 30 seconds1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, so a glitch doesn't lose work.
Each child gets 21NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published sheets of working-out paper and can ask for more. There's no calculator in any section. 5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
The Department's OC practice papers tell children there are no marks lost for incorrect answers6NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, so it's worth answering every question.
How can my child see the format before the day?
The Department's free online OC practice copies the real test screen and its tools. 5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published That is the best preview of the screen itself.
Our free OC test runs one section at real OC timing on this site, with no account, then explains each answer. Start a free OC test.
What if my child is sick or something goes wrong?
Don't come in. The Department's rule is to keep a sick child home and request illness or misadventure1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Don't bring a sick child
Keep an unwell child away from the centre, and use the request instead. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Your child sits the make-up test
If the request is accepted, your child sits it later. In the 2027 round it was on 22 May 20262NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Don't miss both
No placement if both tests are missed1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Cheating has a heavy cost: a child found cheating isn't considered for placement. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published Smart watches aren't allowed either, so check pockets before you leave. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
What does an illness or misadventure request cover?
Things outside your control that affected the test or made your child miss it. Send a request when illness, injury or a medical condition affected the test or caused a miss1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
It also covers another unavoidable, unexpected event, such as a bereavement1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published , and test centre problems or technical difficulties1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published on the day. For a health problem, the proof is a medical certificate for the test day1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
These reasons aren't accepted: forgetting the date, being busy, or not knowing the process1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, or a family holiday, sport, school events or photo days1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. Late requests aren't accepted1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. If a request is approved, it can mean the make-up test, or an adjusted score if your child sat part of the test1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
How do the rules play out on test day?
Each case applies the published rules to one family's week. Your ticket and the Department's own pages decide your case.
No ticket, a fortnight before the test
Test week is close and nothing has appeared in the dashboard.
The rule is to act, not wait: send a message in your application dashboard1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. Keep both possible test days free until the ticket shows your child's day. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
A fever on the morning
The child wakes up unwell on test day.
They stay home. The family sends an illness or misadventure request within 51NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published business days, and if it's accepted the child sits the make-up test. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
A grandparent doing pick-up
A parent drops the child off, but a grandparent collects at the end.
The child carries a signed note from you1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published in their bag and shows it to staff at the end. If the test runs late, the family gets an SMS with the new pick-up time1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
A child with asthma and agreed adjustments
The child uses an inhaler, and the family asked for adjustments in the application.
Medication is on the bring-if-needed list. 1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published Adjustments the Department agreed to are listed on your child's Test Admission Ticket4NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
How do we keep test week calm for a Year 4 child?
Keep the week ordinary. For many children the OC test is one of their first formal tests7NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, so your calm sets the tone.
Normal week, normal sleep
The Department's advice is to keep up activities, friends, healthy food and sleep2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Walk through the morning
Tell your child what happens: the gate, the room, three sections, then home around lunchtime.
Plan something nice for after
Make the afternoon about them, not the test. Ask what was fun before asking what was hard.
One morning in Year 4 doesn't define a child. Let them know you'll be proud of them for turning up and trying.
What can't be known before the OC test?
You'll know the day, the centre and the times from the ticket. You can't know how your child will feel on the morning, or what any one section will hold.
No practice result predicts an OC outcome. There is no set minimum score 7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and the result is compared with the other children who sat that year's OC test7NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
What happens after the OC test?
Then a wait: OC outcomes usually come in September2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Before then, watch for the illness or misadventure deadline, if you need one, and the last day to change school choices (5 June 20262NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published in the last round).
Results arrive in your application dashboard7NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, with a band for each section. See how to read OC results.
Where do we check, officially?
The Department's pages and your dashboard hold the details for your child. These cover test week.
- The placement test and test day: the checklist, the timetable and illness requests.
- The application dashboard: your child's ticket, centre and times.
- OC practice tests: the Department's free online practice.
Questions parents ask about OC test day
Can we choose which day our child sits the OC test?
No. The ticket gives the day. All children from one primary school sit on the same day. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
What happens if we arrive late?
Your child can still sit, but there's no extra time for arriving late1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Plan the trip with time to spare.
Can my child take a phone or a smart watch?
No. Phones and smart watches are on the list of items not allowed. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published Leave them at home or with you.
Does my child need to bring a laptop?
No: there's no computer or mouse to bring1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, because the Department provides the computers. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published
Can I wait at the school during the test?
No. Parents leave the school grounds once children are taken in. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published Come back in time for pick-up.
Is there a Writing section in the OC test?
No. The OC test has 33NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published sections and no Writing. Writing first appears in the Selective test, in Year 68NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Will my child sit the test with classmates?
Very likely. Test centres are given by where your child's primary school is 1NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, and children from one primary school sit on the same day. 1NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published