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The Opportunity Class in NSW

Opportunity classes are located in selected NSW government primary schools, and focus on the education of students with high academic ability.  The rationale behind these classes is that academically gifted students often learn better in a cohort of students of similar ability, and often have different learning styles which cannot always be accommodated in the mainstream classroom. 

In NSW, there are 76 primary schools which have dedicated OC classes.  Although many of these are located in Sydney, there are OC classes in some schools in major regional centres, and the online Aurora College caters for high ability primary students from remote areas.  Aurora College students are hosted by another primary school in their local area.   In 2022, there will be 1830 places available in Year 5 opportunity classes.  It should be noted that students in OC classes are not guaranteed places in selective high schools.  They still have to complete the selective high school application and testing process.  However, they are more likely to be admitted to selective high schools because of their high academic ability. 

Students generally attend their local primary school for kindergarten until year 4, before transferring to a different primary school for years 5 and 6.  OC class admission is administered by the NSW Department of Education’s High Performing Students Team and is made on the basis of a school assessment and the completion of the Opportunity Class placement test.  The school assessment is made on the basis of the student’s performance relative to other candidates from the same school in English and Mathematics.  If it is not possible to provide a school assessment, the student will be considered on the basis of the test score alone.  Students sit the placement test early during their time in year 4.  Parents make an online application for admission, in which they list two schools at which they would like their child to be placed.  It is important to list these preferences in order of preference as if your child is made an offer for admission to the first selected school, there will be no offers made for the second selected school.  There is no application fee, and the online form is generally made available in April and closes in early May each year.  Details of the application process are available on the NSW Education website: https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-5/application-process.

 The Opportunity Class tests are held in July, and parents are notified of the outcome of their child’s placement in early October.   At this point, the child may be offered a place at one of his or her school choices, placed on a reserve list for one or both choices, or be unsuccessful for one or both choices.

The Opportunity Class Test

The opportunity class test is held in a designated test centre on a specified date each year.  Students will be allocated to test centres on the basis of their area of residence.  Students will receive a letter giving them ‘Authority to sit the Opportunity Class Placement Test’ in early July and must take this with them to the allocated test centre.

The format of the Opportunity Class Placement Test was changed in 2021 in response to the report from the 2018 Review of Selective Education Access.  It will continue to be paper-based and tests students on their reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills.

The test has three sections, including 25 multiple choice questions on reading, 35 multiple choice questions on mathematical reasoning and 30 multiple choice questions on thinking skills.  All tests are marked by the computer.  Students are given 30 minutes for the reading test, 40 minutes for the mathematical reasoning test and 30 minutes for the thinking skills test.  The texts chosen for the reading test cover a range of different genres, including non-fiction, fiction, poetry, magazine articles and reports.  The mathematical reasoning test aims to test the student’s ability to apply their mathematical knowledge to problems drawn from the full range of the primary school curriculum.  Calculators are not permitted in this test.  The thinking skills test covers a wide range of critical thinking and reasoning skills. It is not based on any curriculum area, and contains a wide range of different types of questions. 

Preparing for the OC Class Placement Test

Sitting a test in a formal exam centre can be a daunting task for a primary school student.  In order to make your child more comfortable with this process, it is vital that they become familiar with the format of the test, the types of questions that they are likely to be asked, and the way the answer sheet needs to be filled out.   It is also a good idea for them to gain practice in reading and interpreting questions, and in isolating the important information and using it to draw the required conclusions.  In order to achieve these goals, it is important for your child to practice as many sample or online OC practice tests as possible. 

The NSW department of Education provides some sample tests on its website: https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-5/the-test.  While these are a good first step in helping your child to understand the format of the test, the types of questions they may be asked and will help to familiarise them with the answer sheet, it is important to find other examples of similar tests.  Unfortunately, in 2021, many of the published books and websites pertaining to the OC class placement test provided sample tests in the old format.  While these continue to provide a useful source of practice questions, many of the questions are irrelevant and are in a different style from those on the sample tests provided by the NSW Department of Education.  SubjectCoach currently has a range of practice OC placement tests in development that follow the new OC test format.  These will form a very useful source of practice tests for your child. 

