NSW Selective study guide
NSW Selective · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The NSW Selective High School Placement Test and the Opportunity Class Placement Test are the assessment pathways the NSW Department of Education uses for entry to selective high schools (Year 7) and opportunity classes (Year 5). The Selective High School Placement Test is for students seeking a Year 7 place; the Opportunity Class Placement Test is for students seeking a Year 5 place. Both tests are computer-based, taken on computers supplied by the department, and are held in May. The tests cover reading, mathematical reasoning, thinking skills and writing; the published example timetables show the selective test running 45 minutes for reading, 40 for mathematical reasoning, 40 for thinking skills and 30 for writing, while the opportunity class test uses 40, 40 and 30 minutes for reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills. The NSW Selective study guide has 4 sections and about 1,221 words.
01Reading: Evidence, Inference and Text Structure
Selective reading questions ask you to locate information, combine clues, and judge an author's purpose. You need to recognise main idea versus supporting detail , cause and effect , sequence , compare and contrast , and fact versus opinion .
314 words, about 2 min02Mathematical Reasoning: Structure Before Calculation
Questions reward choosing an efficient method , not just computing. Core content includes fractions, decimals, percentages and ratios; order of operations; area and perimeter; averages; simple algebra; and pattern rules.
310 words, about 2 min03Thinking Skills: Logic, Patterns and Argument
Thinking skills items test reasoning rather than learned content: deductive logic , sequences and patterns , spatial reasoning , data interpretation , and evaluating arguments . You must separate what is stated from what is assumed .
304 words, about 2 min04Writing: Clear Structure and Precise Language
Selective writing tasks ask for a short piece - narrative, persuasive or informative - marked on ideas , structure , vocabulary , sentence variety , punctuation and spelling . A controlled, well-organised response scores better than an ambitious, muddled one.
293 words, about 1 min