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Free selective-style thinking skills practice paper

40 questions in 40 minutes, for Years 5 and 6. Free, with no sign-up.

Forty thinking skills questions in forty minutes, the count and time of the real selective test section, for a child in Year 6 or getting ready in Year 5. Your child picks an answer for each. Then you see the marks, what the paper found and the skills to look at first.

The real section
In the selective test, the thinking skills section has 40 questions in 40 minutes, as the parent guide sets out from the NSW Department of Education's pages. This paper has the same number of questions and the same time. Its questions are Learnest's own, in the style of the test.
What it covers
  • Draw a valid conclusion 4 questions
  • Numerical reasoning puzzles 3 questions
  • Calendar and clock puzzles 3 questions
  • Strengthen or weaken an argument 4 questions
  • Matching grids 4 questions
  • Ordering and ranking puzzles 4 questions
  • Truth and lies 4 questions
  • Whose reasoning is correct 4 questions
  • Spot the flaw 4 questions
  • Number and letter series 3 questions
  • Spatial reasoning in words 3 questions
What it leaves out
Learnest's thinking skills questions for Years 5 and 6 are all in words, with no picture puzzles. The selective test also has reading, mathematical reasoning and writing; Learnest has a selective-style mathematical reasoning paper, and no reading or writing paper.
How to sit it
A quiet table, a pencil and spare paper for working, and no calculator. Press Start the clock below, or set a timer for 40 minutes. Your child picks one answer for each question.
Sitting it again
The questions are the same every time, so your child can sit this paper again. Leave a few weeks first, so the second try shows what they can do rather than what they remember.

Learnest marks the answers and keeps none of them. There is nothing to sign up for and no email to give.

Prefer paper? Print the paper, with the answers on the last page.

  1. Question 1 of 40

    All choir members perform at the school concert. Priya does not sing in the choir. What follows from these facts?

  2. Question 2 of 40

    Ada, Ben, Cem and Dan start with the same number of stickers. Ada gives Ben 4, Ben gives Cem 4, and Cem gives Dan 4. Dan now has 19. How many does Ben have?

  3. Question 3 of 40

    Hana waters her plants every 3 days. The first watering is on a Tuesday. On which day of the week is the 6th watering?

  4. Question 4 of 40

    Priya says the school disco should end at 8 pm instead of 9 pm, because younger children get too tired. Which statement most hurts the argument?

  5. Question 5 of 40

    Leila, Petra, Charles and Mina each play a different sport (basketball, hockey, netball or tennis) and wear a different colour cap (black, green, red or blue). Leila wears the black cap. The person in the black cap plays netball. Neither Petra nor Charles plays basketball. The tennis player wears the blue cap. The basketball player wears the red cap. Neither Leila nor Charles plays tennis. Which cap does Mina wear?

  6. Question 6 of 40

    Five friends turned up at a picnic, one after another. Exactly two people arrived between Sienna and Raj. Jack arrived right after Dev. Amara arrived last. Dev arrived somewhere between Raj and Jack. Who arrived second?

  7. Question 7 of 40

    Petra, Lina, Noor and Raj each collect something different (shells, rocks, badges or stamps) and live on a different street (Elm Street, Wattle Street, Banksia Street or Oak Street). Neither Noor nor Raj collects rocks. Lina collects shells. The person on Elm Street collects rocks. Noor lives on Oak Street. The person on Banksia Street collects stamps. Which pair is right for Noor?

  8. Question 8 of 40

    It was one of Aylin, Felix, Anika and Ada who planted the bean seeds in the garden bed. Aylin: "Anika or I planted the seeds." Anika: "It was not Aylin." Ada: "I planted the seeds." Felix: "Anika or I planted the seeds." Just one person is lying, and everyone else is honest. Who is not telling the truth?

  9. Question 9 of 40

    Each school swimmer trains before school. Every child who trains before school gets a towel. Noah swims for the school. Noor says Noah gets a towel. Ali says Noah trains before school. Who is right?

  10. Question 10 of 40

    Aria says every jumper should have a name label, because lost jumpers would be returned faster. Which statement most hurts the argument?

  11. Question 11 of 40

    The excursion bus leaves from the front gate or the back gate. Amara found no bus at the front gate. Amara says the bus has already left. Which statement shows the flaw?

  12. Question 12 of 40

    A word game builds a chain of letters: A, B, D, G, K. The gaps between the letters keep growing. Which letter comes next?

  13. Question 13 of 40

    The prize goes to the class that collects the most cans. 5B collected more cans than 5A. Maya says 5B wins the prize. Where does Maya's thinking go wrong?

  14. Question 14 of 40

    Ruby's sticker sheet shows FJK, NRT and WYB in its three rows. Ruby spins the sheet a quarter turn anticlockwise. What sticker letter ends up bottom left?

  15. Question 15 of 40

    Every child who is in Year 6 goes on the Dubbo camp. If a child goes on the Dubbo camp, that child packs a torch. Nadia is in Year 6. Which conclusion holds?

  16. Question 16 of 40

    A solid 3 by 3 by 3 cube of blocks sits on a table. Walking all the way around it and looking down from above, how many blocks can never be seen?

  17. Question 17 of 40

    Five friends ran a race, and no two of them finished together. They are Bella, Cem, Dev, Milo and Noah. Exactly two runners finished between Dev and Noah. Bella finished somewhere ahead of Dev. Cem finished somewhere between Noah and Bella. Dev finished directly ahead of Cem. Dev did not finish last. Which one of these has to be true?