Finally, these tests require prolonged concentration from your child.  In order to give them the best possible chance of performing to the best of their ability, it is important to make sure that your child is well rested and well nourished on the morning of the tests.  You should send water, nutritious snacks and lunch with them on the testing day so that they have something nourishing to eat and drink during their breaks. 

Opportunities in Other States

At present, NSW is the only state that offers full-time opportunity classes for academically gifted primary students.  However, the other states do provide opportunities for these high potential students in a different format.  Details about many of these programmes are available on the Aussie Educator website: http://www.aussieeducator.org.au/education/gifted.html.  These opportunities include early school admission programmes, enrichment activities, online learning opportunities and  specialised courses and programs. 

Scholarship Tests

Many private schools across Australia offer partial or full-fee scholarships to a select number of academically gifted students.  These scholarships are highly competitive.  Private schools generally award these scholarships on the basis of a scholarship examination administered by the school and an interview.  Each school will set its own scholarship testing day, and the tests will usually held either at the school or another venue specified by the school.  Specialist scholarships for creative and performing arts may also require students to attend an audition or provide a portfolio of their work.

Although some private schools, such as Sydney Grammar School in NSW, develop their own scholarship tests, a large number of Australian private schools use the scholarship exams developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Edutest, nad Academic Assessment Services (AAS).  These examinations test students on a wide range of critical thinking skills and many are not based on any particular curriculum.  The schools that develop their own tests often do not provide past papers, but these examinations are likely to have a similar format to the ACER, Edutest or AAS tests.  

The ACER Scholarship Tests

A list of the schools which use the ACER scholarship tests is available on the ACER scholarship testing website: https://www.acer.org/au/scholarship/participating-schools.  The results of these examinations are made available to the schools to which you have made an application.  The school may post the result reports to you, or make arrangements for you to view the results online.  In the latter case, you will receive an e-mail notification from ACER.   The results are usually made available in mid-March (for SA) or early April (for the other states).  The individual schools will inform you of the success or otherwise of your child’s scholarship application. 

ACER scholarship tests are offered at both primary and secondary levels.  At the primary level, the tests assess students for entry into years 4, 5 and 6. The primary level scholarship exam is made up of three tests.  The first is a reading and viewing test which tests your child’s comprehension and ability to interpret both written and visual passages.   It is a 30-minute test in which your child will be asked to read several short passages and view several visual texts, and to answer 25 multiple-choice questions which test their understanding of these texts.   These texts are drawn from a range of areas across the curriculum.  The second test is based on mathematical understanding.  It is also a 30-minute multiple-choice test that asks students to answer 20 multiple-choice questions which test their ability to apply their mathematical skills to solve problems.  These problems may involve short arithmetic calculations.   The third test is a writing test.  In this test, students are asked to compose two pieces of writing in different genres in response to two separate prompts.  They are allowed 20 minutes for each piece of writing, and are examined on the quality and structure of their written responses, their content and their ideas. 

The secondary-level tests are intended to tests students for entry into years 7 to 12.  Each test is divided into a maximum of four different parts.  Two of these involve written expression, a third consists of comprehension and interpretation based on materials from the humanities, and the final part is based on mathematics.  The humanities and mathematics tests are both multiple choice tests which are forty minutes in length, while the two writing tests are 25 minutes long. 

Each writing test requires students to write an extended response and aims to test the student’s ability to express their ideas in a written format.  About one and a half ruled a4 pages are provided for each writing test, but the examiners are more concerned with the quality of each written piece, rather than its length. Stimulus material is provided for each writing test, and students are penalised if their responses are not based on this material.  The stimulus material may take the form of a picture, a statement or a combination of these.  Different stimulus materials may prompt students to write factual or imaginary stories, pieces of persuasive writing, dialogues, descriptions or explanations.  The examiners base their marking on the quality of the content, its structure and organisation, the effectiveness and expressiveness of the language used, and grammar, punctuation and sentence structure. 

In the humanities test, students are required to answer multiple choice questions based on textual or visual material which is drawn from fields of the humanities, including English, art, history, geography and social science.  The questions ask students to think critically and make judgements based on various kinds of texts, and visual stimuli, including diagrams and maps.  The test is multiple choice and will require the student to answer 40-45 multiple choice questions, each of which has 4 options.  It is not a test of knowledge, and is not based on the school curriculum. Instead, students are asked to make judgements, based on the materials presented in either written or visual form. 

