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Welcome to the final edition of OC Ready: A Parent's Guide. The OC Placement Test is this week, on 8 or 9 May. Here is everything you need to know about the night before and the day itself, so your child can walk in feeling prepared and calm.
Prepare:
Avoid:
The single most useful thing your child can do tonight is get a good night's sleep.
Set your child up well:
Before leaving:
The test will mostly be held at a local NSW public high school. Students are allocated a test centre based on where they attend school. Parents need to take their child to the test centre on test day.
On arrival, your child will be directed to their test room and seated at a computer. The room will be quiet and supervised by invigilators throughout.
Students do not need to bring their own computer. Devices are provided at the test centre.
Students can use paper for working out, which will be provided and collected after each section. They cannot use calculators, phones, or any unauthorised materials.
Before each section begins, students will see instructions on how to use the testing software. There is time built in for your child to read through these before the timer starts for that section.
The test room will be quiet throughout. Students cannot talk to each other, but they can raise their hand at any time to speak with an invigilator. If your child is feeling anxious at any point, they can put their hand up and an invigilator will come to them.
Students can ask to go to the bathroom during the test if needed. The countdown timer continues while they are out of the room, so it is worth reminding your child to go before the test begins if possible.
Students work through three sections in order: Reading, then Mathematical Reasoning, then Thinking Skills. Each section is timed separately.
The key strategies to remind your child of:
You will collect your child from the test centre once it wraps up. On the way home, they may want to talk through how they felt, and that is great.
Do:
Don't:
Placement outcomes will be released in Term 3 2026. That is a few months away, and the most important thing you can say to your child in the meantime is this: sitting the test, showing up, and giving it their best shot is something to feel genuinely proud of.
Whatever the outcome, the skills your child has built through this process, in persistence, problem-solving, and critical thinking, will serve them well well beyond the test itself.
We wish all students the very best for this week. You have got this.
Trusted by Australian families for over 17 years, helping students build confidence and achieve better results through targeted online practice.
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