  18. Question 18 of 40

    Each debater stays back late. Each child who stays back late gets a badge. Ayla debates. Ana decides Ayla stays back late. Sienna decides every child who gets a badge debates. Whose reasoning holds?

  19. Question 19 of 40

    A secret note is in one of four books: the atlas, the novel, the comic and the diary. Here are the guesses. Jack: "The secret note is not in the comic." Omar: "It is in the atlas or the comic." Kai: "The secret note is in the atlas." Lily: "It is in neither the atlas nor the comic." Only one guess is wrong. Which book hides the note?

  20. Question 20 of 40

    A frog hops forward and back along a numbered track, landing on 4, 13, 9, 18, 14, 23. Where does it land next?

  21. Question 21 of 40

    Stickers were handed out in the three busiest borrowing weeks. Those were also the only weeks with library lessons. Ayse says stickers make children borrow more books. Which option names Ayse's mistake?

  22. Question 22 of 40

    Jack says the council should fence the dog park, because dogs would stop running onto the road. Which of these, if true, casts most doubt on the argument?

  23. Question 23 of 40

    All relay swimmers arrive by 8:45 am. None of the children who arrive by 8:45 am catch the late bus. Yasmin swims in the relay. Which statement must be true?

  24. Question 24 of 40

    Zara is one of the 30 library monitors, and Zara stays in at lunch on Friday. Aylin says all 30 of them stay in at lunch on Friday. Which statement shows the flaw?

  25. Question 25 of 40

    Not every council member meets the principal on Wednesday. Every child who meets the principal on Wednesday helps plan the fete. Yusuf is on the student council. Which one is true?

  26. Question 26 of 40

    Only children who own a racquet play tennis. Sam plays tennis, and Priya owns a racquet. Mei decides Sam owns a racquet. Omar decides Priya plays tennis. Who reasoned correctly?

  27. Question 27 of 40

    Six runners took part in a cross-country race with no ties. Aria finished somewhere between Ali and Amir. Aria finished somewhere between Dimitri and Omar. Omar did not win. Dimitri finished somewhere behind Aria. Omar finished somewhere ahead of Sam. Who finished second?

  28. Question 28 of 40

    A coin collection grows by two steps used in turn: 1, 6, 18, 23, 69, 74 coins. How many coins will there be after the next step?

  29. Question 29 of 40

    Six students sat a spelling quiz, and no two got the same score. Sienna scored higher than Ruby. Exactly three students scored between Jonah and Isla. The score of Sami was somewhere between the scores of Ruby and Elena. Exactly two students scored between Sienna and Elena. Who came third in the rankings?

  30. Question 30 of 40

    Noor's bedside clock runs fast by 6 minutes each hour. She corrects it at 10:00 am. Later its display reads 3:30 pm. What is the true time?

  31. Question 31 of 40

    Each of Ayse, Zara, Charles and Kai lives in a different suburb and rides a different colour bike. The suburbs are Auburn, Merrylands, Granville and Homebush, and the bikes are silver, green, purple and red. Neither Ayse nor Zara lives in Merrylands. Neither Ayse nor Zara lives in Homebush. Neither Ayse nor Kai lives in Homebush. The person with the silver bike lives in Merrylands. Which pair belongs to Kai?

  32. Question 32 of 40

    How many children must be in a group to be sure that at least three of them share a birthday month?

  33. Question 33 of 40

    The library sits empty after 3 pm. 'The library should run a homework club,' says Amir. 'Some children have no quiet place to work at home.' Which statement, if true, most strengthens this argument?

  34. Question 34 of 40

    The lights at a sports field switch on at 19:15 and stay on for 380 minutes. At what 24-hour time do they switch off?

  35. Question 35 of 40

    A missing glove is in one of five cubby holes in a row, numbered 1 to 5 from the left. Here are the guesses. Elias: "It is in an even-numbered cubby." Elena: "It is in a cubby to the right of cubby 2." Ava: "It is not in cubby 3." Lana: "Ava is wrong." Just one of the guesses is correct. In which cubby is the glove?

  36. Question 36 of 40

    At the post office, a small stamp is 40c and a large stamp is 70c. Ali pays exactly $5 for some of each, with more large stamps than small. How many large stamps does Ali get?

  37. Question 37 of 40

    Noor, Lana, Jack and Sami each have a different camp duty (sweeping, water, washing up or firewood) and sleep in a different tent (red, orange, grey or green). Neither Lana nor Sami is on firewood duty. Neither Lana nor Sami is on washing up duty. The person on sweeping duty sleeps in the green tent. Neither Jack nor Sami is on water duty. Who sleeps in the green tent?

  38. Question 38 of 40

    Not every debater stays back late. Mina debates, and Noor stays back late. Priya decides Mina might not stay back late. Ayla decides Noor might not debate. Who is correct?

  39. Question 39 of 40

    One of Grace, Milo, Bella and Zara found the lost key to the sports shed. Grace insists, "Zara is telling the truth." Bella insists, "It was neither Grace nor me." Milo insists, "It was neither Grace nor me." Zara insists, "It was Milo." All of them tell the truth except one. Which of them is the liar?

  40. Question 40 of 40

    Ana folds a square sheet into quarters, in half and then in half again. A single punch goes exactly through the corner where the two creases cross. Opening it, how many holes does Ana count?

Leave a question blank if your child does not know. It shows as not answered.

Learnest is not affiliated with ACARA, NESA, the NSW Department of Education or the Australian Maths Trust. Every question in this paper is Learnest's own, written for practice. None comes from a past paper.