NAPLAN Year 7: timetable, calculator rules and what to expect

Year 7 timetable, 2027

Writing must start on day 1, Wednesday 10 March 2027. The other three follow in order.

Calculator rules

ACARA's online assessment page says questions at the start of the Year 7 and Year 9 numeracy tests do not allow the calculator, and students are alerted when the calculator becomes active. The NAP "what's in the tests" page says the online calculator is available for the remaining items.

Students use the on-screen calculator. Personal calculators and rulers are not allowed in the test area, except where approved as a disability adjustment, and once the calculator becomes active students cannot go back to the calculator-free questions.

Writing

Years 7 and 9 receive different prompts from Years 3 and 5. The text type is narrative or persuasive, revealed on the day, and students do not choose. See what each test covers.

Preparing

ACARA says students are not expected to study for NAPLAN and does not recommend excessive preparation or coaching providers. Remind your child to simply do their best.

The official demonstration site shows the question types and tools for Year 7. If you want optional skill practice, see NAPLAN practice. ExamExplained is run alongside a tutoring business. Our practice items are original, not official, and not endorsed by ACARA.

Results

The individual report comes via the school. All your child's NAPLAN reports so far (Year 3 in 2023 and Year 5 in 2025) are on the same scale, so you can compare them. Reports from 2008 to 2022, such as an older sibling's, cannot be compared directly with results from 2023 onwards. See how to read the report.

Checked against the NAP site and ACARA's 2027 brochure on 7 October 2026.

Attribution: © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2011 to present, unless otherwise indicated. This material was downloaded from the National Assessment Program website (www.nap.edu.au) (accessed 7 October 2026) and was modified. The material is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ACARA does not endorse any product that uses ACARA material or make any representations as to the quality of such products. Any product that uses ACARA's material should not be taken to be affiliated with ACARA or have the sponsorship or approval of ACARA. It is up to each person to make their own assessment of the product.