OC
NSW OC Test (Opportunity Class Placement Test)
Officially the NSW Opportunity Class (OC) Placement Test. Year 5 entry test for high-potential students in NSW, usually sat in Year 4.
Last reviewed
The NSW Opportunity Class Placement Test is used for entry into opportunity classes in Years 5 and 6 at selected NSW government primary schools. It is usually sat by Year 4 students under timed, computer-based conditions. It is shorter than the Year 6 selective test, but still tests strong reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills.
Who sits this test: Students currently in Year 4 who plan to enter an opportunity class for Years 5 and 6.
What's tested
All questions are multiple choice.
| Section | Questions | Time | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 141 | 40 min | 33% |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 35 | 40 min | 33% |
| Thinking Skills | 30 | 30 min | 33% |
| Total | 79 questions | 110 min | 100% |
- 3 questions have multiple parts to answer
- Computer-based test completed at an allocated test centre.
- No calculators, rulers or dictionaries are allowed.
- Students can use paper for working out.
- All sections are equally weighted at one-third of the total score.
- Reading includes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, reports and other text types.
- Students sit the placement test on one allocated day.
Key dates
2026 test: Year 5 entry in 2027
- Applications opened6 November 2025 (Year 3)
- Applications closed20 February 2026 (Year 4)
- Placement test8-9 May 2026 (one allocated day)
- Make-up test22 May 2026
- Last day to change school choices5 June 2026
- Outcomes released9 September 2026
- Outcomes appeal deadline16 September 2026 (11:59 pm)
- Reserve decision date3 December 2026 (3:00 pm)
These dates belong to the test held in 2026 for school entry in 2027. Outcomes were released on 9 September 2026. Check your application dashboard for offers and the official source for reserve-list arrangements.
Check official dates and application guidanceFree NSW OC Test practice
3 original iClass practice examples. Try each one, then reveal the worked explanation. No account needed. These illustrative examples are not official past papers or a full timed mock test.
Reading practice
Read the passage, then answer the question.
Mia had practised her lines every night for a week. Now, standing behind the curtain, she could hear the hall filling up: chairs scraping, a baby crying, someone laughing too loudly. She pressed her script flat against her chest, although she had not needed to look at it for days. When Mr Tran whispered her name, her feet did not move at once.
Why does Mia press her script against her chest?
- A.She needs to read her lines one more time.
- B.She is nervous and holding it makes her feel steadier.
- C.She wants to hide the script from the audience.
- D.She has forgotten which scene comes next.
The passage says she had not needed to look at the script for days, so she is not reading it (A) and has not forgotten her part (D). Nothing suggests she is hiding it (C). The noisy hall and her feet not moving at once show she is nervous, so holding the script is a comfort. The answer is inferred, not stated, which is typical of fiction questions.
2 more Reading practice questions and preparation advice are in the Reading guide.
Mathematical Reasoning practice
What number replaces the question mark?
2, 5, 4, 10, 6, 15, 8, ?
- A.10
- B.13
- C.16
- D.20
- E.25
Separate the sequence into alternating terms. The 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th numbers are 2, 4, 6, 8. The 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th numbers are 5, 10, 15, 20. Therefore, the missing number is 20.
2 more Mathematical Reasoning practice questions and preparation advice are in the Mathematical Reasoning guide.
Thinking Skills practice
Jack says: "Our class should go to the museum again for our excursion, because everyone enjoyed the last museum trip."
Which statement, if true, most weakens Jack's argument?
- A.The museum is close to the school.
- B.Half the class was away on the day of the last museum trip.
- C.The museum has opened a new dinosaur display.
- D.Jack's teacher enjoys visiting museums.
Jack's reason is that everyone enjoyed the last trip. If half the class was not there, he cannot know that everyone enjoyed it, so his reason falls apart. Options A and C are extra reasons to go, which strengthen the case, and D is about the teacher, not the class.
2 more Thinking Skills practice questions and preparation advice are in the Thinking Skills guide.
How it's scored
All three sections — Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills — contribute equally to the placement score. The test is computer-based, fully multiple-choice, and raw scores are scaled to produce a combined placement result.
- Opportunity classes are competitive and demand for places often exceeds availability.
- Competition varies by school and cohort each year.
- Score reports include section-level breakdowns so families can better understand strengths and areas for improvement.
How to apply for the NSW OC Test
Applications are made online through the NSW Department of Education's application dashboard, not through your child's school.
- In the published 2027-entry cycle, applications opened in November of Year 3 and closed in February of Year 4. The test was sat in Year 4 for Year 5 entry the following year. Check the official dates for your entry cycle.
- Students at NSW public schools, non-government schools, home study, interstate schools and overseas schools can all apply. Families must be living in NSW by the start of the school year of entry.
- You list the opportunity class schools you want considered when you apply. School choices can be changed up to the published cut-off, which was 5 June in the 2027-entry cycle.
- From 2026 the test is held only in NSW. Interstate and overseas applicants must return to sit it at an allocated test centre.
- Before the test, families receive a Test Admission Ticket showing the allocated centre and day. It must be printed; digital copies are not accepted on the day.
What test day looks like
The OC Placement Test is a computer-based test sat on one allocated day at a department test centre, usually a NSW public school near your child's primary school.
- Students sit the test on computers provided by the department. All questions are multiple choice and are answered on the computer; paper is provided for working out.
- The three sections run one after another with breaks, and the day runs for about 2 hours 5 minutes including breaks.
- Bring the printed admission ticket, two 2B pencils, an eraser and sharpener and a clear water bottle, and wear school uniform. Glasses and a non-smart watch are allowed.
- Calculators, rulers, dictionaries, notebooks, pens, phones, smart watches and pencil cases are not permitted, and neither is any device that can compute, photograph or communicate.
