How to Apply for OC and Selective Schools: 2028 Entry

Applications for 2028 entry to a NSW Opportunity Class or Selective High School are expected to open around October–November 2026 and close around February 2027 — and the 2028 cycle will be the first where every applicant faces a computer-based test, a local test centre in NSW, and equal numbers of places for boys and girls. This guide walks through how to apply, what has changed, and what you need ready before the portal opens.

Both applications run through the same online portal, and the rules for each are slightly different. If you have one child applying for OC (Year 5 entry) and another for Selective (Year 7 entry), you complete two separate applications.

What Is Different for the 2028 Cycle

Four changes have bedded in over the last two cycles. None of them change what your child needs to know — but all of them change how test day works, or how places are allocated.

1. Equal places for girls and boys

From the 2027 intake onwards, NSW allocates an equal number of places to girls and boys at every co-educational selective high school, every partially selective high school, and every Opportunity Class. The Department's own worked example: an OC with 15 Year 5 places allocates 7 to boys and 7 to girls. The change was made because girls' share of selective and OC places had been falling — the mix had reached roughly 58% boys in selective high schools and 60% boys in OC.

Importantly, the test itself did not change. There are no bonus points and no adjusted scores for either gender; places are still awarded strictly on placement-test performance within each cohort. Our guide to gender parity from 2027 explains how it works in practice.

2. The test is computer-based

The paper placement test is gone. Students now sit the test on computers provided by the Department, using multiple versions of the test so it can be run across more than one day. Children who have only ever practised on paper are at a real disadvantage on reading-heavy sections, where on-screen scrolling and navigation cost time. See our computer-based test preparation guide for how to practise for the screen.

3. Tests are held in NSW only

From 2026 the placement tests are held only in NSW. Families living interstate or overseas must bring their child to NSW to sit the test — there are no longer any interstate or international test centres. If this affects you, factor travel and accommodation into your February decision, not your April one.

4. Local test centres, not your child's own school

Students are allocated to a local test centre based on their primary school's location, most often a nearby public high school. Your child will probably not sit the test at their own school, and you do not choose the centre. Your allocation arrives before test day — check it as soon as it lands and drive the route once if it is unfamiliar.

How to Apply: Step by Step

Step 1 — Check eligibility before the portal opens

To apply, your child must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or an Australian permanent resident, and be in the right year group: Year 4 in 2027 for OC (Year 5 entry in 2028), or Year 6 in 2027 for Selective (Year 7 entry in 2028). Temporary-visa holders have a separate, narrower pathway — check your circumstances early rather than assuming.

Step 2 — Gather your documents

You will need, at minimum:

• Your child's full legal name and date of birth, as they appear on official documents
• Proof of citizenship or permanent residency
• Your child's current school details
• A recent photo of your child
• An email address you check daily — every official notification goes there
• Supporting documentation if you are requesting disability provisions or applying under the illness/misadventure or equity pathways

Missing citizenship paperwork is the single most common reason a family scrambles in the last week. Find it in November, not February.

Step 3 — Choose your school preferences

This is where OC and Selective differ:

• Opportunity Class: up to four schools, in order of preference
• Selective High School: up to three schools, in order of preference

The order never changes your child's odds at any individual school. Each school considers your child on their placement score alone. Preference order only decides which offer you receive if your child qualifies for more than one. So list them in the order you would actually accept them — not in a guessed order of difficulty.

Travel time is the factor families most often underestimate. A daily 75-minute commute each way is a very different proposition at age 10 than it looks on a map in February. Browse the full list of NSW OC schools and selective high schools before you commit, and read our comparisons of the best OC schools and best selective high schools.

Step 4 — Submit early

The window is open for roughly three months, and late applications are not accepted except in rare, documented circumstances. Portal congestion in the final days is routine. Submit in the first half of the window and set a calendar reminder two weeks before the close.

Step 5 — Watch for your test allocation

Ahead of the test — expect around April 2027 — you will be notified of your child's test date, time and allocated centre, along with any approved provisions. Check that every detail is correct the day it arrives; corrections take time.

The 2028 Timeline at a Glance

These are expected windows based on the Department's consistent annual pattern. The Department confirms exact dates each cycle — verify before making any date-sensitive decision.

For the detail on each stage, see our full OC test dates 2028 and Selective test dates 2028 timelines.

What the Application Does Not Decide

A few things families expect to matter, which do not:

• Your child's school reports. Placement is decided on the test, not on classroom grades.
• Applying to both OC and Selective. These are different year groups — a child applies for one or the other, in the relevant year.
• Preference order. Listing a school first does not improve the chance of an offer from it.
• Applying "early" within the window. Submitting in November confers no advantage over January — it only protects you from missing the deadline.

What the application does decide is whether your child sits the test at all, which schools can make them an offer, and whether any adjustments they need are in place on the day. Those are worth getting right.

How to Use the Months Before the Test

The application closes in February and the test is in May — but the useful preparation happens well before that.

• Now to late 2026: build reading stamina and keep mathematical reasoning playful. Familiarity beats drilling at this stage.
• Late 2026 to February 2027: structured practice, three or four sessions a week of 30–45 minutes, using exam-style questions on a screen.
• February to April 2027: full-length timed tests under exam conditions, roughly fortnightly. Review every mistake — the reason an answer was wrong is where the gain is.
• The final month: consolidate, do not expand. Protect sleep and routine, and walk through what test day will look like.

If your child is not offered a place, that is not the end of the process — offers continue from the reserve list as places are declined, sometimes into Term 1 of the entry year.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do applications open for 2028 entry?

Around October–November 2026, closing around February 2027, based on the Department's consistent annual pattern. The exact dates are confirmed by the NSW Department of Education each cycle — check education.nsw.gov.au before relying on them.

Can I apply for both OC and Selective for the same child?

Not in the same year. OC is entered in Year 5 and Selective in Year 7, so a child applies for OC while in Year 4 and, separately, for Selective while in Year 6. Many families do both, two years apart.

How many schools can I list?

Four for Opportunity Class and three for Selective High School, each in order of preference. The order does not affect your child's chance at any individual school.

Does the 50/50 gender rule make it harder for boys?

It changes the pool your child is ranked within, not the test or the standard. Boys are now ranked against boys and girls against girls for the allocated places at each school. Because boys had been taking a larger share of places, the practical effect is a slightly more competitive boys' cohort and a slightly less competitive girls' cohort at the same school.

Where will my child sit the test?

At a local test centre allocated by the Department, based on your child's primary school location — usually a nearby public high school, not their own school. You do not choose it, and from 2026 all centres are in NSW.

What happens if we miss the application deadline?

Late applications are not accepted except in rare, documented circumstances. You would generally wait for the following year's cycle — which, for OC, means missing the opportunity entirely, since it is only entered in Year 5.

Where to Confirm the Official Dates

This article uses expected windows. Confirm exact 2028 dates through official sources only:

• The NSW Department of Education selective and opportunity class pages at education.nsw.gov.au
• The application portal at shsoc.education.nsw.gov.au
• Your child's current school, which is notified of key dates

A third-party website — including this one — should never be your only source for a registration deadline.

Get Ready Before the Portal Opens

The families who find the application window calm are the ones who knew their child's starting point months earlier. Begin with a free AcePath sample quiz to see where your child sits across Reading, Mathematical Reasoning and Thinking Skills, then build a routine with our OC and Selective practice packs — delivered on screen, in the same format your child will face on test day.