What is the NSW Opportunity Class test?

Who sits it, and when

Children sit the test in Year 4, for entry into an opportunity class in Year 5. Placement runs for two years, Years 5 and 6, at the primary school offering the class — which may not be your child's current school, so travel is worth thinking about before you apply.

What's on the paper

Three sections, all multiple choice, sat on a computer. There is no writing section.

Check the current year's numbers on the NSW Department of Education site before you plan anything around them — the department has adjusted the format before.

The section most families haven't seen before

Reading and Mathematical Reasoning look roughly like school work. Thinking Skills doesn't. It tests logic and inference rather than curriculum content: following a chain of reasoning, spotting the assumption a statement depends on, working out what must be true if a set of facts is true.

Children rarely meet these questions in a classroom, which is why capable students can find the section jarring on the day. Familiarity with the question style matters more here than in the other two sections.

The timeline

The cycle is the same every year:

• Applications open around November, the year before the test
• Applications close in February. Put the closing date in your calendar the day applications open.
• Test day falls in May, with a make-up test for approved illness or misadventure
• Outcomes are released later in the year

Exact dates change annually and are published by the NSW Department of Education. Put the closing date in your calendar the moment it's announced.

Questions parents ask

Is it worth applying? Applying costs you an application and a morning. The places are limited and the field is strong, so treat an offer as a bonus rather than a plan.

What happens if we miss out? Nothing happens to your child's schooling — they continue at their current school. Missing an opportunity class place is not a verdict on ability, and it has no bearing on the selective high school test two years later, which is a separate application.

Does the school apply for us? No. Applications are made by parents or carers, online, within the window.

Practising for it

Meritly has timed papers for all three OC sections — Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills — marked the moment your child finishes, with worked solutions for every question.

Where the official information lives

The NSW Department of Education publishes the current year's dates, the test format, and the application portal. Anything you read elsewhere — including this page — should be checked against it before you act on a date.

Related guides:

• practise the OC sections
• Selective vs OC: what's the difference?
• ACER, Edutest and AAS scholarship tests compared