OC Exam Preparation & Online OC Test Tutoring for NSW Families
The OC exam — officially the NSW Opportunity Class Placement Test — is sat in Year 4 for a place in a Year 5 opportunity class. Mathkari Concepts prepares children for all three parts with a real teacher, live and one-to-one online, in Australian time.
- Sat in May of Year 4
- Reading · Mathematical Reasoning · Thinking Skills
- Computer-based, multiple choice
- Free one-to-one demo class
No card and no account needed to book. Pick a time in your own time zone.
What is the OC exam?
The OC exam is the common name for the Opportunity Class Placement Test, run by the NSW Department of Education. Children sit it in Year 4. The results are used to offer places in Year 5 opportunity classes.
What are opportunity classes?
Opportunity classes are full-time Year 5 and Year 6 classes for high-potential and gifted students, held in selected NSW public primary schools. There are 89 opportunity classes across NSW — including Aurora College’s online program for rural and remote students — with about 1,840 Year 5 places each year. It is a two-year program: families apply for Year 5 entry, and cannot apply for Year 6 only.
Who is the OC test for?
- Children in Year 4. Parents apply at the end of Year 3 or the start of Year 4, and the test is in May of Year 4.
- Children at any kind of school. Students from NSW public schools, non-government schools, home schooling, interstate and overseas can apply — but the family must be living in NSW by the start of the Year 5 school year.
- Citizenship. Conditions may apply to students who are not Australian citizens, permanent residents or New Zealand citizens.
- In NSW only. From 2026 the placement tests are held only in NSW.
How are places offered?
Places are offered on academic merit, using the placement test results. Up to 20% of places in each class are held for students from four equity groups — low socio-educational advantage, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, rural and remote, and students with disability — whose results are within 10% of the school’s minimum for other applicants. From Year 5 entry in 2027, coeducational opportunity classes hold an equal number of places for girls and boys. Students who miss out may be placed on a reserve list. Our guide explains how OC scores and placement work.
How the OC test works
The OC test has three parts, each worth one third of the result. All questions are multiple choice.
| Test | Questions | Time | Share of result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 14 (3 have several parts) | 40 minutes | One third |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 35 | 40 minutes | One third |
| Thinking Skills | 30 | 30 minutes | One third |
- On computer, at a test centre. The test is sat in May, mostly at local public high schools.
- No calculators or rulers. Students bring two 2B pencils, an eraser, a sharpener, a printed test admission ticket and a clear water bottle, and wear school uniform.
- Official practice tests. The Department publishes free OC practice tests. Use them — they show the real question style.
For a section-by-section breakdown with example questions, read what’s actually on the OC test.
OC exam dates
The OC test follows the same cycle every year. Late applications are not accepted, so put the closing date in your calendar.
Check the official application page for confirmed dates, and see our guide to OC key dates and how to apply.
What your child needs to practise
Reading
Several short texts of different kinds, with questions on the main idea, inference, vocabulary in context and how a text is put together. Careful reading beats fast reading.
Mathematical Reasoning
Multi-step problems that go beyond the Year 4 classroom — number, fractions, patterns, measurement, time, money, shapes and data — where choosing the method matters as much as the sum.
Thinking Skills
Critical thinking (assumptions, valid conclusions, flaws, strengthening and weakening an argument) and problem solving (logical deduction, sequences, spatial puzzles). Most children have never been taught this at school. See logical deduction, solved properly.
Time management
Mathematical Reasoning allows about 70 seconds a question and Thinking Skills about 60. We practise pacing on screen: move on from a stuck question, flag it, and come back with the time left.
How Mathkari helps with OC exam preparation
One teacher, one child
Online classes are one-to-one, so the teacher sees exactly where your child gets stuck and fixes it in the moment, on a shared whiteboard.
All three OC tests
Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills are each taught as their own skill. We usually start with Thinking Skills, the least familiar.
Real test format and pace
Multiple choice, on screen, against the clock — so test day in May is nothing new.
Homework, marked
Every set of homework comes back corrected with written feedback, not just a tick. Wrong answers are gone through in the next class.
A WhatsApp update after every class
What was covered, how it went, what to practise. You never have to ask “how was the lesson?”
Australian time, every time
Weekday afternoons or weekend mornings, AEST/AEDT. Daylight saving is handled for you.
How the free OC exam demo class works
- Book — choose the subject and your child’s year, then pick a time shown in your own time zone. It takes about a minute.
- Meet the teacher — a live one-to-one session on the whiteboard. For the OC exam we usually start with a few Thinking Skills questions, because they show most quickly how your child reasons.
- Get a plan — afterwards you receive a short note on what the teacher saw and what weekly OC preparation to May would look like. You decide whether to continue.
Free: a 30-minute OC sample paper, with full answers
Nineteen questions across all three OC sections — Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills — at the real test pace, with an explanation for every answer and a guide to reading the result. Tell us where to send it and the download opens straight away.