The mathematics test includes questions aimed at testing students’ mathematical skills for all high school students, and scientific skills for students in years 9 and above.  The mathematical questions focus on problem solving, testing for the ability to analyse and interpret mathematical information, evaluate and select key pieces of information, reorganise and transform information, identify relationships between the data given, synthesise the information given, apply their mathematical skills to solving problems and evaluate solutions that are proposed.  The scientific questions focus on scientific critical thinking, including analysing and interpreting information, comprehending concepts presented, identifying relationships, generating hypotheses, generalising findings, applying logic and the scientific method, formulating logical arguments, drawing logical conclusions, and evaluating the information, evidence and experimental conclusions presented.  There are a total of 32-36 multiple choice questions provided. These are solely based on mathematics for students in years 7 and 8, and evenly divided between mathematics and science topics for students in years 9 and above. 

The Edutest Scholarship Tests

These tests are also administered by the individual schools on different dates; however, if you are in a remote location or overseas it may be possible to it these exams remotely.  A list of the schools who use Edutest testing is available on the Edutest website: https://www.edutest.com.au/schools.htm.  Students who are applying for multiple schools generally only have to and generally only can sit one set of examinations each semester (that is ONE in terms 1-2, and ONE in terms 3-4 each year).  They must sit the examination on the earliest test date out of all of the ones they have applied for. Children who are registered with more than one school which have their exams on the same day may be able to sit the examinations at one venue The venue is usually allocated by Edutest, but it is possible to contact Edutest to register a preference.  It should be noted, however, that some schools will not share their scholarship test results, and others have additional requirements for admission.  These schools are listed on the Edutest website: https://aus.edutest.com.au/.  Students applying to more than one school, including a school which does not share or transfer results will have to sit more than one examination. 

Applications for scholarship examination candidature are made using an online registration form.  An application fee is required for each school.  To access the application, click on each school you are interested in and follow the prompts on the school’s website to register your child for the scholarship test at that school.  You must use the same e-mail address for all applications.  Payments for registration fees are made to each school at the end of the application process.  Each school sets its own registration fee.

The Edutest examinations are broken up into two parts: the ability tests and the achievement tests.  The ability tests do not rely on prior knowledge, but assess your child’s problem solving and reasoning abilities.   There are two multiple choice tests in this category, each of which is 30 minutes long.   These are a verbal reasoning test which looks at vocabulary, relationships between words, classification and logical deduction, and a numerical reasoning test which measures your child’s ability to think and reason on numerical problems including series, matrices, arithmetical reasoning and logical deduction.  The achievement tests do test prior knowledge, and include 30-minute multiple choice tests in reading comprehension and mathematics, and a 15-minute  written expression test.   The reading comprehension test asks your child to understand and interpret written passages, and includes a series of questions similar to those found on the NAPLAN language conventions test: students are provided with a list of sentences which they must either complete, correct or punctuate correctly.  The mathematics test is a grade-appropriate knowledge test which incorporates questions from the fields of number, space and measurement, patterns and algebra, and data interpretation and analysis.  Finally, the written expression test asks your child to write a specific type of passage, based on a given topic. It will be assessed on the basis of relevance, spelling, punctuation, grammar, sentence structure and paragraphing. Two specialist schools in Victoria currently have purpose-designed scholarship tests administered through Edutest.  These are the John Monash Science School and the Elizabeth Blackburn Sciences School.   Information about these tests is available at https://www.edutest.com.au/pa-scholarshiptesting.htm, and the schools’ websites.  The tests for these schools focus on mathematical and scientific ability. 

The Edutest website provides online practice tests for students in years 4 to 11. These are shorter tests than the actual scholarship tests, having only 20 questions each.  However, they are useful for helping your child to understand the examination format and style, and for giving them some practice in the essential skill of reading and interpreting examination questions.  The practice examinations are available from https://www.edutest.com.au/pa-online.htm.  Parents must purchase the exams, which students can then access for a period of three months. 

