OC practice tests: the free official ones, and how to use them
The official OC practice material is free, and there is less of it than most parents expect. According to the NSW Department of Education, there are two kinds, and they are not interchangeable:
- One online practice test, in the current computer format, with Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills sections.
- Three PDF sample tests, with answers and explanations — from the older paper-based test. The department says these do not reflect the current test format.
That distinction decides how to use them. The online test is the only official rehearsal of what test day actually looks like, so it is worth saving. The PDFs are best used earlier, for the questions and explanations rather than as a rehearsal.
The online practice test
The department says the online test simulates the real placement test. What it gives your child:
- The real format. Questions are read on screen and answered on the computer, the way they will be in May.
- A timer. A countdown is visible, and can be hidden.
- Feedback. At the end your child sees which questions they got right and wrong, and can open each one again to see the correct answer.
- Instructions on the software before starting, so the controls are not a surprise.
There is one of it. Once your child has seen the questions, a second attempt is no longer a fresh read of where they stand.
Use it late — three to four weeks before the test, timed, all three sections in a row, the way the day runs. That is when finding out about pacing and screen fatigue is most useful, and there is still time to act on it.
The three PDF sample tests
Each PDF set has the three sections, an answer key, and a document explaining the answers.
The department is direct about their limit: they come from the older paper-based test, and they do not reflect the current format. Your child will be working on paper, not a screen, and the question mix may not match what they meet in May.
They are still useful, because the explanations are. Good ways to use them:
- As an early diagnostic. Work through one set in Term 1, untimed, to find which paper is weakest.
- A section at a time. Use single sections for focused practice on the weak paper.
- For the explanations above all. Go through every wrong answer with the explanation. Why the tempting option was wrong teaches more than which letter was right.
Do not read a PDF score as a prediction. A different format, a different era of the test and untimed conditions all move the number.
Other free material from the department
The department also provides a Student Resource Hub with interactive quizzes and practice items, video guides, and social stories that walk a child through what happens on test day. The social stories are worth a look for a child who is anxious about unfamiliar places — knowing what the room and the morning will be like takes a surprising amount of worry away.
Modified practice materials are available on request in large print, black-and-white and braille.
What the department says about coaching
The department does not recommend or endorse coaching for the placement test, and says there is no credible research showing that coaching helps a child gain entry.
That is worth taking seriously. The free official material, used well and in the right order, covers what matters most: knowing the three papers and knowing the format.
A sensible order
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Early Term 1 | One PDF set, untimed — find the weakest paper |
| Term 1 to April | The other two PDF sets, a section at a time, for the explanations. Some practice on a screen. |
| Three to four weeks out | The online practice test, timed, all three sections in a row |
| Final week | No new tests. Look at the social story together if your child is nervous. |
For the Thinking Skills paper in particular, see Thinking Skills practice questions. For when applications open and close, see how to apply.
Beyond the official material
The official practice is limited to what is described above. If you want more questions for short, regular practice between them, Cognora has an OC mode covering Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills, on a screen, and it is free to start. It is practice material, not an official test, and its scores are not a prediction of placement.
Details on this page were checked against the NSW Department of Education’s OC practice test page on 27 September 2026. The department may change its practice materials — find the current ones on education.nsw.gov.au.