Is NAPLAN the same as the OC or Selective test?

No. NAPLAN is a compulsory national assessment that every student in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sits to monitor progress — it is not used for selection. The OC and Selective tests are optional NSW placement tests you apply for: the OC test (sat in Year 4) places students into Opportunity Classes for Years 5–6, and the Selective test (sat in Year 6) places students into selective high schools for Year 7.

Does my child have to sit ICAS?

No. ICAS is an optional, independent skills competition run by schools that choose to offer it. It is not a placement test and has no bearing on OC or Selective entry — it gives a percentile benchmark and a certificate.

Which test should my child prepare for?

Every child sits NAPLAN automatically. Beyond that: prepare for the OC test if you are aiming for an Opportunity Class in Year 5, the Selective test if you are aiming for a selective high school in Year 7, and consider ICAS or the AMC if you want extension and competition experience. The OC and Selective tests share a similar style (Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills), so preparation overlaps.

NAPLAN vs OC vs Selective vs ICAS: What's the Difference?

NAPLAN, the OC test, the Selective test and ICAS are easy to mix up — but they do very different jobs. In short: NAPLAN checks how every student is progressing, the OC and Selective tests decide entry into special NSW classes and schools, and ICAS is an optional skills competition. Here is how they compare.

	NAPLAN	OC test	Selective test	ICAS
Purpose	Monitor progress (national)	Place into Opportunity Classes	Place into selective high schools	Skills competition / benchmark
Run by	ACARA (national)	NSW Dept of Education	NSW Dept of Education	UNSW / Janison (independent)
Compulsory?	Yes — all students	No — you apply	No — you apply	No — school opts in
When sat	Years 3, 5, 7, 9	Year 4 (for Year 5 entry)	Year 6 (for Year 7 entry)	Chosen year (approx. Years 2–12)
What it tests	Reading, Writing, Language conventions, Numeracy	Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills	Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills, Writing	Per subject (e.g. Maths, English, Science)
Result	Proficiency bands	Placement offer (by rank)	Placement offer (by rank)	Percentile certificate
Used for selection?	No	Yes	Yes	No

NAPLAN — the one everyone sits

NAPLAN is a compulsory national assessment in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It reports each child against national proficiency standards and is used to track progress, not to select students for anything. See our NAPLAN Numeracy practice questions by year.

The OC test — Opportunity Class placement

The Opportunity Class test is an optional NSW test sat in Year 4 for entry into an Opportunity Class in Years 5–6. It has three sections — Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills — and places students by rank.

The Selective test — selective high school entry

The Selective High School test is sat in Year 6 for entry into a selective high school in Year 7. It covers Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing. It shares much of its style with the OC test — see OC vs Selective.

ICAS — an optional competition

ICAS is an independent skills competition offered by participating schools. It benchmarks students against their peers with a percentile certificate and does not affect OC or Selective entry. If you want maths extension and competition experience, compare it with the AMC in our AMC vs ICAS guide.

Which should my child do?

Every child sits NAPLAN. Beyond that, prepare for the OC test if you are aiming for an Opportunity Class, the Selective test for a selective high school, and consider ICAS or the AMC for extension. Because the OC and Selective tests share the same three core areas, preparation overlaps — the same reasoning practice helps both.

Ready to practise? PrepPath has free OC, Selective, NAPLAN, AMC and ICAS practice — every question explained.

PrepPath is an independent educational platform and is not affiliated with ACARA or the NSW Department of Education. This guide is general information only — always check the official ACARA (nap.edu.au) or NSW Department of Education websites for current dates and rules.