Thinking Skills is 33.3% of the OC test, and it checks how your child reasons, not what they have learnt. These 8 worked questions show the kinds of question it asks, before the test on 11–12 May 2027.
It tests critical thinking and problem solving, with no previous knowledge needed. In practice that means two kinds of question: judging whether an argument holds up, and working through puzzles with numbers, patterns and shapes. Children in Year 3 now sit it in Year 4.
The clock is the hard part. At about a minute a question, one puzzle that runs long costs marks elsewhere. There are no marks lost for incorrect answers, so a guess always beats a blank.
Each question shows the answer and the working. Read them with your child and talk through why the right option is right.
We wrote these for this page, to the Department's format. They are not from any real test, and none appears in our Practice tests.
Critical thinking
These three ask what would make an argument stronger, whose reasoning is correct and what must be true. Read every word: one "must" or "all" often decides the answer.
Worked explanation 1
Ravi says: "Our school should plant shady trees beside the handball courts. In summer, hardly anyone plays handball at lunchtime, because the courts get too hot in the sun."
Which one of these statements, if true, most strengthens Ravi's argument?
AA.
Trees take a few years to grow big enough to give shade.
BB.
Some children would rather play soccer on the oval at lunchtime.
CC.
On cool, cloudy summer days, the handball courts are full at lunchtime.
DD.
The lines on the handball courts were painted again this year.
Answer: C
Answer: C (the courts fill up on cool summer days)
Ravi's reason is that children stay away from the courts in summer because the courts are too hot.
If he is right, children should come back to the courts on summer days that are not hot.
C says that on cool, cloudy summer days the courts are full. That backs up his reason, so shade from trees should help.
Why the other options are wrong
A: This is a problem for Ravi's plan, so it does not strengthen it.
B: Some children liking soccer does not explain why the courts are empty in hot weather.
D: New lines have nothing to do with heat or shade.
Worked explanation 2
Every button in Nan's sewing tin is either round or square. Every square button in the tin is red.
Uma says: "If I take a blue button out of the tin, it must be round."
Vu says: "If I take a red button out of the tin, it must be square."
Whose reasoning is correct?
AA.
Only Uma
BB.
Only Vu
CC.
Both Uma and Vu
DD.
Neither Uma nor Vu
Answer: A
Answer: A (only Uma)
Uma: a blue button is not red. Every square button is red, so a blue button cannot be square. The only other shape is round, so it must be round. Uma is correct.
Vu: the fact says square buttons are red. It does not say red buttons are square. A round button could also be red, so Vu is not correct.
Why the other options are wrong
B: Vu turns the fact around. "All square buttons are red" does not mean "all red buttons are square".
C: Only Uma's reasoning follows from the facts.
D: Uma's reasoning is correct, because round and square are the only two shapes in the tin.
Worked explanation 3
Each bus at the Coral Street bus station has one coloured sign on the front.
Every bus that goes to the beach has a yellow sign.
Tia gets on a bus with a green sign.
Which one of these statements must be true?
AA.
Tia's bus goes to the beach.
BB.
Tia's bus does not go to the beach.
CC.
Tia's bus goes to the city.
DD.
Every bus with a yellow sign goes to the beach.
Answer: B
Answer: B (Tia's bus does not go to the beach)
Every bus that goes to the beach has a yellow sign.
Each bus has only one sign, and Tia's bus has a green one, so its sign is not yellow.
A bus without a yellow sign cannot be a beach bus. So Tia's bus does not go to the beach.
Why the other options are wrong
A: A beach bus would have a yellow sign, not a green one.
C: The rule does not say where green-sign buses go. Tia's bus could go anywhere except the beach.
D: This turns the rule around. Beach buses have yellow signs, but other buses might have yellow signs too.
Problem solving
These five are puzzles: a train that changes order, a wall of cubbies, a number, a pattern and a shape. Keep paper handy: a quick table or sketch is usually faster than holding everything in your head.
Worked explanation 4
A toy train has three carriages in a line. From front to back they are red, yellow, green.
Button X swaps the two carriages at the front.
Button Y takes the carriage at the back and moves it to the front.
Lucas presses X, then Y, then X.
What order are the carriages in now, from front to back?
AA.
green, yellow, red
BB.
green, red, yellow
CC.
red, green, yellow
DD.
yellow, green, red
Answer: D
Answer: D (yellow, green, red)
Start: red, yellow, green.
X swaps the front two: yellow, red, green.
Y moves the back carriage (green) to the front: green, yellow, red.
X swaps the front two again: yellow, green, red.
Why the other options are wrong
A: This is the order after only two presses. The last X was missed.
B: This comes from making Y move the front carriage to the back (or from thinking the two X presses cancel out).
C: This misses the first X press.
Worked explanation 5
Esi, Gus, Hana and Jarrah each have a cubby in the classroom. The four cubbies are in two rows of two: two cubbies on top, and two cubbies directly underneath them.
Esi's cubby is directly below Gus's cubby.
Jarrah's cubby is in the top row.
Hana's cubby is on the right-hand side.
Whose cubby is directly above Hana's cubby?
AA.
Esi's
BB.
Gus's
CC.
Jarrah's
DD.
Nobody's, because Hana's cubby is in the top row
Answer: C
Answer: C (Jarrah's)
Gus is on top and Esi is directly below him, so they share one side: left or right.
