NSW · Selective High School Placement Test · Reasoning

NSW selective test Thinking Skills practice

Thinking Skills is the section of the NSW Selective High School Placement Test that families find hardest to picture, because the department says it needs no previous knowledge at all. It is 40 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, testing critical thinking and problem solving. This page sets out the format from the NSW Department of Education, repeats its view that coaching is unnecessary, and then practises one skill that sits at the heart of critical thinking: finding exactly where an argument goes wrong. There is no school-choice or placement advice here, and no score is promised.

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Format from the NSW Department of Education · Arguments written by us · No placement advice

In short

Of the four parts of the NSW Selective High School Placement Test for Year 7 entry, Thinking Skills is the one that tests reasoning rather than school content. Children get 40 minutes for 40 multiple-choice questions, four options each, on a department computer. The department says it assesses critical thinking and problem solving and that no previous knowledge is required. Its free practice tests show every question type.

Skills that last

Three courses that build clear thinking

Chosen because logical reasoning is worth learning whatever school a child attends.

Problem Solving and Computational Thinking for Kids course thumbnail

NTS / 01

Problem solving and computational thinking

Logic puzzles, patterns and step-by-step reasoning.

Open the syllabus →
Maths Through Coding course thumbnail

NTS / 02

Maths through coding

Conditions, rules and testing ideas in real programs.

Open the syllabus →
Maths Olympiad & Competition Course course thumbnail

NTS / 03

Competition maths

Puzzles that reward careful reasoning over speed.

Open the syllabus →

The section, as published

Forty questions, forty minutes, four options

Taken from the NSW Department of Education's placement test pages on 7 October 2026.

Thinking Skills in the two NSW placement tests
TestQuestionsTimeOptions per question
Selective High School Placement Test (Year 7 entry)4040 minutesFour
Opportunity Class Placement Test (Year 5 entry)3030 minutesFour

The department describes Thinking Skills as a test of general critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, and states: "No previous knowledge is required for this test." Its video for students adds that there is a range of question types, all visible in the practice tests.

In the department's example timetable for the selective test, Thinking Skills comes after Mathematical Reasoning and the longer break, so students sit it in the middle of the day.

Children sit every section at a test centre, on a computer the department supplies. The latest sitting, for students starting Year 7 in 2027, took place over the first weekend of May 2026, with a make-up day later that month.

Forty questions in forty minutes is one minute each. Many Thinking Skills questions are short to read but need a careful second look, which is why accuracy matters more than rushing.

Sources: Selective high school practice tests; Opportunity class practice tests; Placement test. Checked on 7 October 2026. Modern Age Coders is independent of the department.

Preparing well

What the department advises, and what we add

The department is clear that paid coaching is not needed. We agree, and say so before anything else.

The NSW Department of Education

puts it plainly on its practice test page: paid coaching gives no advantage, the department does not back coaching for the placement test, and piling on coaching can hurt a child's wellbeing.

Free and official

The department publishes online computer-based practice tests that simulate the real screens and timer, and PDF practice tests for families who prefer paper.

Its Student Resource Hub has activities, quizzes and practice items. A child who has worked through those has seen every question style the section uses.

Where we fit

Some children love logic puzzles and want more of them. Critical thinking, reasoning about rules and spotting weak arguments are also skills that matter in every subject, long after any test.

Our classes teach those skills through puzzles and programming. We do not run Thinking Skills drills, and we will tell you honestly if your child simply needs the free practice tests and a good night's sleep.

Source: Selective high school practice tests, "Helping your child prepare". Checked on 7 October 2026.

Puzzles we wrote

Spot the flaw in the argument

Each short argument below sounds reasonable but contains one weakness. The skill is naming the weakness precisely, not just feeling that something is off.

Find the conclusion

Ask what the speaker wants you to believe. It is often the sentence starting with "so" or "therefore".

Find the reasons

List what is offered as support. Then ask: if the reasons were true, would the conclusion have to be true?

Name the gap

The flaw is the step between reasons and conclusion that does not hold. Naming it exactly is what earns the mark.

