The purpose of the Opportunity Class test is to identify children who are talented and have greater academic potential. It is meant for Year 4 students to allow entry into the Opportunity Class in Year 5. Students remain in the Opportunity Class for two years (Year 5 and Year 6).
The OC test has gone through many changes since 2020. In 2020, there was a major change in content and structure following the 2018 department review. The second major change is scheduled for 2025 as the test will be online.
The move to online OC assessment has been a long-awaited and much-needed change, allowing for a more streamlined and efficient testing process and faster results. Following several near-ready attempts in the last few years to move the OC test online, it is finally here in a much more robust and organised form.
Let us go through the changes expected for the 2025 test.
The changes introduced will affect students taking the test in 2025 (Year 4 students in 2025).
It is important to state that the test topics, content, or structure (Mathematical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and Thinking Skills) will not be affected, nor will the overall difficulty level of the test. The performance reports provided to parents will remain the same.
The logistics of the test (when, where, and how) will be affected. The application and outcome times will also be altered.
Let’s delve more into these changes.
Administration of the exam will still be delivered by Janison Exam Management (it will continue to be written and marked by Cambridge Assessment).
At the moment, the test is multi-version. As it runs over a few days, this will, in some way, ensure confidentiality and fairness for all participants. As of now, it is not adaptive. To clarify, an adaptive test adjusts its level of difficulty based on the test taker’s responses to previous questions.
What is clear on the department website is that the test is multi-version.
We may conclude that each day will have a different version of the test.
The outcomes of the test will be announced in Term 3 of the same year of sitting the test. This is faster than before. However, there is no change to the performance reports. The report shows how your child performed in comparison to other students who took the test that year. For each of the test components, the report shows where your child performed in one of four bands:
It is important to note that these percentages do not represent your child’s correct answers on each test. Rather, they show how your child’s performance compares to other students who scored in the same range.
Parents will continue to be offered a place based on two factors:
Test scores or placement ranks will still not be available or provided.
There are no set minimum entry marks to receive an offer to a selective high school or opportunity class. If you find minimum entry marks or cut-off marks mentioned anywhere on websites, please know that the department stopped publishing them in 2021. One of the main reasons for not having minimum entry marks by schools is that the level of test performance required for each school depends on:
Global Education Academy always adjusts to any modifications made by the department. We have switched to computer-based exams for all of our mock exams to give students more time to get acclimated to the online setting. Our Tutoring Centre Sydney students use an online platform to complete the tests. Parents have full access to the results as soon as students get their feedback from their teachers in class (for face-to-face classes) or online (for online classes). Parents can view performance data and statistics on our platform. To maximize the benefit, students still enjoy comprehensive feedback from the teachers using a hard copy of the in-class test.
Here are some tips on how to prepare for the test:
As parents and educators, we need to embrace the digital realm. Many parents I know are a bit skeptical about it. It is the inevitable future; adopt it and get ready.
Preparing your child for the Opportunity Class test is a crucial step towards unlocking a world of full potential for them. The best part about being in an OC class is being surrounded by like-minded peers who will be their future friends. We, as parents, know how important this is in shaping their future personality.
An OC Benchmark assessment provides insight into your child’s current strengths and identifies any areas of weakness. It includes the three components of the OC placement test and serves as the initial evaluation for our OC Preparation Course. This assessment provides you with the clarity needed to make an informed decision.
