Two tests,
two years apart.

Opportunity class and selective high school placement are often discussed as one thing. They share a calendar and a set of rules, but they are different tests, sat at different ages, for different lengths of placement.

In short

Year 4

OC test is sat

Year 6

Selective test is sat

2 years

apart, same calendar

1 offer

from one school only

An empty classroom set out with separated desks facing the front — Both tests are sat under exam conditions and run on the same yearly calendar — but two years apart, with different papers.

Side by side

Opportunity class and selective high school placement compared
	Opportunity class	Selective high school
Applications open	Child is in Year 3	Child is in Year 5
Applications close	Child is in Year 4	Child is in Year 6
Test sat in	Year 4	Year 6
Entry year	Year 5	Year 7
Length of placement	2 years (Year 5–6)	6 years (Year 7–12)
Test components	Reading · Maths Reasoning · Thinking Skills	Reading · Maths Reasoning · Thinking Skills · Writing
Writing task	None	1 question, 30 minutes, typed
Component weighting	Not published	Each section 25%

What the two share

The rules that decide outcomes are the same for both, and they are the rules families most often misunderstand.

One application window. Both open in November and close in February, with no late applications accepted.
No pass mark. There are no set minimum entry scores for either; the threshold moves with the cohort and the places available.
Four reporting bands. Results are reported as the top 10% of candidates, the next 15%, the next 25%, and the lowest 50%.
Equity Placement Model. Up to 20% of places at each school are held for students from low socio-educational advantage backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students from rural and remote locations, and students with disability.
One offer. A placement offer arrives from one school only, with reserve lists behind it.

The difference that matters most

The Selective test adds a typed writing task worth 25% of the score. That single addition changes what preparation looks like: a student can be strong across three multiple-choice components and still lose a quarter of the available marks.

The second difference is timing. Applying for an opportunity class means deciding in Year 3. Applying for a selective high school means deciding in Year 5. Families who assume both decisions happen in the same year discover the OC window has already closed.

Questions parents ask

Can my child apply for both an opportunity class and a selective high school?

Not at the same time. They are sat two years apart — the OC test in Year 4 and the Selective test in Year 6 — so a child can do both in sequence, but they are separate applications with separate tests.

Does getting into an opportunity class help with selective entry later?

There is no formal link. Selective high school placement is decided on the Year 6 placement test and the Equity Placement Model, not on whether a student attended an opportunity class. Each application is assessed on its own.

Which test is harder?

They are not directly comparable. The Selective test adds a fourth component, a typed writing task, and is sat two years later against an older cohort. The OC test has three components and no writing. What makes either difficult is the same thing: the cut-off depends on how the rest of the cohort performs that year, not on a fixed standard.

Do both use the same application system and dates?

They run on the same calendar. For the most recently completed cycle, applications for both opened on 6 November 2025 and closed on 20 February 2026. The tests were a week apart — Selective on 1 or 2 May 2026 and OC on 8 or 9 May 2026 — with a shared make-up date of 22 May 2026.

Does the equal-places change apply to both?

Yes. From the 2027 intake, an equal number of places are available for girls and boys at selective high schools, partially selective high schools, and opportunity classes.

Sources

Last reviewed 2 August 2026. Where official materials do not state something clearly, this guide says so rather than fill the gap. Rules and dates change — confirm against the source before acting on them.