What is Excel Test Zone?

Excel Test Zone is a brand-new site where students can prepare for tests online! It's brought to you by Excel, the leading Australian publisher of workbooks and study guides.

Excel Test Zone is from the same team that has published quality Excel educational resources for teachers and students for over twenty years. To ensure that we continue to produce quality material for our online product we have commissioned our highly experienced authors to write thousands of carefully graded questions which closely match the format and style of questions that students will get in the actual NAPLAN* Tests, Opportunity Class Placement Tests, and Selective Schools and Scholarship Tests.

Detailed explanations for each question are also provided so that students learn as they go. The site is child- and parent-friendly so it is easy to set homework and let children work by themselves.

Students will be able to practise tests online and see how they rank on a state and national basis. Their results can be instantly emailed to them!

For even greater encouragement, a section called Gymbrainium with lots of fun activities is included in Excel Test Zone. Gymbrainium is designed to let students continue their learning while having fun in an interactive environment.

What are the NAPLAN Tests?

• The NAPLAN Tests are held in May every year.
• These tests are Australia-wide.
• NAPLAN stands for National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy. It is the largest educational testing program in Australia. It is conducted every year and the tests are sat by all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.
• For Year 3 NAPLAN students are tested in Reading (around 35 questions in 45 minutes), Language Conventions (around 50 questions in 40 minutes), Writing (one question in 40 minutes) and Numeracy (around 35 questions in 45 minutes).
• For Year 5 NAPLAN students are tested in Reading (around 35 questions in 50 minutes), Language Conventions (around 50 questions in 40 minutes), Writing (one question in 40 minutes) and Numeracy (around 40 questions in 50 minutes).
• For Year 7 NAPLAN students are tested in Reading (around 50 questions in 65 minutes), Language Conventions (around 60 questions in 45 minutes), Writing (one question in 40 minutes) and Numeracy (Calculator Allowed—around 32 questions in 40 minutes; Non-calculator—around 32 questions in 40 minutes).
• For Year 9 NAPLAN students are tested in Reading (around 50 questions in 65 minutes), Language Conventions (around 50 questions in 45 minutes), Writing (one question in 40 minutes) and Numeracy (Calculator Allowed—around 32 questions in 40 minutes; Non-calculator—around 32 questions in 40 minutes).

What are the Opportunity Class Placement Tests?

• The Opportunity Class Placement Tests are held in August every year.
• These tests are held in NSW only.
• They are tests for entry into the Opportunity Classes for academically gifted and talented children in Years 5 and 6 in some public schools.
• Students are tested in Reading (20 questions), Mathematics (20 questions) and General Ability
  (30 questions). Students are given one hour to complete around 70 questions.
• The performance of the child both in these tests and in class is taken into consideration for entry into these gifted and talented classes.

What are the Selective Schools and Scholarship Tests?

• The Selective Schools Tests are held in March every year.
• They are tests for entry to a selective or agricultural high school in Year 7. These schools cater for
  high-achieving, academically talented students by providing an educationally enriched environment.
• These tests are held in NSW only.
• Students are tested in Reading (45 questions in 40 minutes), Mathematics (40 questions in 40 minutes), General Ability (60 questions in 40 minutes) and Writing (one question in 20 minutes).

• The Scholarship Tests are held at different times of the year, depending on the school. They are usually at the beginning of the year in March, April and May.
• These tests are Australia-wide.
• They are tests for students who want to apply for a scholarship to a chosen school.
• Students are tested in Reading (around 40 questions in 40 minutes), Mathematics (between 20 and 28 questions in 35–45 minutes), General Ability (around 60 questions in 40 minutes) and Writing (usually
  25–30 minutes for a student's choice of one of two questions, depending on the school).

Are these the exact questions that will be in the NAPLAN Tests, Opportunity Class Placement Tests, and Selective Schools and Scholarship Tests?

No. The questions available on Excel Test Zone are not what will be found in the actual tests. Excel Test Zone prepares students by giving them the opportunity to trial similar questions to the questions in the actual test. The questions are not past test paper questions; they are completely new questions that are based closely, however, on the sort of questions students will face in the actual tests they are preparing for, whether this is the NAPLAN Tests, Opportunity Class Placement Tests or Selective Schools and Scholarship Tests.
Excel are specialists in this area with twenty years experience in educational publishing. We have helped thousands of students succeed in tests with our range of practice books for tests such as the Basic Skills Tests, Opportunity Class Placement Tests, and Selective Schools and Scholarship Tests. The same experienced authors of these very successful books have written the questions for Excel Test Zone .

What is an avatar?

An avatar is an online character that students can customise, providing a virtual reality feature to be posted on their screens as they do the practice tests.

Can I redo tests?

Yes. Excel Test Zone allows you to take the available tests as many times as you like. You can even check your answers and get tips on how to answer similar questions.

Who am I competing with?

Excel Test Zone is not only designed to prepare students for national tests, but also to give them an idea of how they compare with other students in their year and on a national basis.

Why do I need Adobe Flash Player?

Excel Test Zone features a substantial amount of flash content that requires Adobe Flash Player.
At a minimum you will need Flash Player 8 installed on your computer. However, we recommend that you upgrade to the latest version for improved performance.

Adobe Flash Player is free and can be downloaded from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Why do I need Adobe Reader?

Excel Test Zone features a substantial amount of PDF content that requires Adobe Reader.
At a minimum you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 5 (PDF 1.4) installed on your computer. However, we recommend that you upgrade to the latest version for improved performance.

Adobe Reader is free and can be downloaded from http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/

Can I purchase a home subscription for my child?