Hana is on the right. If Gus and Esi were on the right, there would be no room for Hana. So Gus is top left and Esi is bottom left.
Jarrah is in the top row, so Jarrah is top right.
That leaves bottom right for Hana, directly below Jarrah.
Why the other options are wrong
A: Esi is in the bottom row, on the left.
B: Gus is directly above Esi, not Hana.
D: Gus and Jarrah fill both top cubbies, so Hana must be in the bottom row.
Worked explanation 6
Mei is thinking of a two-digit number.
Its two digits add up to 11.
If she swaps the two digits around, she gets a number that is 45 bigger.
What number is Mei thinking of?
AA.
29
BB.
38
CC.
47
DD.
83
Answer: B
Answer: B (38)
The swapped number is bigger, so the second digit must be bigger than the first.
List the two-digit numbers whose digits add up to 11 and whose second digit is bigger: 29, 38, 47, 56.
Swap each one and see how much bigger it gets: 29 → 92 (63 bigger), 38 → 83 (45 bigger), 47 → 74 (27 bigger), 56 → 65 (9 bigger).
Only 38 gets exactly 45 bigger.
Why the other options are wrong
A: 29 swaps to 92, which is 63 bigger, not 45.
C: 47 swaps to 74, which is only 27 bigger. Choosing it usually comes from a slip when subtracting.
D: 83 is the number after the swap. Swapping 83 gives 38, which is smaller, not bigger.
Worked explanation 7
What number comes next in this pattern?
2, 4, 3, 6, 5, 10, 9, ?
AA.
8
BB.
11
CC.
17
DD.
18
Answer: D
Answer: D (18)
Look at each step: 2 → 4 is double, 4 → 3 is take away 1, 3 → 6 is double, 6 → 5 is take away 1.
The steps take turns: double, take away 1, double, take away 1.
The last step, 10 → 9, was take away 1. So the next step is double: 9 × 2 = 18.
Why the other options are wrong
A: 8 takes away 1 again, but the steps take turns.
B: 11 adds 2, as if the pattern went up by the same amount each time.
C: 17 doubles and then takes away 1 in one go. Only one step happens each time.
Worked explanation 8
Leila has a bead box with 2 rows of 4 compartments. Each compartment has a number on it. The table shows the box from above, with the compartments in each row listed from left to right.
Row
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
Top
3
8
1
6
Bottom
5
2
7
4
Leila turns the box a quarter turn anticlockwise (the opposite way to the hands of a clock). The box stays flat on the table. Now the box has 4 rows of 2.
Which numbers are now in the top row of the box, from left to right?
AA.
3, 5
BB.
4, 6
CC.
5, 3
DD.
6, 4
Answer: D
Answer: D (6, 4)
In a quarter turn anticlockwise, the right side of the box swings up to become the top.
So the new top row is made from the old right-hand end: 6 (top) and 4 (bottom).
Follow the corners: 6 was top right and moves to top left; 4 was bottom right and moves to top right. So the top row reads 6, 4.
Why the other options are wrong
A: 3, 5 is the old left-hand end read downwards: the wrong side and the wrong order.
B: 4, 6 uses the right side but puts the two numbers the wrong way round.
C: 5, 3 is what a quarter turn clockwise gives, which is the wrong direction.
How should my child use these questions?
How you talk through the answers matters most. Eight questions talked through slowly teach more than a whole page rushed.
Read each question together
Read it aloud and ask your child what it's asking and which facts matter. That's the habit the real test rewards.
Talk through the working
Read the steps, then ask your child to explain the right answer back to you.
Name the mistake
Each explanation says why the other options are wrong. Ask your child which one looked right at first: that's the habit to watch.
Then learn that skill
Each question links to its skill page, with a method and three more worked questions.
What mistakes do children make most?
Watch for these three habits as you go through the answers. Each is easy to spot once you can name it, and each has a simple check.
×
Reading a rule backwards: A rule that runs one way is used the other way. Check which part you were told.
×
Choosing a true but irrelevant option: In strengthen and weaken questions, the right option changes how strong the reason is, not just the topic.
×
Stopping at the first answer that fits: In puzzles, test every clue against your answer before moving on.
Which skills do these questions cover?
Each question belongs to one skill. If your child missed a question, start with that skill's page: it has a method and three more worked questions.
Eight questions show the types. A full section shows whether your child can keep the pace for 30 minutes, which is a different skill.
The Department's own OC practice tests are free: online in the current format, and older PDF papers. Every official paper is listed with its answers.
Practice test 1 has Thinking Skills at its real length and time, with every answer explained. Afterwards you'll see results by skill, so you know which kinds of question cost the most marks. It's one full practice test with results, with a free account.
Questions parents ask about OC Thinking Skills sample questions
Are these real OC test questions?
No. Real papers from the computer-based test aren't public: whether the Department will release them is not published. We wrote these to the published format.
How hard are they compared with the real test?
They range from easy to hard for a strong Year 4 child. The real test's difficulty isn't published, so treat them as examples, not a measure.
How much Thinking Skills practice is enough?
Probably less than you think. The Department says a small amount of preparation is enough: there's no new or special knowledge needed. A few questions a week, reviewed properly, is a sensible rhythm for a Year 3 or 4 child.
