OC and selective test applications for 2028 entry
The NSW Department of Education had not published the OC or selective dates for 2028 entry when we checked on 16 October 2026. Here are the last round's dates, what they suggest, and where the official dates will appear.
A$10 a month for one child, A$5 for each extra child.
Parent guides: the OC test and the selective test.
Dates for 2028 entry
- Applications
- Not yet published.
- OC placement test
- Not yet published.
- Selective high school placement test
- Not yet published.
Sources: the OC test and the selective placement test on education.nsw.gov.au, checked 16 October 2026.
The last round, for 2027 entry
- Applications
- 6 November 2025 to 20 February 2026, for both tests.
- OC placement test
- 8 and 9 May 2026, with a make-up test on 22 May 2026.
- Selective high school placement test
- 1 and 2 May 2026.
What past years suggest
Past years suggest that applications open in early November and that both tests run in May of the next year. That is a pattern, not an announcement. Check the official pages before you plan around a date.
Children sit the OC test in Year 4, for a place in an opportunity class in Years 5 and 6. They sit the selective test in Year 6, for a place in a selective high school from Year 7.
How Learnest helps before the test
- Every day: fifteen to twenty minutes of the NSW syllabus. The app finds the exact skill your child is stuck on, teaches it again and checks it holds.
- Test-style practice: on maths days the stretch question can be a thinking skills question, and from your parent page you can set timed OC-style and selective-style papers.
Questions parents ask
When do OC and selective applications open for 2028 entry?
The NSW Department of Education had not published the dates for 2028 entry when we checked on 16 October 2026. For 2027 entry, applications were open from 6 November 2025 to 20 February 2026, so they may open in early November. That is a pattern, not an announcement.
When is the OC test for 2028 entry?
The NSW Department of Education had not published the dates for 2028 entry when we checked on 16 October 2026. The test for 2027 entry ran on 8 and 9 May 2026, with a make-up test on 22 May 2026, so the next may be in May. That is a pattern, not an announcement.
When is the selective test for 2028 entry?
The NSW Department of Education had not published the dates for 2028 entry when we checked on 16 October 2026. The test for 2027 entry ran on 1 and 2 May 2026, so the next may be in May. That is a pattern, not an announcement.
Is Learnest connected to the NSW Department of Education?
No. Learnest is not affiliated with the NSW Department of Education, and you apply on the department's own website. Learnest offers practice in the style of the tests, and every question is its own.
Fifteen to twenty minutes a day, planned for your child.
Learnest finds the level, teaches the gap and tells you that night which skill is slipping. The test-style practice adds to that daily work.
Learnest is not affiliated with ACARA, NESA, the NSW Department of Education or the Australian Maths Trust. Learnest offers practice in the style of the tests. You apply for a place on the department's website, not through Learnest.