Four sections, and the one you cannot drill

Start with the maths of the marks

Forty Thinking Skills questions are worth 25%. One writing question is worth 25%. That single question therefore carries the same weight as forty, and it is the only section that is not multiple choice.

We are not going to sell you writing practice, because we cannot mark it and no automated tool honestly can. Marking a piece of writing is a judgement about ideas, structure and expression — precisely the sort of thing the checkers behind our other books are built to refuse to pretend at. The Department publishes sample writing questions with its practice tests. Use those, and have a person read what your child writes.

The two books further down cover Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills. That is half the test by weight, and we say so rather than implying the books cover preparation for the whole thing.

The four sections

Working time only. The Department’s example timetable runs from a 9:30 am arrival to a 1:55 pm dismissal, with two 10-minute breaks and one 20-minute break where a snack is allowed — so budget nearly four and a half hours on site, not 155 minutes.

If you have already done the Opportunity Class test

Plenty of families sit both, two years apart. The tests are relatives rather than twins, and these are the differences that change how you prepare.

The Opportunity Class test has its own page: what is actually on the Opportunity Class test, with three free books of its own.

Not every question counts

This one is rarely mentioned and worth knowing. The Department states that some items appear in every version of the test so the versions can be compared against each other, and that those items do not affect your child’s final score.

There is no way to tell which ones they are, and no useful strategy follows from it. What it does explain is the occasional question that feels out of place. The practical advice is the same as it always was: answer everything, because nothing is deducted for a wrong answer.

Free printable practice — the whole book

Year 6 level, so these use percentages, ratio, negative numbers and simple algebra that the Year 4 Opportunity Class books deliberately leave out. Each chapter opens with a plain-English explainer — what the idea is, the mistake it invites, and something to remember it by — then the questions, then worked answers for all of them.

Reading and Writing are not here. Selective Reading needs original passages at Year 6 level, which we have built for Year 4 but not yet for this test; Writing we cannot mark, as above. Half the test by weight, honestly labelled.

Use the official free material first

The Department publishes three full sample practice tests covering all four sections, each with sample answers and an explanation of the answers — including the writing question. If you only do one thing, do those.

The Department also states that it does not recommend or endorse coaching for the placement test, and that there is no credible research showing coaching helps a child gain entry. We are not going to tell you otherwise in order to sell you something. What extra practice can honestly offer is volume and explanation — more questions than the official set contains, and a worked answer for every one.

Once the book is done

Two things on this site help with what comes after a printed book:

• Type up the questions your child got wrong and turn them into a revision deck — notes to quiz.
• Work out when to come back to them so they stick: forgetting curve calculator.

Questions parents ask

How is the Selective test different from the Opportunity Class test?

Four sections instead of three, and the extra one is Writing. The Opportunity Class test is entirely multiple choice; the Selective test ends with a 30-minute open-response question that carries a full quarter of the marks. The Selective day is also much longer — 155 minutes of working time against 110, plus a long break with a snack that the Opportunity Class day does not have.

How much is each section worth?

All four are 25%. That makes the Writing section, which is a single question, worth the same as the 40-question Thinking Skills section. If you are deciding where to spend limited preparation time, that ratio is the most important number on this page.

How many questions are there in total?

93: 17 Reading, 35 Mathematical Reasoning, 40 Thinking Skills and 1 Writing. Because three Reading questions have multiple parts, the number of answers is higher than 93. The Department does not publish the exact answer count for the Selective Reading section, so we are not going to invent one.

Do all the questions count?

No, and this is rarely mentioned. The Department states that some items are common across all test versions so the versions can be compared with each other, and that those items do not affect your child’s final scores. There is no way to tell which ones they are, so the practical advice is unchanged: answer everything.

What can my child take in?

Pencils and a clear plastic bag for them — pencil cases are not allowed. A wristwatch is permitted only if it cannot make a noise, calculate, connect to the internet or send messages. Pens, rulers, calculators, note paper, dictionaries and any nut products are all banned. A substantial snack is allowed for the long break, which exists only on the Selective test day.

Can you practise for the Writing section?

You can practise writing, but we cannot mark it, and neither can any automated tool honestly. Marking a piece of writing is a judgement about ideas, structure and expression — the sort of thing our checkers are built specifically not to pretend they can do. The Department publishes sample writing questions with its practice tests; use those, and have a human read what your child produces.

Are the practice books on this page free?

Yes, both of them, in full. 300 Mathematical Reasoning questions and 210 Thinking Skills questions, worked answers for every one, no account and no email. They are pitched at Year 6, so they use negative numbers, percentages, ratio and simple algebra that the Year 4 Opportunity Class books deliberately avoid.

Were these written by a teacher?

No. Every answer is re-derived by an independent solver before the book is printed, and every logic puzzle is brute-forced to confirm the clues allow exactly one arrangement. But year-level appropriateness has not been checked by a qualified NSW teacher. Treat them as extra practice alongside the official material, not as a replacement for it.

Sources

• Selective high school practice tests — “What is in the test?” (section counts, timings, types, weightings, and the note about common items not affecting scores)
• Placement test — test day, timetable and what may be brought in

QuizPaste is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the NSW Department of Education. The test-structure facts on this page — question counts, timings, types, weightings, equipment rules — are taken from Department web pages, © State of New South Wales (Department of Education), published under CC BY 4.0. That licence expressly does not cover the Department’s sample tests and related materials, whose copyright is held by Cambridge University Press & Assessment — so none of that material is reproduced here. Every practice question and explanation in our books was written independently by QuizPaste. Answers are verified by solver; they have not been reviewed by a qualified teacher.