NAPLAN, OC and Selective: which test is which?

Many parents hear "the test" at the school gate and are not sure which one is meant. Three different tests get mixed up, and the preparation for each is not the same.

What is NAPLAN?

NAPLAN is the National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy. It is an annual assessment for every student in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, sat at school in March. It has four parts: reading, writing, numeracy and conventions of language, which covers spelling, grammar and punctuation.

It is not a pass or fail test and nobody applies for it. Results are reported against proficiency levels so that families can see how a child is progressing against national standards. The program describes it as one part of a school's assessment, not a replacement for what teachers see every day.

The next NAPLAN window is 10 to 22 March 2027, according to the key dates page.

What is the OC test?

Opportunity classes (OC) are full-time classes in some NSW public primary schools for gifted and high potential students in Years 5 and 6. Families who want a place apply, and their child sits the Opportunity Class Placement Test, which the NSW Department of Education runs for Year 5 entry.

What is the Selective test?

Selective high schools are public schools that cater for gifted and high potential students. Families apply, and their child sits the placement test used for Year 7 entry. If you want entry in Years 8 to 11, the department says to contact the schools directly.

The three side by side

What each test is trying to find out

NAPLAN checks what has been taught. ACARA says NAPLAN's best preparation is the curriculum itself: most questions are based on skills students are expected to have learnt in earlier years.

The two placement tests are different. The department describes them as assessing a child's intellectual abilities. The OC test draws on the NSW curriculum up to Year 4 and the Selective test on the curriculum up to Year 6, with reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills sections, plus a writing section for the Selective test.

Dates to know

For entry in 2027, the department's placement test page lists these dates:

• Selective High School Placement Test: Friday 1 and Saturday 2 May 2026 (each student attends one day).
• Opportunity Class Placement Test: Friday 8 and Saturday 9 May 2026.
• Make-up tests for both: Friday 22 May 2026.

Dates for the following round were not on the page when this was checked, so watch the department's page rather than relying on a rumour.

What you get back afterwards

NAPLAN results arrive as an individual student report, which the state or territory sends to the school to give to families. The child's result in each area lands in one of four proficiency levels, ranging from Exceeding at the top to Needs additional support at the bottom, with Strong and Developing between them. The program notes that these are not a pass or a fail.

The placement tests report differently. After outcomes are released in the family's application dashboard, a performance report shows where the child sat for each test component in one of four bands: the top 10% of candidates, the next 15%, the next 25% or the lowest 50%. The department says the bands do not show a percentage of correct answers, and that individual scores and ranks are not available. For entry in 2027, selective outcomes were expected on 19 August 2026 and OC outcomes on 9 September 2026, according to the outcomes page.

Three mix-ups worth clearing up

"NAPLAN is the selective test for primary school." It is not. A strong NAPLAN result does not apply for, or replace, a placement test, and the tests are marked and reported in different ways.

"Everyone sits the same test on the same day." NAPLAN uses tailored testing for reading, numeracy and conventions of language, so the questions adapt to how a student is going. The placement tests have several versions so that they can be sat on different days, with common items used to keep results comparable.

"A child needs to be coached to cope." For the placement tests the department says coaching is unnecessary and offers free practice material so children can learn the format. NAPLAN's guidance is to teach the curriculum.

So how should a family prepare?

For NAPLAN, mostly by doing what a child already does at school: reading widely, writing regularly and keeping up with maths. A short session on the public demonstration site, so the screen and editing tools are familiar, is reasonable.

For the two placement tests, the department's position is that coaching is not necessary and does not give an advantage. Using its free practice tests so a child knows the format is the part worth doing. Our post on whether coaching helps goes into this.

Where to go next

• OC test and Selective test compared for sections, minutes and weighting.
• Do you need to prepare for NAPLAN?
• Our guides for the longer explainers on each test.

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Not affiliated with ACARA or the NSW Department of Education.