The AAS Scholarship Tests

These tests are available for students entering years 3 to 11 at schools which are registered with AAS.  AAS produces and administers tests which are customised to each school’s needs.   Individual schools are able to set their own testing dates.  Remote, interstate and overseas students can also be tested using AAS tests.  The tests are timed, and aim to assess students’ higher-order critical thinking skills.  They include tests in abstract reasoning and problem solving, mathematics achievement and reasoning, reading comprehension and written expression. The first three tests are usually 40-45 minutes long, while the written expression test is 25 minutes long.  Further details of each of these tests are available on the AAS website: http://www.academicassessment.com.au/parents/scholarship-tests/.  Depending on the school, parents may or may not receive a report on their child’s results.  The school decides on the award of scholarships, using the AAS scholarship test results in conjunction with other factors such as interviews. 

AAS does not provide sample examination papers.  However, it should be noted that questions are usually arranged in increasing order of difficulty.  If students are having difficulty with a particular question, they should skip it and move onto the next question as many students do not complete these tests. 

Preparing for Scholarship Tests

Regardless of your child’s ability, it is important to realise that they will be competing for a small number of scholarships against students who have been extensively tutored from a young age for this very purpose.  Thus, it is important for your child to do some test preparation and practise several past or mock test papers prior to the testing day.  Depending on your child’s grade level, the selective high school tests and OC class tests may also provide worthwhile practice for your child. 

Some information about preparing for the ACER scholarships tests is available on the ACER website. This includes a few past tests that are available for purchase at each level.  The Edutest website also provides abbreviated practice examinations for a fee at https://www.edutest.com.au/pa-online.htm.   AAS does not provide online practice exams.   A number of practice scholarship tests are available on the SubjectCoach Online Scholarship practice website. In the meantime, as the scholarship exams share many common features with selective high school exams, it is worthwhile having your child complete a number of practice selective high schools exams that are appropriate for their grade level.  Some such examinations are available on the SubjectCoach practice tests page.  In particular, it is essential for your child to practice reading and interpreting complex questions. 

As the tests require your child to think clearly, it is essential that they are well rested and adequately nourished on the morning of the tests.  They should definitely take some snacks, lunch and water to consume during breaks along to the test centre. 

Disclaimer: SubjectCoach is neither affiliated nor associated with ACER, AAS or EduTest in way or form.

What are Selective Schools?

Selective high schools are schools which cater for students who are academically gifted.  Such students often struggle to make friends and are often not challenged academically in mainstream high schools.  The selective high school provides an environment in which students are encouraged to reach their high potential, and where they can meet and make friends with others with similar interests, abilities and motivations.  Reports from many selective schools suggest that they provide a collaborative environment in which these students thrive, both academically and socially.  In addition, the highest performing students in the NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC) and Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) have consistently attended selective high schools. 

NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia all have government-run selective high schools.   Some private selective high schools also exist.  NSW selective high schools cater for students in years 7 to 12, while there are four Victorian selective high schools which cater for gifted students in years 9 to 12.  Victoria also has a Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) programme which is offered by more than 40 government-run selective schools.  This programme allows students of high ability to complete their secondary schooling in five years and/or to take VCE extension studies, enabling them to complete some university subjects as part of their final years at school or to enter university after only five years of secondary studies.  Admission to these programmes always requires a high level of achievement on an entrance examination, but there may be other requirements such as the completion of an audition, the provision of a portfolio of work, references from teachers and interviews.

Queensland has four selective high schools, and Western Australia has eighteen public schools which have specialist academic, language or creative and performing arts classes which provide education to gifted and talented students through the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) programme which is operated by the Western Australian Department of Education.   Admission to these programmes in both Queensland and Western Australia is on the basis of academic selective entrance testing, NAPLAN results, primary school grades and, potentially, interviews or auditions, depending on the programme being applied for.

Let’s focus now on selective schools in NSW and Victoria.  The good schools guide is a worthwhile starting point for information about selective schools in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria: https://www.goodschools.com.au/start-here/choosing-a-school/school-sectors/selective-and-comprehensive-schools.  Further information about the GATE programme in Western Australia is available from the Western Australian Department of Education website: https://www.education.wa.edu.au/key-dates-and-application-guidelines.