Yes, you can purchase an online subscription to the Excel Test Zone site for as little as $14.95 a month! An online subscription provides you with full access to the tests that you have subscribed to. The online access will help your child prepare by providing practice tests that they can redo as many times as they want. They can also review their results and correct their work.

Using the online personalised feedback feature, students will continue to be motivated as they compete with themselves and other students all over Australia.

To view prices click here.

How much is a Home Subscription?

• 1-month subscription to www.exceltestzone.com.au $14.95*
• 3-month subscription to www.exceltestzone.com.au $39.95
• 12-month subscription to www.exceltestzone.com.au $59.95

* This is an auto renewal feature, which will require a monthly $14.95 deduction from your allocated bank account. This feature can be cancelled at any time.

Can my school purchase a school licence?

Yes, we have a range of prices to suit different schools in order for them to have the opportunity to provide their students with the opportunity to practise for their important tests. An online subscription provides class access to the tests that you have subscribed to, for up to 30 students, , e.g. for the Year 3 NAPLAN* Tests we have 17 Numeracy Short Tests, 3 Numeracy Sample Tests, 9 Language Conventions Short Tests, 3 Language Conventions Sample Tests, 5 Reading Short Tests and 3 Reading Sample Tests.

The specially designed Teachers Section will give teachers the opportunity to track individual student achievement and responses to questions so that they can assess each student's ability and focus on improving specific areas of weakness.

Subscriptions start at $199 for up to thirty students for six months. For full schools pricing information, simply click here.

How much is a School Subscription?

• 6-month class subscription to www.exceltestzone.com.au - $199
• 12-month class subscription to www.exceltestzone.com.au - $299

A class subscription provides access to the tests that you have subscribed to for up to 30 students. Schools have the opportunity to save up to 25% off the full price simply by purchasing five or more classroom subscriptions. For more information, email us at schools@exceltestzone.com.au

What is included in each of the Excel Test Zone Test Packs?

Parents can take advantage of one month's FREE access to their choice of tests, simply by purchasing an Excel Test Zone Test Pack from any bookstore, e.g. for the Year 3 NAPLAN* Tests students will have access to 17 Numeracy Short Tests, 3 Numeracy Sample Tests, 9 Language Conventions Short Tests, 3 Language Conventions Sample Tests, 5 Reading Short Tests and 3 Reading Sample Tests for FREE for a whole month!

To find your nearest stockist/bookstore, visit www.pascalpress.com.au

Each Excel Test Zone Test Pack contains a code that needs to be redeemed by clicking the Purchase OR Redeem Access Code button.

This is a list of the Excel Test Zone Test Packs available:

• Excel Test Zone Year 3 NAPLAN*-style Test Pack $19.95
• Excel Test Zone Year 4 Opportunity Class Placement–style Test Pack $19.95
• Excel Test Zone Year 5 NAPLAN*-style Test Pack $19.95
• Excel Test Zone Year 6 Selective Schools and Scholarship–style Test Pack $19.95
• Excel Test Zone Year 7 NAPLAN*-style Test Pack $19.95
• Excel Test Zone Year 9 NAPLAN*-style Test Pack $19.95

All the NAPLAN*-style Test Packs contain one Test Guide Book, two sample NAPLAN*-style Reading, Language Conventions, Writing and Numeracy Tests with answers, plus one month's FREE access to www.exceltestzone.com.au

The Opportunity Class Placement–style Test Pack contains one Test Guide Book, two sample Opportunity Class Placement--style Reading, Mathematics and General Ability Tests with answers, plus one month's FREE access to www.exceltestzone.com.au

The Selective Schools and Scholarship–style Test Pack contains one Test Guide Book, two sample Selective Schools and Scholarship–style Reading, Writing, General Ability and Mathematics Tests with answers, plus one month's FREE access to www.exceltestzone.com.au .

What is Gymbrainium?

Gymbrainium is a section designed to keep children motivated to do test practice while still developing important skills including Coordination, Control and Reflexes. The Gymbrainium section allows children to take a break from test practice and enjoy working on areas such as Linguistics, Mathematics and Kinaesthetics in a fun and educational online environment.

How do I redeem a code?

How do I stop the monthly auto renewal feature on my account?

To stop the monthly auto renewal feature, simply log in to your account and click on the Manage My Subscription button. You will then be required to click on the Cancel button to stop any further payments being deducted from your account.

What is being assessed? Is NAPLAN based on any state syllabuses?

• NAPLAN is not based on any specific state syllabuses. The material tested is broadly based on what is taught in English and Mathematics across Australia.
• The tests have been developed using the nationally agreed Statements of Learning that reflect the core elements of the curriculum documents used in the different states and territories.
• In Excel Test Zone, the four Numeracy strands are covered: Numbers; Algebra, Functions and Patterns; Space; Measurement, Data and Chance. In Literacy, the Reading strand is covered as well as the Writing strand (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation).
• Remember that the content in the NAPLAN Tests will not match exactly the syllabus of your state or your teaching in class. To ensure that appropriate content is covered, more than the basic levels of English and Mathematics should be taught in class. The tests in Excel Test Zone will give you an idea of the content and strategies to use in the NAPLAN Tests.
• Remember also that each NAPLAN Test will have six bands (levels) of achievement. For students to perform well in the higher bands, more difficult content will have to be covered. The tests in Excel Test Zone have such questions in them to ensure students gain the appropriate practice.

Who is developing the tests?

• The tests will be developed by ACARA (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority) in conjunction with state and territory departments and boards of studies.