Do you need to prepare for NAPLAN?

"Should we be doing something for NAPLAN?" is one of the most common questions parents ask once a child reaches Year 3, 5, 7 or 9. The honest answer from the people who run the test is less dramatic than the marketing around it suggests.

What ACARA actually says

On its page about what is in the tests, ACARA says teaching the curriculum is the best way to get ready for NAPLAN. Most questions in reading, conventions of language and numeracy rest on skills that students should already have been taught in earlier years. A small number draw on material from the testing year and the year after; these are built so a student can work them out with strategies picked up earlier.

For writing, ACARA's FAQ gives the same advice: teachers should teach what the curriculum requires, and a change of writing prompt makes no difference to how teachers get students ready.

What NAPLAN is for

NAPLAN is an annual assessment of literacy and numeracy for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It helps parents, teachers and schools see how students are progressing, and it is described as one part of each school's assessment, not a replacement for a teacher's ongoing judgement. ACARA also states that results do not measure overall school quality.

It is not pass or fail. Individual results sit in one of four proficiency levels, and the same level in two successive tests can still mean real progress, which we cover in our post on staying at the same level.

When is NAPLAN 2027?

The key dates page lists NAPLAN 2027 as 10 to 22 March 2027. Each school uses a 9-day window within that period, and the order of tests is set: writing first, then reading, conventions of language and numeracy. The same page adds that, from Term 3, 2026, schools can run practice tests on the assessment platform, so some children will already have seen the screen at school.

What the tailored design means for nerves

Reading, numeracy and conventions of language use tailored testing, so they adapt to the student. ACARA explains that every student starts with the same first set of questions and that their answers decide whether the next set is less or more complex. A student's result depends on how many questions they answered correctly and on how difficult the questions they were given were.

This is worth telling an anxious child. If the questions start to feel hard, it usually means the test has moved them to a more complex set, not that they are failing. It is also a reason not to compare notes with friends afterwards: two children can see quite different questions.

What a sensible amount of preparation looks like

Because most NAPLAN tests are taken on a computer and tailored to each student, familiarity with the screen is the one thing families can add. Tailored testing means that the questions adapt as the student goes: a student starts with one set of questions and their answers decide how complex the next set is. A child who has never seen drag-and-drop or "hot text" question types can lose a minute to confusion.

A calm routine might be:

1. Look at the demonstration site once. The public demonstration site has sample tests for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 and is open all year. There is no Year 3 writing demonstration test, because Year 3 writes on paper.
2. Keep reading and writing every week. Library books, a short journal, a few sentences about the day. This builds the skills the test is actually looking at.
3. Practise numeracy facts in small bursts. Ten minutes of times tables or mental arithmetic is more useful than one long session.
4. Try one timed writing piece. Year 3 has 40 minutes and Years 5, 7 and 9 have 42, so one practice run shows how to share the time between planning and writing.
5. Keep sleep and routine normal. Test days are ordinary school days.

What to skip

There is no need for a coaching course, daily drilling or a countdown on the fridge. NAPLAN is designed to give a snapshot of progress, not a verdict on a child. If a teacher has concerns about a child's literacy or numeracy, a conversation with the teacher will tell you much more than extra practice papers will.

What happens after the test

Individual student reports go to schools from the state or territory authority, and schools then send them home, so the timing varies. According to its results and reports page, ACARA released the 2026 national results on 5 August 2026, which gives a sense of the usual gap between the tests in March and the national figures. The report places your child in one of the four proficiency levels for each area and shows how they compare with the national average. Because the skills needed for each level rise from year to year, the same level in Year 3 and Year 5 can still mean progress.

If you decide NAPLAN is not right for your child

Participation by all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 is expected. Parents and carers can withdraw a child in certain circumstances, usually for reasons like religious belief or philosophical objection, and it is best to talk to the school first. If a school suggests your child shouldn't sit, ACARA says that decision belongs to the parent or carer, not the school.

Where to go next

• Free NAPLAN practice tests: what is out there
• What NAPLAN writing markers look for
• Our free samples include a NAPLAN-style form 01 paper if you would like more questions to try.

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Not affiliated with ACARA or the NSW Department of Education.