- If your child is sick or misses the test, an illness or misadventure request must be lodged through the application dashboard within 5 business days with supporting documents. Holidays and forgotten dates are not accepted.
What happens after the test
Outcomes are released in September of Year 4 through the same application dashboard, with a placement score report showing section-level results.
- Each school choice receives one of three outcomes: an offer, a place on that school's reserve list, or unsuccessful.
- Reserve-list offers continue as families decline places. In the 2027-entry cycle, reserve decisions run until 3 December 2026.
- An outcomes appeal can be lodged through the dashboard by the published deadline, which was 16 September 2026 for the 2027-entry cycle.
- Students who miss the test and have an illness or misadventure request approved may sit the make-up test, held on 22 May 2026 in the 2027-entry cycle.
What good preparation looks like
OC preparation timelines are often shorter than Year 6 selective preparation, but the test places strong emphasis on fast, accurate reasoning under timed conditions.
Foundation — 6 to 9 months out
Build reading stamina through daily fiction and non-fiction reading. Strengthen times tables fluency, mental arithmetic and exposure to pattern and reasoning problems.
Format familiarity — 3 to 6 months out
Practise on a computer, not paper. The screen interface, mouse selection, and the fact that students cannot physically underline or annotate questions during the test all need to feel routine before test day. Time per question is roughly 45–80 seconds depending on section.
Timed simulation — last 4 to 6 weeks
Run full computer-based mock tests under sitting conditions. Identify which question types consistently consume too much time — usually long Thinking Skills items or multi-step Maths — and drill those specifically.
Is your child on track for this test?
Try the free Selective Readiness Check — enter your child's recent practice scores and target school to get an indicative feasibility verdict and the skills to work on before the test.
Try the free Readiness CheckReady to build a personalised OC preparation plan?
Start Your Child's OC Study PlanCommon questions
Applications are made online through the NSW Department of Education. In recent cycles they opened in early November of Year 3 and closed in February of Year 4, with the placement test in early May of Year 4. Check the official key dates page for the confirmed dates for your child's entry year before applying.
Computer-based. Students answer on screen, so it helps to practise with a mouse, screen-based reading and timed navigation before test day.
No. The OC Placement Test is sat once, usually in Year 4, for entry into Year 5. The Year 6 Selective High School Placement Test is a separate pathway for Year 7 entry.
Not necessarily. The OC test has fewer sections and no writing task, but students are younger and the time per question can feel tight. It still requires strong reading accuracy, reasoning and problem-solving.
No. There is no requirement to attend coaching. What matters most is consistent practice, realistic mock exams and careful review of mistakes.
Three multiple-choice sections sat on one day: Reading (14 questions, three of which have multiple parts, in 40 minutes), Mathematical Reasoning (35 questions in 40 minutes) and Thinking Skills (30 questions in 30 minutes). Each section counts for one third of the placement score.
About 110 minutes of testing in total — 40 minutes Reading, 40 minutes Mathematical Reasoning and 30 minutes Thinking Skills — plus extra time at the test centre for instructions and settling between sections.
No. Calculators, rulers and dictionaries are not permitted. Students may use paper for working out, so both mental arithmetic and fast written working matter.
Yes. Answers are entered on screen but students can work on paper. That split — read on screen, work on paper, answer on screen — is worth rehearsing, because it is slower than working entirely on paper.
All three sections are equally weighted at one third each. Raw scores are scaled and combined into a single placement result, and score reports include section-level breakdowns so families can see relative strengths.
Reading draws on fiction, non-fiction, poetry, reports and other text types. Breadth matters — a student who reads only narrative fiction is often caught out by information texts and poetry.
Logical reasoning rather than curriculum knowledge: following an argument, identifying assumptions and conclusions, and solving structured problems. With 30 questions in 30 minutes it averages about a minute each, so pace is part of the challenge.
35 questions in 40 minutes, roughly 68 seconds each. The emphasis is on multi-step problem solving and reasoning rather than routine computation, and no calculator is allowed.
No. The OC test is fully multiple-choice. Writing is assessed in the Year 6 Selective High School Placement Test, which is a separate pathway for Year 7 entry.
A common pattern is foundation work 6 to 9 months out — daily reading, times tables fluency and exposure to pattern and reasoning problems — then format familiarity 3 to 6 months out, then timed computer-based simulation in the final 4 to 6 weeks.
Because students cannot underline or annotate a question on screen the way they can on paper. Screen reading, mouse selection and on-screen navigation all cost time until they become routine, so paper-only practice understates how long questions really take.
Enough that the format feels routine, with full computer-based mock tests concentrated in the last 4 to 6 weeks. Careful review of every mistake matters more than the number of tests completed.
Every section is multiple choice, so a question left blank can score nothing. Students are usually better served by making a reasoned choice and moving on than by leaving gaps. Confirm current marking guidance with the NSW Department of Education before test day.
At an allocated test centre, on one allocated day, under timed computer-based conditions.
Opportunity classes are competitive and demand for places often exceeds availability. Competition varies by school and by cohort each year, so results are best understood relative to the specific schools applied for.
Practising only on paper, practising without a clock, and moving past mistakes without understanding them. The question types that consistently consume too much time — usually longer Thinking Skills items or multi-step Maths — are the ones worth drilling specifically.
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Vocabulary for this test
Meanings, example sentences and memory hooks for words at this level, plus a simple routine for learning them.
OC Test Vocabulary List →Schools that use this test
Browse profiles, entry score history and preparation guidance for every one of the NSW Opportunity Class schools that select students with this test.
View all NSW Opportunity Class schools →Practice papers for this test
This guide covers the format, dates and scoring. For full-length papers with worked solutions, browse the NSW Opportunity Class (OC) Placement Test book range.
OC practice books →