Selective and OC practice score calculator
How is the NSW Selective test scored? Each of the four sections (Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing) counts for 25%.
Selective practice test
Enter the marks
Your result
- Percent correct
- Lowest section
Not an NSW score. The Department scales each section with a method it does not publish, and gives parents bands, not scores. Different practice papers are not equally hard, so compare a child with themselves on the same provider’s papers.
Questions people ask
How is the NSW Selective test scored?
Each of the four sections (Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing) counts for 25%. The Department scales each section's result before combining them, and families receive a band for each section rather than a score. The OC test has three sections at a third each and no writing.
How many questions are in the Selective and OC tests?
For 2027 entry the Selective test had 38 reading answers from 17 question groups, 35 maths and 40 thinking questions, plus one writing task. The OC test had 33 reading answers from 14 question groups, 35 maths and 30 thinking questions.
Is 70% on a practice test good enough for selective school?
No practice percentage can answer that. Places depend on how the whole group did, on scaling NSW does not publish, on school choices and on fair-access rules. Use practice scores to compare a child with themselves on the same provider's papers.
Why does a writing mark count so much?
Writing is a quarter of the Selective result on its own, the same as 38 reading answers. So one writing mark usually moves the score more than one reading mark.
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How we work this out
What it does
Enter raw practice marks to compare section accuracy and the weighted practice average.
Marks from any Selective (Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills, Writing) or OC (Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills) practice test, using that paper's own section totals.
Method
- Each section's percentage is the mark divided by that section's total.
- The practice score is 100 times the average of the section percentages with the real test's weights: a quarter each for Selective, a third each for OC. For 28/38, 25/35, 30/40 and writing 35/50 that is 72.5.
- One more mark in a section is worth 100 times its weight divided by its total, so a section with fewer questions moves the score more per mark.
Published figures
The test format these tools use
| Section | Answers | Time | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 38 (17 question groups) | 45 minutes | 25% |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 35 | 40 minutes | 25% |
| Thinking Skills | 40 | 40 minutes | 25% |
| Writing | One piece of writing | 30 minutes | 25% |
| Section | Answers | Time | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 33 (14 question groups) | 40 minutes | One third |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 35 | 40 minutes | One third |
| Thinking Skills | 30 | 30 minutes | One third |
Sources
Checked .
- NSW Department of Education: Selective High School Placement Test practice tests, Test format table
- NSW Department of Education: Opportunity Class Placement Test practice tests, Test format table
- NSW Department of Education: Outcomes: performance report, Performance report section (2026)