Preparing for the OC test without coaching

What the Department says

The Department's wording is clear: "It is important to know that coaching or tutoring for the placement test is not necessary." It also says: "The department does not recommend or endorse coaching for the placement test. There is no credible research that shows coaching helps a child gain entry." (NSW Department of Education, checked 7 October 2026.)

The preparation it recommends is regular school attendance and familiarity with the test structure. It also provides free resources, which are listed on our page about official practice tests.

A note from us

ExamExplained is run alongside a tutoring business. That is a real conflict of interest, and you should weigh what we say with that in mind. We have chosen to put the Department's position first. We cannot promise that any amount of practice, ours or anyone else's, will lead to a place. We are not affiliated with the Department.

Go to school

It sounds too simple, but it is the first item. Children learn the content the test draws on at school. Where a trip or an appointment can be moved outside school time, that is worth doing during Year 4. The Department also says that if a child misses too many days without a good reason it tells the selection committee, and the committee may not place students who do not have good attendance.

Read widely

This is our own suggestion rather than the Department's advice. Reading is one of the three sections, and it also supports the other two, because children must read questions carefully. Widely means variety, not a reading list:

• stories, poetry and non-fiction;
• magazines, newspapers written for children and information books;
• books a child chooses, as well as some that stretch them a little;
• reading aloud together, which still helps at this age.

Talking about what was read is worth more than any worksheet. Asking "what makes you say that?" is a simple way to practise careful thinking.

Sleep, food and routines

The test is sat in an unfamiliar room, on a computer. Children think better when they are rested and fed. A few days of ordinary sleep before the test matter more than an extra hour of study. Keep the morning plain: a normal breakfast, a clear water bottle, uniform and the printed Test Admission Ticket ready the night before.

Be familiar with the computer format

The Department recommends familiarity with the structure of the test. The OC test is computer-based, so it helps if a child has already seen how questions appear on screen, how to move between them, and what the timer looks like. The Department's free online practice tests simulate this. Using one or two, calmly, takes away surprises.

You can also see the overall layout on our test format page. ExamExplained, which is run alongside a tutoring business, has its own free original practice, written from the published description of the test and not from any official questions. For free official material, see the Department's practice tests.

Keep it calm

A few principles tend to help:

• Short is better than long. Twenty relaxed minutes is better than an hour of strain.
• Talk about the test as one way into a class, not a measure of the child.
• Say out loud that a place is not a pass or a fail. The Department says there is no pass or fail mark.
• Let your child stop. If it is causing dread, stop.

What we would not do

We would not buy a long course, put a child on a daily schedule for months, or compare your child with others. The Department says there is no credible research that coaching helps. We would rather say so than sell you something. If your child enjoys puzzles and reading, let them. If they do not, a good school year is the best preparation.

When you have decided to apply

Make sure you know the key dates, and think honestly about whether the class will suit your family, using should we apply? as a guide.

Department of Education wording on this page is quoted or adapted briefly under CC BY 4.0. © State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2023. Licence: CC BY 4.0. ExamExplained has changed and summarised the text and is not endorsed by the Department.