Original arguments and the flaw in each
ArgumentThe flawWhy it fails
Every time our netball team wears the green bibs, we win. So the green bibs make us win.Treats two things that happen together as cause and effectThe team may wear green bibs for home games, which they win for other reasons
I read two books by this author and both were boring. Her books are all boring.Generalises from too few examplesTwo books cannot represent everything an author has written
If it rains, the oval is closed. The oval is closed today. So it must have rained.Reverses the ruleThe oval could be closed for many other reasons, such as maintenance
Only students with a signed note can go on the excursion. Lena has a signed note, so she is definitely going.Treats a requirement as a guaranteeA note is needed, but Lena could still be unwell or miss the bus
Most students in our class prefer cricket, so most children in Australia prefer cricket.Relies on an unrepresentative sampleOne class is not a fair sample of a whole country
Either we finish the project tonight or we will fail it.Offers a false choiceThere may be other options, such as finishing tomorrow before school

The third and fourth arguments are the trickiest and the most useful to understand. A rule of the form "if A, then B" does not mean "if B, then A". And a requirement, such as needing a note, is not the same as a promise. Once students can name these two patterns, a surprising number of reasoning questions become straightforward.

A good classroom routine is to make the argument stronger after naming its flaw. For the netball argument, the speaker would need to show the team also wins more with green bibs in away games. Fixing an argument proves you understood what was wrong with it.

A second puzzle type we wrote

What must be true, and what only might be

Many reasoning puzzles give a few facts and ask which statement must follow. The trap is choosing something that could be true rather than something that has to be.

Here is a short set of facts. All the children in the chess club are in Year 6. Some of the children in the chess club also play in the band. Priya is in the band. Which statement must be true? Option one says Priya is in Year 6. Option two says some band members are in Year 6. Option three says every Year 6 child plays chess. Option four says Priya plays chess.

Only option two has to be true. Some chess club members play in the band, and every chess club member is in Year 6, so those band members must be in Year 6. Options one and four might be true, but nothing says Priya is in the chess club at all. Option three reverses the first fact: the rule says chess players are in Year 6, not that Year 6 children play chess.

Drawing the facts helps. A circle for the chess club sits inside a bigger circle for Year 6, and the band circle overlaps the chess circle. Priya can be placed anywhere in the band circle, which shows at once why the statements about her are only possibilities. Students who sketch the circles before choosing make far fewer mistakes than those who reason in their heads.

Logic and code

Why programming sharpens the same thinking

Rules, conditions and careful checking are the daily work of a programmer.

In a program

An if statement is a rule: if the oval is wet, close it. Programmers learn quickly that the reverse rule is a different statement, because code that confuses the two produces bugs.

Testing code means hunting for the case that breaks an assumption, which is exactly what spotting a flawed argument asks a student to do.

In our classes

Upper-primary students write short programs with conditions and loops, then try to break each other's programs with unusual inputs.

The same students discuss arguments and puzzles aloud. Explaining why an answer is right, not only choosing it, is the habit we care about most.

Critical thinking, step by step

Four stages for upper-primary thinkers

These develop over time through discussion and practice, not overnight.

Reasoning about arguments
StageThe student canSecure when
1. Conclusion and reasonsSeparate what is claimed from whyUnderlines the conclusion in any short argument
2. Testing the linkAsk whether the reasons force the conclusionFinds a case where reasons hold but the conclusion fails
3. Naming patternsRecognise cause confusion, reversed rules, small samplesNames the flaw in a few words
4. RepairingAdd what an argument would need to workStrengthens the netball argument convincingly

Balance matters

The department warns against too much coaching. Reading widely, playing strategy games and talking through everyday decisions build the same thinking.

If practice becomes stressful, stop and play a logic game together instead.

The maths section

Mathematical Reasoning is covered on our Mathematical Reasoning page.

Younger students sitting the Opportunity Class test can start with OC test maths practice.

Courses for reasoning

Courses that build logical thinking

Grouped by approach. Each card shows its full syllabus.

