In NSW, the first selective test many families meet comes in Year 4. It’s the Opportunity Class Placement Test, usually called the OC test, and it offers places in special Year 5 and 6 classes at some public primary schools. Here’s what opportunity classes are, what’s in the OC test, how places are offered, and where to find the Department’s free practice tests.
What is an opportunity class?
The NSW Department of Education says that “opportunity classes are for high potential and gifted students in Year 5 and 6.” It’s a full two-year program, so you can’t apply for Year 6 only. Children learn together in a class of similar students, inside an ordinary public primary school.
- How many? There are 89 opportunity classes in NSW: 57 in schools in metropolitan Sydney, 31 in rural or regional centres, and Aurora College’s online classes.
- How many places? 1,840 Year 5 places across NSW, plus 100 Aurora College online places for children in rural and remote areas.
- Cost? Public primary schools with opportunity classes “do not charge attendance fees”, and there’s no fee to apply or sit the test.
- Girls and boys. From the 2027 intake, there are equal places for girls and boys.
An opportunity class doesn’t lead automatically to a selective high school. The Department answers that question plainly: “No.” Families apply again, and children sit the selective high school test in Year 6.
Who sits the OC test?
Children sit the OC test in Year 4, for a place starting in Year 5. Parents usually apply at “the end of Year 3 or the beginning of Year 4”. Children are usually “aged between 9 years and 5 months and 11 years” when they start Year 5. For Year 5 entry in 2027, that meant birth dates between 1 January 2016 and 31 July 2017.
When is the OC test?
The test is held in May of Year 4. Here are the dates from the most recent round:
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications open | 6 November 2025 |
| Applications close | 20 February 2026 |
| OC placement test (one day only per student) | Friday 8 or Saturday 9 May 2026 |
| Make-up test | Friday 22 May 2026 |
| Outcomes | 9 September 2026 (expected) |
| Appeals close | 16 September 2026, 11:59 pm |
Last checked 17 October 2026. Dates for Year 5 entry in 2028 haven’t been published yet. In recent years, applications have opened in early November and closed in February, with the test in May. Confirm the dates on the Department’s placement test page before you plan.
What’s in the OC test?
The OC test is “a computer-based test that has 3 sections. All questions are multiple-choice”. There is no writing test, unlike the selective high school test.
| Section | Questions and time | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 14 questions (3 with several parts), 40 minutes | 33.3% |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 35 questions, 40 minutes | 33.3% |
| Thinking Skills | 30 questions, 30 minutes | 33.3% |
The Department says the questions “draw upon concepts from the NSW curriculum up to Year 4”. Children sit it on computers provided by the Department, at a local test centre. In the sample timetable, they arrive at 9:30 am and finish just after half past twelve.
How OC places are offered
Offers work the same way as for selective high schools: “Parents are offered a place based on test performance and the order of their school choices.” For opportunity classes you can list up to four school choices. There are “no set minimum entry scores”.
Under the Equity Placement Model, up to 20% of places in each opportunity class are held for high potential students from low socio-educational advantage areas, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students, students in rural and remote areas and students with disability. They don’t apply separately: every application is considered automatically.
The results come with a performance report showing your child’s band, not a score or rank. If your child isn’t offered a place at first, an offer can still come later from the reserve list if a place becomes free.
It helps to know the odds before the test. The Department says “only about one in eight students are successful in gaining a place in an opportunity class”. Most children who sit the OC test stay at their own school for Years 5 and 6, and that’s a perfectly good outcome.
How to prepare for the OC test
The Department is clear that “coaching or tutoring for the placement test is not necessary”, and that the test “will not need your child to know any new or special knowledge.” A little preparation, so your child knows what to expect, is enough.
- Try the free online OC practice tests. The Department’s computer-based practice tests help children get “familiar with the test software and its tools”. There are older PDF practice tests too, but they come from the paper version of the test.
- Read widely. Reading is a third of the result. Library books, shared reading at bedtime and books your child chooses all count.
- Play with numbers. The test doesn’t need new or special knowledge, so there’s no need to race ahead in the textbook. Puzzles, card games and number patterns are a fun way to keep your child thinking with the maths they know.
- Keep life normal. The Department asks families to support children to “continue co-curricular activities, see friends, eat healthily and sleep well in the lead-up to the test.” Parents must not take children out of school to prepare.
- If your child is unwell, keep them home. The Department’s placement test page explains how to lodge an illness or misadventure request, and approved students can sit the make-up test.
Questions parents ask
What is an opportunity class in NSW?
A full-time Year 5 and 6 class in some NSW public primary schools for high potential and gifted students. There are 89 opportunity classes, including Aurora College’s online classes, with 1,840 Year 5 places.
When do children sit the OC test?
In May of Year 4. For Year 5 entry in 2027 it was on 8–9 May 2026. Parents apply from the end of Year 3, usually between November and February. Dates for 2028 entry haven’t been published yet.
What is in the OC test?
Three multiple-choice sections on a computer: Reading (14 questions, 40 minutes), Mathematical Reasoning (35 questions, 40 minutes) and Thinking Skills (30 questions, 30 minutes). There is no writing test.
How many children get into an opportunity class?
The Department says only about one in eight students who apply are successful in gaining a place.
Does an OC place lead to a selective high school?
No. Families apply separately for selective high schools, and children sit the Selective High School Placement Test in Year 6.
Where can I find free OC practice tests?
On the NSW Department of Education’s opportunity class practice tests page, which has online computer-based practice tests and older PDF tests.
Sources
- Opportunity classes, NSW Department of Education
- Placement test, NSW Department of Education
- Opportunity class practice tests, NSW Department of Education
- Outcomes, NSW Department of Education
- Fair access, NSW Department of Education
- Opportunity class placement timeline, NSW Department of Education