Entry Tests for Selective High Schools in NSW

The selection examination for NSW selective high-schools is administered centrally, and includes examinations in reading, mathematical reasoning, thinking skills and writing.  These examinations are held on the one day at an allocated test centre between 9 am and approximately 1:30 pm.  Students are given short rest breaks between tests and a longer break during which they can eat food they have brought with them.  The tests will be moving to an online, computer-based format in 2022.  A total of 4196 places across a wide range of fully selective, partially selective and agricultural high schools were available in 2021.  Although most of these schools are in Sydney, Newcastle and Gosford, there is an online selective high school, the Aurora College, which is available to students in regional areas. 

Applications for year 7 admission are made towards the end of the student’s time in year 5, and the tests are administered on one day early in year 6.  The tests for year 7 admission in 2022 were held in early March, 2021.  It is worth noting that the tests changed format in 2021, based on a 2018 review of access to selective education.  The new test aims to test students over a wide range of areas and to improve the ability of the tests to detect the difference between students who are genuinely of high ability and those who have been extensively tutored for the test.  The outcomes of the test and selective high school placements are expected to be made available to parents in July.  Examples of each of the new tests, which provide samples of the types of questions they contain are available on the NSW Government Education website: https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-7/the-test#Test2.  You should note that in 2021, many of the workbooks which provide practice tests and guidance for test preparation are still based on the old format of the selective schools test. 

Entry Tests for Selective Schools and Accelerated Learning in Victoria

The selection examination for Victoria’s selective entry high schools is a series of centrally administered examinations in verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, persuasive or creative writing, reading comprehension and mathematics.   These examinations are held on one day over a period of approximately 3 hours at a central location.  They are offered to students in year 8 for year 9 entry the following year.   Some additional places are offered to students in years 10 to 12, but their admission is handled directly by the schools.  Each year, approximately 1,000 places are offered to students across Victoria’s four selective high schools.  Applications for the centralised examinations usually open in mid February and close in mid May.  The examinations are held in mid June, and offers are made to students in August.  An examination application fee is payable, but may be waived in certain circumstances.  Some sample examination papers and further information about selective entry high schools in Victoria is available from Victoria’s Department of Education and Training web site: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/going-to-school/Pages/selective-entry-high-schools.aspx.

Admission to Victoria’s SEAL programme is judged on the basis of an examination hosted by the individual school, an interview and a reference from the student’s teacher.   Entry to selective schools specialising in creative and performing arts may also require interviews and auditions in addition to a sufficiently high score on the admission tests.  Most SEAL entry examinations are held during April, and applications are made for these examinations three to six weeks prior to the examination dates. 

Selective School Test Preparation

The selective school tests are highly competitive, and test preparation is essential.  Many students begin tutoring for the selective high school test in the early years of primary school.   Unfortunately, genuine high ability is no longer sufficient to gain your child entry to many selective schools.  As a minimum, your child should practice completing several tests like those found on the websites linked in this article, and the SubjectCoach site.  It is important that your child becomes familiar with the types and wordings of questions in the tests, the format of the tests, and to practise the time management skills required.  This will ensure that your child will perform to the best of their ability, and have the best chance of success for admission to the selective high schools of their choice. 

Where does SubjectCoach fits?

SubjectCoach provides high quality online selective school practice to help Year 6 students (seeking entry into Year 7)  get familiar with the level of questions asked.   Most of our test questions conforms with the ACER (HAST – High ability selection test), EduTest & AAS (Academic Assessment Services) question formats. These are the three main testing services used by Australian and some international schools for selective schools and scholarship assessment.  Our practice tests, which includes all components in the real exam are written by qualified teachers with PhDs and can be accessed anytime as long as your subscription is active.  Our practice tests also comes with fully worked out answers and explanations. This means if your child does not know how to solve a given  problem, they can learn and solve it efficiently next time around. The explanation algorithms may or may not comply with the way students will be taught in the classroom (in future years), however are selected on a simplest solutions basis to help them remember how to solve any given problem quickly.

FREE selective sample practice tests

Links to free resources

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/learning/Pages/selective-entry-practice.aspx
https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-7/the-test