I

Logic and problems

Puzzles and reasoning

NTS / L / 01

Problem solving and computational thinking

Structured puzzles and clear explanations.

Open the syllabus

NTS / L / 02

Competition maths

Reasoning puzzles for keen students.

Open the syllabus
II

Logic in code

Conditions and testing

NTS / C / 03

Statistics and probability

Samples, chance and fair conclusions.

Open the syllabus
III

Looking ahead

For secondary school

NTS / A / 01

Middle years maths

Early secondary maths, taken calmly.

Open the syllabus

Inside our classes

Discussion-led lessons, live online

Our teachers are in India, which is behind New South Wales. In Sydney during daylight saving, a 4 pm class starts at 10.30 am India time, so weekday afternoons are easy to schedule.

Weekday afternoon

A popular slot for Years 4 to 6.

Weekend

Unhurried time for puzzles and discussion.

School holidays

Short logic and coding workshops.

Arguments discussed aloud

Students explain the flaw before the class moves on.

Puzzles with reasons

Every answer needs a sentence of justification.

Fifteen to twenty per group

Small enough for everyone to speak.

Private lessons

For a child who wants focused one-to-one time.

Not test coaching

We teach thinking skills for life, as the department advises.

No promises

Selection decisions belong to the department; we claim nothing about them.

Student work

What students have built

Projects our learners made by choice. Browse the student labs for more.

NutriLife AI nutrition coach project screenshot

AI and ML

NutriLife

An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

by Bhavya · Open it

Misti AI chatbot for maths and coding screenshot

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Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

GuardianX AI internet safety assistant screenshot

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GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · Open it

SkyCast weather forecast application screenshot

Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

Fees

We charge NSW families monthly in US dollars, as we do in every country outside India. No deposit, and no minimum number of months.

Free first class

USD 0

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Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

  • Fifteen to twenty students at one level
  • A regular teacher
  • Discussion and feedback every week
  • Certificate at the end
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One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

  • One-to-one teaching
  • Focus on chosen skills
  • Flexible weekly time
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What families say

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Reviews parents left on Google, quoted in full.

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"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

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"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

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"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."

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Questions about Thinking Skills

What families ask about this section

How many questions are in the selective test Thinking Skills section?

40 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, each with four possible answers, according to the NSW Department of Education.

What does Thinking Skills test?

The department describes it as testing general critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Does my child need to learn anything new for it?

No. The department says no previous knowledge is required for this test.

Is the OC Thinking Skills section the same?

It is shorter. The Opportunity Class Placement Test has 30 Thinking Skills questions in 30 minutes, also with four options each.

Is coaching needed?

No, in the department's view: it calls coaching unnecessary and does not back it. Working through the official practice tests at home is enough for most children.

What does "spot the flaw" mean?

Finding the step in an argument where the reasons do not actually support the conclusion, such as treating two things that happen together as cause and effect.

Is the test on paper?

No. Every section is answered on screen, using a department computer at the test centre.

Can you help us choose a selective school?

No. We give no school-choice, placement or appeals advice.

Will your classes raise my child's chance of a place?

Nobody can honestly promise a place, and we do not try. We teach reasoning that is worth having anyway.

When would classes run?

We fix one weekly time after the free trial. In Sydney during daylight saving, 4 pm is 10.30 am India time.

Related pages

More for New South Wales

Other test sections, maths and coding.

Selective test Mathematical Reasoning

The 35-question maths section.

OC test maths

For Year 4 students.

Coding and AI in NSW

Our New South Wales overview.

Problem solving through coding

Logic built through programming.

Learn to think, not just use AI

Reasoning skills in an AI age.

Maths tutoring in Australia

From primary right through to Year 12.

Start here

Book a free reasoning class

Let us know which puzzles your child enjoys and what year they are in. The trial is a real lesson in logical thinking, and we will be honest about whether more classes would help.

Want to look first? The course atlas lists every course, and how we teach explains a lesson.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · connect@modernagecoders.com

Replies on WhatsApp tend to come quickest. The +91 number is Indian because we teach from India; we do not have an Australian office.

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