What are parents preparing for?
For NSW primary school families, there are three distinct assessments to be aware of: NAPLAN, the OC Placement Test, and the Selective High School Placement Test. Each has its own purpose, timing and application process. Confusingly, they can overlap — a Year 5 student sits NAPLAN in Term 1, and then a Year 6 student sits the Selective test as well as NAPLAN in that same year. Understanding the schedule is essential for planning.
NAPLAN
Australia's national assessment for literacy and numeracy. Results are used to track progress and identify areas for development.
OC Placement Test
Selective entry into Opportunity Classes at designated NSW government primary schools for Years 5 and 6.
Selective High School Placement Test
Selective entry into NSW selective and partially selective high schools for Year 7.
NAPLAN: what it is and when it's held
NAPLAN — the National Assessment Program, Literacy and Numeracy — is a national assessment administered by ACARA (the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority). It is sat by students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 across all Australian states and territories. For primary school families, the most immediately relevant years are Years 3 and 5.
NAPLAN is not an application-based test — your child's school automatically enrols them. There is no registration parents need to do. The test is conducted in school, usually over several sessions across the assessment window.
When is NAPLAN held?
NAPLAN is held in March — typically over a two-week assessment window. The exact dates within March vary from year to year and are published by ACARA. Schools inform parents of the specific test days. You should not rely on any specific date from a third-party website (including this one) — always confirm with your child's school or the ACARA website.
What does NAPLAN test?
NAPLAN assesses students across four domains:
- Reading — comprehension and language
- Writing — a written response to a prompt
- Language Conventions — spelling, grammar and punctuation
- Numeracy — number, measurement, geometry and statistics
The test is now conducted online for most students (with some exceptions for accessibility needs). Results are reported as scaled scores on a 10-band scale. Year 3 and 5 results are particularly useful for identifying where extra support or extension might be helpful.
Do NAPLAN results affect OC or Selective placement?
NAPLAN results are not directly used in OC or Selective placement decisions, which are based on the respective placement tests and school assessment data. However, the skills tested in NAPLAN — reading comprehension, numeracy, language conventions and writing — strongly overlap with the skills needed for the OC and Selective tests. Strong NAPLAN performance is often a good indicator of readiness for selective entry pathways.
OC timelineOC Placement: typical annual timeline
The OC application and placement process spans roughly 12 months, from application opening to your child starting Year 5 in an OC class. The exact calendar dates are published by the NSW DoE each year — the timeline below reflects the typical structure.
Application portal opens
The NSW DoE publishes the application opening date on its website. Applications are submitted online — a parent or guardian creates an account (or logs into an existing one) and registers the child.
Submit application and school preferences
Families nominate their preferred OC school(s) in order of preference. The number of preferences permitted is specified in the application form. Only schools near your area of residence or with available OC places are listed.
School provides assessment data
In recent years, the NSW DoE has incorporated a school assessment component into the placement process. Your child's current school provides this data separately — the DoE coordinates this with schools directly.
OC Placement Test is sat
Eligible students receive test details via the application portal. The test covers reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills. It is held at the student's current school or a designated test centre.
Results and placement offers issued
Placement outcomes are communicated through the NSW DoE parent portal. Families receive either a placement offer, a position on the reserve list, or an outcome of not placed. Offers must be accepted within a specified period.
OC class begins
Successful students commence the OC program at their placed school. The OC class runs through both Year 5 and Year 6.
Selective High School Placement: typical annual timeline
The Selective High School placement process follows a similar structure to OC, but runs in Year 6 for Year 7 entry. Families may be managing OC continuation and Selective applications concurrently if their child is in an OC class in Year 6.
Application portal opens
The NSW DoE opens the Selective High School application portal. Parents log in to the DoE application system and register the child for the test. This is the same system used for OC applications.
Submit application and school preferences
Families list their preferred selective high schools in order. Most students can list both fully selective schools and partially selective schools. Schools you can apply to may be based on your residential area or may be open statewide — check each school's current eligibility criteria on the NSW DoE website.
School provides assessment data
As with the OC process, your child's current school provides assessment data to the NSW DoE to inform the overall placement decision alongside the test result.
Selective Placement Test is sat
Eligible students sit the test at a designated venue. The test includes reading, mathematical reasoning, thinking skills and writing. Test conditions are timed and formal.
Results and placement offers issued
Outcomes are communicated through the NSW DoE parent portal. Students may receive a placement offer, a reserve list position, or a non-placement outcome. Offers are time-limited and must be accepted by a specified deadline.
Selective high school begins
Successful students commence at their offered selective high school. Students who accepted an offer and changed their mind may be able to relinquish the place — check the NSW DoE's process for this.
How to apply: OC and Selective
Both OC and Selective applications are managed online through the NSW Department of Education's student placement portal. The process is broadly the same for both, with the key difference being the year your child is in when you apply.
OC application: how to apply
Check the application window
Visit the NSW DoE OC page to find the current application opening and closing dates. Applications typically open in the second half of the year preceding the test.
Create or log in to your DoE parent account
You need a NSW DoE parent/guardian account to access the application portal. If you applied for OC or Selective previously, you may already have one.
Register your child and enter details
Provide your child's current school details, year level and personal information as requested. Ensure the name matches their official school enrolment records.
Select OC school preferences
List your preferred OC school(s) in order. Research which schools have OC classes and which are within practical distance for your family before submitting.
Submit before the closing date
Late applications are generally not accepted. Save or screenshot your submission confirmation and keep track of the test date communicated through the portal.
Your child sits the placement test
Test details (venue, date, time) are communicated through the portal after the application closes. Ensure your child has had adequate preparation and rest beforehand.
Selective application: how to apply
Check the application window
Visit the NSW DoE Selective High School page to find current application dates. Applications typically open in the second half of Year 5.
Log in to your DoE parent account
Use the same NSW DoE parent account you may have created for OC applications. If you're a first-time applicant, create an account through the portal when it opens.
Register your child
Add your Year 6 child's details. The portal guides you through eligibility checks — confirm your child is in Year 6 and meets any residential or other eligibility requirements for the schools you plan to apply to.
Select selective school preferences
List schools in order of preference. Research each school carefully — consider location, culture, specialisations (e.g. languages, sports, technology) and transport links before committing to preferences.
Submit before the closing date
As with OC, late applications are not accepted. Confirm submission via the portal confirmation message and note all test details communicated after the window closes.
Your child sits the placement test
The Selective test includes a writing component in addition to reading, maths and thinking skills. Prepare across all four areas. Test venues for Selective are sometimes different to your child's school — confirm the venue in advance.
How to prepare your child
Regardless of which test your child is working towards, the core skills overlap significantly: reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills appear in all three assessment types. The Selective test additionally requires a strong writing component.
The most effective preparation combines:
- Regular, short practice sessions — 15–20 minutes daily is more effective than infrequent long sessions. Consistency builds the neural pathways that support recall under test conditions.
- Exposure to unfamiliar question types — particularly Thinking Skills (non-verbal and verbal reasoning), which many children haven't encountered in their regular schoolwork.
- Past-style practice papers — to build familiarity with the format, timing and difficulty of each test.
- Writing practice — for Selective, practise writing responses to varied prompts under timed conditions.
You can download a free practice test PDF from Cleveroo to get started. For structured, adaptive daily practice, Cleveroo's platform adjusts to your child's current level and tracks their progress over time.