NAPLAN 2027: dates and what happens each day
NAPLAN 2027 runs from Wednesday 10 March to Monday 22 March. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit four tests in that window: Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language and Numeracy. Your school sets its own days inside the window, and this page explains the rules it works to.
Last updated: 5 October 2026
The 2027 test window
The window is nine school days long: three days in the first week, five in the second and the Monday of the third. ACARA, which runs NAPLAN, asks schools to hold the tests as early in the window as they can and to prioritise the first week. Where possible, tests go in the morning rather than the afternoon.
What happens on each day
Day 1, Wednesday 10 March, is Writing. Every Year 3 student does the Writing test on paper, and every school must hold it that day. Years 5, 7 and 9 do Writing online, also on day 1. It can only move to day 2 for a technical or logistical problem, and ACARA says camps, excursions and sport carnivals don't count.
After Writing come Reading, then Conventions of Language, then Numeracy, always in that order. Reading can start on day 1. Conventions of Language and Numeracy start from day 2.
If your child is away on a test day, the school may be able to arrange for them to sit the missed test later in its schedule.
How long each test is
| Test | Year 3 | Year 5 | Year 7 | Year 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writing | 40 min, on paper | 42 min | 42 min | 42 min |
| Reading | 45 min | 50 min | 65 min | 65 min |
| Conventions of Language | 45 min | 45 min | 45 min | 45 min |
| Numeracy | 45 min | 50 min | 65 min | 65 min |
Conventions of Language is the only test that keeps the same length at every year level.
What each test asks
- Writing. Students get a writing prompt and write one piece in a set text type, either narrative or persuasive.
- Reading. Informative, imaginative and persuasive texts, each followed by questions.
- Conventions of Language. Spelling, grammar and punctuation. Most of the spelling questions are dictated, so your child listens through headphones.
- Numeracy. Number, algebra, measurement, space, statistics and probability. In Years 7 and 9 the test opens with a section sat without a calculator.
The online tests are tailored to each student. Questions get harder or easier depending on your child's answers, so finding them hard is not a bad sign. ACARA says the result counts both how many questions were answered correctly and how difficult those questions were.
Why students sit NAPLAN
NAPLAN checks the literacy and numeracy skills students are learning through the school curriculum. ACARA describes it as the only national assessment that all Australian students have the chance to sit. It lets parents see how their child is going against national proficiency standards.
It is one part of a school's assessment, not a replacement for it. Teachers keep assessing your child through the year, and NAPLAN adds one more source of information.
Adjustments and exemptions
Students with disability can have reasonable adjustments, worked out case by case between the school, the family and the student. ACARA's National protocols for test administration set out what is available.
In exceptional circumstances, a student can be granted a formal exemption. ACARA gives two examples: a student whose disability severely limits their capacity to take part, and a student who has recently arrived in Australia from a non-English speaking background. Your school principal can explain the process.
The week before
ACARA says students are not expected to study for NAPLAN, and it doesn't recommend excessive preparation. What does help is knowing the format, so the screen holds no surprises on the day.
- Look at the format together. The official public demonstration site shows the question types and the on-screen tools for each year level.
- Sit a full-length paper or two, not ten. Knowing what 45 or 65 minutes feels like is the useful part. Our NAPLAN-style practice papers are free, and each is marked the moment your child finishes, with a worked solution on every question.
- Check the headphones. A pair that fits and works saves a fuss on Conventions of Language day.
- Keep the night before ordinary. A normal evening and enough sleep will do more than one last paper.
After the tests
Results are reported against four proficiency levels: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support. Your child's school gives you an individual student report later in the year. If it doesn't arrive, ask the school first. Our guide to the report explains what each level means and how to read the chart.
ACARA lists who uses the results, and for what:
- Students, parents and carers use them to talk about progress with teachers.
- Teachers use them to find students who need more challenge or more support.
- Schools use them to see where their teaching is strong and where it needs work, and to set goals.
- School systems use them to review their programs and the support they give schools.
- The wider community can see how schools perform over time on the My School website.
Where the official information lives
ACARA publishes the test window, the timetable and its information for parents at nap.edu.au. Your school confirms its own test days. For anything the school can't answer, contact your state or territory test administration authority.
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