WHAT THEY SAY
William was placed into OC in 2025.
I really appreciate all three teachers helping William so much. I believe he could not have made it without your coaching. They are amazing teachers.
EXAM PROGRAMS
The NSW Opportunity Class Placement Test is the exam students sit in Year 4 to gain entry into an Opportunity Class for Years 5 and 6. OC classes sit within primary schools and are designed for students who are ready to learn at a faster pace than a standard classroom allows.
Competition for OC places is significant. The exam covers reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills, all tested at a level above what students encounter in a typical Year 4 curriculum.
WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT
One thing most families do not realise: there are significantly fewer OC places across NSW than there are selective school places. In many ways, getting into OC is harder than getting into a selective school simply because the spots are so limited. A student who is genuinely capable of OC entry but underprepared will miss out to a student who prepared specifically for this exam.
The OC exam is not a test of what students have been taught in Year 4. It tests how well students can reason and think beyond what they have covered in school so far.
Mathematical reasoning questions draw on concepts students know but present them in unfamiliar ways that require multiple steps.
Thinking skills has no direct equivalent in the school curriculum at all. Students who have never seen this type of question before find it the hardest section to adjust to quickly.
Reading tests comprehension and inference across a range of text types, not just recall of what was read.
Because the exam is sat in Year 4, families often underestimate how early preparation needs to start. A student sitting the exam in May of Year 4 who begins preparation in April has left it too late.
INSIDE THE EXAM
Reading Test
Tests reading skills across different types of material and genres including non-fiction, fiction, poetry, magazine articles and reports. Students are tested on how well they read and interpret the material, not on prior content knowledge.
Mathematical Reasoning Test
Tests mathematical reasoning using concepts students already learn at school. No extra maths content needs to be studied and no calculators are permitted. The focus is on applying known concepts to unfamiliar problem types that require multiple steps.
Thinking Skills Test
Tests general critical thinking and problem-solving ability. No previous knowledge is required. This is the section most students are least prepared for because there is no direct equivalent in the primary school curriculum.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Most families think about OC and Selective as separate decisions made at different times. In practice, the preparation overlaps significantly.
The OC exam covers reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills. The Selective exam covers the same three areas, plus writing, at a higher level of difficulty. A student who prepares properly for OC in Year 4 builds the exact foundation they will need for the Selective exam two years later in Year 6.
At Bing's Academy, we think about OC preparation with that pathway in mind. We build reasoning and thinking skills habits early, so that when the Selective exam comes around, students are not starting from scratch. They are building on two years of the right groundwork.
OC exam (Year 4)
Reading · Mathematical Reasoning · Thinking Skills
Selective exam (Year 6)
Reading · Mathematical Reasoning · Thinking Skills · Writing
Same foundations. Higher difficulty. Two years to build them properly.
John 'Bing' Huang
From a local Blacktown primary school.
FROM THE FOUNDER
I grew up in Blacktown and went to a local primary school. I did not make it into an Opportunity Class. I was not naturally gifted and at that age, I did not fully understand what OC was or why it mattered.
What I have learned since then is that OC is harder to get into than most families realise. There are far fewer OC spots than selective school places across NSW. The competition is significant, and the students who get in are not necessarily the most talented. They are the ones who are best prepared for that specific exam at that specific point in time.
Since 2014, we have helped many students get into OC. We know where students lose marks, which sections catch them off guard, and what preparation actually looks like in the months before the exam. Every student we work with starts with an assessment so we know exactly where they are before we do anything else.
What I have learned from working with these students is that the exam rewards specific preparation, not general ability. The students who get in are not always the most naturally talented. They are the ones who knew what the exam was actually asking and practised it properly.
WHAT THEY SAY
I really appreciate all three teachers helping William so much. I believe he could not have made it without your coaching. They are amazing teachers.
HOW WE PREPARE STUDENTS
All OC preparation at Bing's Academy is 1-on-1. Every student starts with an initial assessment so we know exactly where they are before we plan anything. Sessions are built around what your child specifically needs work on, not a fixed program everyone follows regardless of where they are.
Before any session begins, every student sits an initial test. This tells us which sections need the most work and which are already strong. A student who is already solid at thinking skills will not spend sessions on thinking skills. We go where the gaps actually are.
Not school exercises or generic test prep. Questions built around the actual OC format, broken down so students understand the reasoning behind each answer. Getting the right answer for the wrong reason is not preparation.
OC and Selective share the same three core sections. Good OC preparation is also early Selective preparation. We keep that longer pathway in mind from the first session, so students are not starting from scratch two years later.
Get in touch and we will talk through where your child is, what the exam involves, and whether OC preparation makes sense for them right now. No commitment required.
Get in touch