Done — here's your sample paper.
Download the PDFWant a teacher to go through it with your child, free? Book a demo class or WhatsApp us.
What parents say
"I am extremely happy and satisfied with MathKari's teaching style. My kids are able to understand all the concepts thoroughly in both Maths and English. The teachers are highly experienced, supportive, and truly excellent at what they do."
"Great teacher! Explains concepts clearly, is very patient, and really cares about students' progress. Highly recommended!"
Free OC practice tests, maths and English
Free OC practice test
A 12-question OC mini mock test in Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills, marked instantly with worked answers. Try the OC practice test.
OC & Selective maths
What Mathematical Reasoning tests, six worked examples and eight practice questions. OC & Selective maths preparation.
OC & Selective English
Reading question types, a practice poem and gap-fill, and Selective writing. OC & Selective English preparation.
Selective practice test
For Year 6: Selective mock questions, writing prompts and timing. Selective practice test.
Also preparing for Selective or NAPLAN?
Selective High School test (Year 6)
After OC comes the Selective test in Year 6: harder Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills, plus Writing. See NSW Selective exam preparation.
NAPLAN (Years 3, 5, 7, 9)
Numeracy, reading, writing and language conventions, practised in the online test style. See NAPLAN preparation.
School maths and English, Years 1–10
Not sitting a test? We also teach the Australian Curriculum week to week, for children who need concepts explained properly.
Coding for kids
One-to-one and project based — Scratch for younger children, Python later. Popular as a second subject alongside maths.
OC exam questions parents ask
What is the OC exam?
The OC exam is the common name for the Opportunity Class Placement Test run by the NSW Department of Education. Children sit it in Year 4, and the results are used to offer places in Year 5 opportunity classes in NSW public schools.
What is in the OC test?
Three multiple-choice tests, sat on computer: Reading (40 minutes), Mathematical Reasoning (40 minutes) and Thinking Skills (30 minutes). Each counts for one third of the result.
When is the OC exam held?
In May of Year 4. For Year 5 entry in 2027 the test was held on 8 and 9 May 2026. Applications usually open in November and close in February, and the NSW Department of Education publishes the exact dates each year.
Can my child sit the OC test outside NSW?
From 2026 the placement tests are only held in NSW. Families applying from interstate or overseas must be living in NSW by the start of the school year of entry.
How early should we start OC exam preparation?
Many families start about six months before the May test, with one or two classes a week. Our 6-month OC study plan gives a week-by-week outline.
Is Mathkari affiliated with the NSW Department of Education?
No. Mathkari Concepts is an independent tutoring provider. The facts about the test on this page come from the Department’s published information.
Are the classes in Australian time?
Yes. Every class is timetabled in your local Australian time zone — after school on weekdays or on weekend mornings — and the reminders you receive show your local time.
Is it live teaching or recorded videos?
Live, one-to-one. Your child and the teacher work together on a shared whiteboard in a browser, with voice and video. Nothing is pre-recorded.
What do we need at home?
A laptop or desktop with a camera and a stable internet connection. Classes run in the browser; there is no software to install. A tablet works, but a laptop is better for the whiteboard.
Is the first class really free?
Yes. The first class is a free one-to-one demo with a teacher, not a sales call. You then decide whether to continue.
Test facts on this page were checked on 25 September 2026 against the NSW Department of Education’s pages on the placement test, opportunity classes, fair access and the application process. Mathkari Concepts is independent and not affiliated with the Department.
Free OC, Selective and NAPLAN practice papers
Every paper is attempted online and marked the moment you finish — nothing to download. The first three questions are open to everyone.
- OC Practice Mock 1 — Mathematical Reasoning (Year 3, early preparation)Year 3 · 35 questions · 40 min · free, marked instantly
- OC Practice Mock 1 — Reading (Year 3, early preparation)Year 3 · 23 questions · 40 min · free, marked instantly
- OC Practice Mock 1 — Thinking Skills (Year 3, early preparation)Year 3 · 30 questions · 30 min · free, marked instantly
- Selective Practice Mock 1 — Mathematical Reasoning (Year 5, early preparation)Year 5 · 35 questions · 40 min · free, marked instantly
- Selective Practice Mock 1 — Reading (Year 5, early preparation)Year 5 · 38 questions · 45 min · free, marked instantly
- Selective Practice Mock 1 — Thinking Skills (Year 5, early preparation)Year 5 · 40 questions · 40 min · free, marked instantly
- NAPLAN-style Practice Test 1 — Language Conventions (Year 3)Year 3 · 50 questions · 45 min · free, marked instantly
- NAPLAN-style Practice Test 1 — Numeracy (Year 3)Year 3 · 36 questions · 45 min · free, marked instantly
- NAPLAN-style Practice Test 1 — Reading (Year 3)Year 3 · 39 questions · 45 min · free, marked instantly