What the OC Test Looks Like
The Opportunity Class (OC) Placement Test is sat in Year 4 by students applying for an opportunity class in Years 5 and 6 at an NSW government primary school. It has three multiple-choice tests and no writing test. Students sit it on computers at their allocated test centre.
Based on the NSW Department of Education's official practice tests for 2026 entry, the format is:
| Test | Questions | Time | Answer options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | About 33 | 40 minutes | 4 (A–D), plus a matching section |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 35 | 40 minutes | 5 (A–E) |
| Thinking Skills | 30 | 30 minutes | 4 (A–D) |
There is no penalty for wrong answers, so students should answer every question. For Year 5 entry in 2027, the test was held on 8 or 9 May 2026, with placement outcomes released in Term 3 2026. Dates for 2028 entry follow the same pattern and are published by the department — see our OC test guide for the full process.
Reading Sample Questions
OC Reading tests whether a student can understand the main idea of a text, work out what a writer is suggesting, and follow the meaning of words in context. Read this short extract, then try the two questions.
When the storm finally passed, Grandpa walked slowly down to the jetty. The little boat he had built with his father sixty years earlier lay on its side in the mud, one plank cracked. He crouched beside it for a long time without saying a word. Then he stood, brushed off his knees and went to fetch his toolbox.
Question 1. What does the last sentence suggest about Grandpa?
- A. He has decided to repair the boat.
- B. He is angry about the storm.
- C. He wants to sell the boat.
- D. He is too tired to do anything more.
Answer: A. He fetches his toolbox straight after looking at the cracked plank, so he means to fix it. Nothing shows anger (B) or a plan to sell (C), and standing up to fetch tools rules out D.
Question 2. In the extract, the word crouched is closest in meaning to
- A. bent down low.
- B. called out.
- C. waited nervously.
- D. walked away.
Answer: A. He later "brushed off his knees", which tells us he had been low to the ground beside the boat.
The real Reading test also includes a matching section, where students match statements to the text they come from. Practise reading every text in full before matching — the answers often depend on small differences between texts.
Mathematical Reasoning Sample Questions
OC Maths questions are rarely one-step sums. Most ask students to set up a problem, then check their answer makes sense. No calculator is allowed.
Question 3. A bakery sells muffins in boxes of 6 and boxes of 4. Priya buys 5 boxes altogether and gets 26 muffins. How many boxes of 6 did she buy?
- A. 1
- B. 2
- C. 3
- D. 4
- E. 5
Answer: C. If all 5 boxes held 4 muffins, she would have 20. She has 6 more, and each box of 6 adds 2 extra muffins, so she bought 6 ÷ 2 = 3 boxes of 6. Check: 3 × 6 + 2 × 4 = 18 + 8 = 26.
Question 4. A rectangle has a perimeter of 30 cm. Its length is twice its width. What is its area?
- A. 45 cm²
- B. 50 cm²
- C. 60 cm²
- D. 75 cm²
- E. 100 cm²
Answer: B. Half the perimeter is 15 cm, which is one length plus one width. The length is two widths, so three widths make 15 cm and the width is 5 cm. The length is 10 cm, and the area is 10 × 5 = 50 cm².
Question 5. A school bell rings every 45 minutes, starting at 8:50 am. At what time does it ring for the fourth time?
- A. 10:20 am
- B. 10:35 am
- C. 11:05 am
- D. 11:35 am
- E. 11:50 am
Answer: C. The first ring is 8:50 am, then 9:35 am, 10:20 am and 11:05 am. The most common mistake is adding four lots of 45 minutes (giving 11:50 am, option E) — the first ring is already at 8:50.
Thinking Skills Sample Questions
Thinking Skills mixes problem solving with critical thinking: working out what must be true, and judging whether an argument holds up.
Question 6. Every student in the chess club is also in the maths club. Some students in the maths club play in the band. Mia is in the chess club. Which statement must be true?
- A. Mia plays in the band.
- B. Mia is in the maths club.
- C. Everyone in the maths club plays chess.
- D. Nobody in the band plays chess.
Answer: B. Every chess club student is in the maths club, and Mia is in the chess club. Only some maths club students are in the band, so we cannot say Mia is (A). C reverses the first rule, and nothing tells us D.
Question 7. Five children stand in a line. Position 1 is at the front. Chen is last. Ava stands directly in front of Ben. Dev is somewhere in front of Ava. Eli is not first. Who is first?
- A. Ava
- B. Ben
- C. Dev
- D. Eli
Answer: C. Ben is behind Ava and Ava is behind Dev, so neither Ava nor Ben can be first. Chen is last and Eli is not first, which leaves Dev.
Question 8. Sam says: "Our class should get a class pet because pets make students happier. The class next door got a fish and now they are always smiling." Which statement, if true, most weakens Sam's argument?
- A. A fish is cheap to look after.
- B. The class next door was already very happy before it got the fish.
- C. Some students are allergic to cats.
- D. Our classroom has room for a fish tank.
Answer: B. Sam's evidence is that the fish made the other class happy. If they were already happy beforehand, the fish may not have caused it. A and D support getting a pet, and C is about cats, not the fish.
Where to Find Official OC Sample Tests
The NSW Department of Education publishes free official OC practice tests on its website, with questions and explained answers for Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills. These are the best guide to the style and difficulty of the real test, so use them first.
Because there are only a few official tests, save at least one to sit as a full timed practice in the final weeks before the test. Our guide to free OC practice tests and past papers lists the official tests and other resources.
How to Get the Most Out of Sample Questions
- Time every set. Thinking Skills allows about one minute per question and Maths just over one. Practise at that pace so it feels normal on the day.
- Review every wrong answer. Ask which trap caught your child: misreading the question, a skipped step, or choosing an answer that is true but doesn't answer what was asked.
- Explain answers aloud. A child who can explain why each wrong option is wrong understands the question far better than one who just got it right.
- Mix subjects. The real test switches between very different kinds of thinking. Short mixed sets build that flexibility.
- Keep it steady. Twenty focused minutes a few times a week does more than a long weekend cram.
Common Mistakes on the OC Test
- Stopping at the first step. Many Maths questions have a tempting halfway answer among the options (like 11:50 am in Question 5).
- Reading "some" as "all". Thinking Skills questions often depend on the difference between some, all and only.
- Answering from memory, not the text. In Reading, the right answer is supported by the passage, not by what a student already knows.
- Leaving blanks. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so a considered guess always beats a blank.
Once your child is comfortable with OC-level questions, our free practice tests and monthly exams offer the next step up towards the Year 6 selective test.