Exam guide · Sydney
Selective and OC preparation: a calmer guide for families.
Understand what the tests ask, how to set a useful baseline and how to prepare without replacing learning with endless papers.
Key points
Start with the skills beneath the score
Selective school and Opportunity Class tests sample reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills, with writing included in the selective placement process. The format matters, but preparation is strongest when it improves the reasoning the format is designed to reveal.
Begin with a baseline across domains, then separate knowledge gaps from timing or decision errors. A student who misreads conditions needs a different intervention from one who lacks number fluency or vocabulary.
Essential ideas
What to understand before making a decision.
Understand the current test
Check official NSW guidance for the applicable year and process.
Set a baseline
Use a representative task to identify strengths and recurring error types.
Build foundations
Teach literacy, numeracy and reasoning before increasing speed.
Practise decisions
Add timing, skipping and checking strategies once accuracy is stable.
How it works
A practical framework to use.
- 01
Reading
Inference, evidence, vocabulary and efficient comprehension.
- 02
Mathematics
Flexible number sense and multi-step reasoning.
- 03
Thinking
Logic, patterns and evaluation of possible answers.
- 04
Writing
Purposeful planning and controlled expression under time.
Common questions
Common Exam questions.
Are Selective and OC tests the same?
They overlap in several reasoning domains, but they are different placement processes for different year levels. Always check the current official NSW information.
How many practice papers should a student do?
Enough to diagnose and rehearse, but not so many that papers replace teaching. Quality of review matters more than the count.
What if practice scores fluctuate?
Some variation is normal. Look for patterns by domain and error type across several attempts instead of reacting to one score.