The NSW Opportunity Class Placement Test has three sections: reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills. There's no writing section. Children sit it in Year 4. For 2028 entry, the test is on 11 and 12 May 2027.
Below are 12 original sample questions in the style of each section, written for Year 4. Answers and explanations are at the end, so your child can try them first.
These are practice questions we've written, not real OC questions. The department doesn't release past papers. See OC and selective past papers.
How to use these questions
- Give your child about one minute per question, which is close to the real pace.
- Let them work on paper. Calculators aren't allowed.
- Afterwards, go through why each wrong option is wrong. That's where most of the learning happens.
Reading
Read the passage, then answer questions 1 to 4.
Echidnas
The short-beaked echidna is found in every Australian state and territory, from snowy mountains to dry deserts. It is one of only a few mammals in the world that lay eggs.
A female echidna lays a single soft-shelled egg and keeps it in a pouch on her belly. After about ten days, a tiny baby called a puggle hatches. The puggle stays in the pouch until it starts to grow spines. Then its mother leaves it in a burrow while she searches for food.
Echidnas eat mainly ants and termites. They have no teeth. Instead, they catch insects with a long, sticky tongue. When an echidna is frightened, it does not run away. It digs straight down into the soil until only a ball of sharp spines is left above the ground.
1. Why does the writer mention "snowy mountains to dry deserts"? A. To show that echidnas prefer cold places B. To show that echidnas can live in very different places C. To explain where echidnas lay their eggs D. To describe where puggles are born
2. What is a puggle? A. A burrow B. A type of ant C. A baby echidna D. An echidna's pouch
3. Which statement is true, according to the passage? A. Echidnas have small, sharp teeth. B. A puggle hatches about ten days after the egg is laid. C. A mother carries her puggle until it is fully grown. D. Echidnas run away when they are frightened.
4. Which word best describes how an echidna protects itself? A. Fighting B. Climbing C. Burrowing D. Swimming
Mathematical reasoning
5. Pencils come in packs of 6. A class needs 75 pencils. What is the smallest number of packs the teacher must buy? A. 11 B. 12 C. 13 D. 14
6. A movie starts at 2:45 pm and runs for 1 hour and 50 minutes. When does it finish? A. 3:35 pm B. 4:25 pm C. 4:35 pm D. 4:45 pm
7. A rectangular garden is 12 metres long and 5 metres wide. A post is placed every metre around the edge, including at each corner. How many posts are there? A. 30 B. 34 C. 36 D. 60
8. Half of a number is 7 more than 20. What is the number? A. 27 B. 34 C. 47 D. 54
Thinking skills
9. Tom is taller than Ali. Ali is taller than Ben. Cara is shorter than Ben. Who is the shortest? A. Tom B. Ali C. Ben D. Cara
10. What comes next? 3, 6, 12, 24, ... A. 30 B. 36 C. 42 D. 48
11. All the red boxes in the room are heavy. Mia picks up a heavy box. Which statement is correct? A. The box must be red. B. The box cannot be red. C. The box might be red, but it might not be. D. All the heavy boxes are red.
12. Lily says: "Our class should get a pet fish, because fish are easy to look after." Which statement, if true, most weakens Lily's argument? A. Most students in the class would like a pet. B. Fish are quiet and won't disturb lessons. C. The fish tank must be cleaned every week, and someone must feed the fish during the holidays. D. The school has a fish tank in the library.
Answers and explanations
| Q | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | The two places are opposites. Naming both shows how widely echidnas live. |
| 2 | C | "A tiny baby called a puggle hatches." |
| 3 | B | "After about ten days, a tiny baby called a puggle hatches." The others contradict the passage. |
| 4 | C | It "digs straight down into the soil", which is burrowing. |
| 5 | C | 75 ÷ 6 = 12 remainder 3. Twelve packs give only 72 pencils, so 13 packs are needed. |
| 6 | C | 2:45 + 1 hour = 3:45. Then + 50 minutes = 4:35 pm. |
| 7 | B | The edge is a closed loop, so the number of posts equals the perimeter ÷ 1 m. Perimeter = 12 + 5 + 12 + 5 = 34. |
| 8 | D | Half the number is 20 + 7 = 27, so the number is 27 × 2 = 54. Option A is the trap: it's only half. |
| 9 | D | Tom > Ali > Ben > Cara. |
| 10 | D | Each number doubles: 24 × 2 = 48. |
| 11 | C | We know red boxes are heavy, but not that heavy boxes are red. Other boxes could be heavy too. |
| 12 | C | Lily's reason is that fish are easy to look after. Option C shows they need regular work, which attacks her reason directly. |
What these questions show
- Reading: most marks come from finding the exact sentence that answers the question, not from memory.
- Maths reasoning: many wrong options are the answer to a step halfway through, like 27 in question 8.
- Thinking skills: questions 11 and 12 test the two skills children find hardest, which are working out what must be true and judging arguments. Read our thinking skills guide.
New vocabulary in reading passages trips up many Year 4 students. See our vocabulary list for selective tests and common English idioms for kids.
More practice
- Read the OC test explained for timing and format.
- Our OC practice tests include 24 full timed tests with worked explanations.
- Not sure where your child sits? Try a free sample test.
Frequently asked questions
Are there official OC sample questions? Yes. The NSW Department of Education has free online practice tests that use the real test software. Use those first.
What's in the OC test? Reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills. There's no writing section.
Are there OC past papers? No. The department doesn't release past papers.
Sample questions written by Practice Tests & Exams. Test format and dates from the NSW Department of Education (checked 31 October 2026). Not affiliated with the NSW Department of Education.