Thinking Skills, explained
Thinking Skills is the reasoning section of both the NSW OC and Selective tests — and the part families most often say they don’t know how to prepare for. Here’s what it really tests, the question types it uses, and a calm, honest way to get ready.
- OC & Selective
- A section in both NSW tests
- Reasoning
- Logic & critical thinking, not a subject
- Can’t cram
- Rewards understanding built over time
Written and reviewed by the Hootbrook education team · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
What is the Thinking Skills test?
Thinking Skills is one of the sections in both the NSW OC test (sat in Year 4) and the NSW Selective High School test (sat in Year 6). Unlike Reading or Mathematical Reasoning, it isn’t tied to a school subject. Instead it measures how well a child can reason — following clues to a conclusion, noticing what an argument quietly assumes, judging whether one thing really caused another, and spotting the rule behind a pattern.
That’s exactly why it carries so much weight. Because it can’t be answered from memory, Thinking Skills is a fair test of clear thinking — and a strong section can lift an overall placement score. The good news is that reasoning genuinely improves with the right kind of practice.
Why families find it the hardest to prepare for
With Maths or Reading, it’s clear what to revise — times tables, spelling, longer texts. Thinking Skills has no such list. There are no facts to learn, so the usual “study harder” instinct has nothing to grip, and many parents have never seen these question types themselves.
It also punishes rushing. A single missed word — not, only, must — can flip an answer, and clever distractors are written to catch a quick guess. The section rewards children who slow down, read twice, and reason carefully.
None of that means it can’t be prepared for. It simply means preparation looks different: recognising each question type, practising the reasoning little and often, and always being able to explain why — so the skill carries to questions your child has never seen.
The common question types
Thinking Skills questions come in a handful of recognisable shapes. Knowing them turns an unfamiliar puzzle into one your child has met before.
Deduction & ordering
Clues that fix an order or arrangement — who sits where, what comes first — solved by lining every clue up before you choose.
Patterns & sequences
Numbers, shapes or figures that follow a hidden rule. The skill is finding the rule, then applying it one step further.
Assumptions
Spotting the unstated idea an argument secretly relies on — the missing link between the reason given and the conclusion drawn.
Cause and effect
Deciding whether one thing really caused another, or whether something else could just as easily explain what happened.
Strengthen & weaken
Choosing the single fact that would most support, or most damage, an argument someone has made.
Valid conclusions
Working out what must be true from the information given — no more and no less than the statements actually allow.
Sample questions in the real format
Six exemplars we’ve written across the Thinking Skills question types. Choose an answer to see how each one is worked out. These are illustrative examples in the current test format — not real NSW past papers, which are never released.
The sample questions below are shown in English — the Thinking Skills test itself is sat in English.
Five children — Aisha, Ben, Mia, Priya and Tom — sit in a row of five seats. Aisha sits in the seat on the far right. Priya is not in an end seat. Tom sits immediately to Priya's left, and exactly one child sits further left than Tom. Counting from the left, which seat is Tom in?
Choose an answer to see how it’s worked out.That's it.
Close — build the whole row before you choose.
Aisha takes seat 5. “Exactly one child sits further left than Tom” puts Tom in seat 2, so Priya — immediately to his right — is in seat 3, which also keeps her off both ends as required. Placing every clue onto one line-up before answering is what these puzzles reward.
Look at the pattern: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, … What is the next number?
Choose an answer to see how it’s worked out.That's it.
Close — look at how the gaps change.
The gaps grow by 2 each time: +4, +6, +8, +10. The next gap is +12, so 30 + 12 = 42. (The numbers are also 1×2, 2×3, 3×4, … so the next is 6×7 = 42.) Looking at how the differences change unlocks most sequence questions.
Liam says: “I should take an umbrella today, because the sky is grey.” Which assumption is Liam's argument relying on?
Choose an answer to see how it’s worked out.That's it.
Close — find the missing link in the argument.
An assumption is the unstated idea an argument needs to work. Liam jumps from “the sky is grey” to “take an umbrella”, and that only follows if a grey sky means rain is likely. The other options might be true, but the argument doesn't depend on them.
A school noticed that students who eat breakfast score higher on tests. The principal concludes that eating breakfast causes the higher scores. Which statement, if true, would most weaken this conclusion?
Choose an answer to see how it’s worked out.That's it.
Close — look for another possible cause.
The principal assumes breakfast itself lifts scores. If breakfast-eaters also sleep more and study more, those habits — not the breakfast — could be the real cause. Pointing to another possible explanation is the strongest way to weaken a “this caused that” claim.
Every trophy in the cabinet is gold. Every gold trophy has the school's name on it. Which statement must be true?
Choose an answer to see how it’s worked out.That's it.
Close — follow the chain, don't reverse it.
Follow the links: every cabinet trophy is gold, and every gold trophy has the school's name — so every cabinet trophy must have the school's name. The other options reverse the chain (which isn't allowed) or contradict it. Only what the statements force to be true can be the answer.
Three friends — Nina, Omar and Pip — each chose a different fruit: an apple, a banana and a cherry. Nina did not choose the banana. Omar chose the cherry. Which fruit did Pip choose?
Choose an answer to see how it’s worked out.That's it.
Close — start with the clue you're sure of.
Start with the certain clue: Omar chose the cherry, so Nina and Pip share the apple and banana. Nina didn't choose the banana, so Nina has the apple — which leaves the banana for Pip. Locking in the definite fact first, then eliminating, cracks these grids.
How to prepare
There are no shortcuts and no secret tricks — but there is a calm, honest way to build real reasoning over time.
It can’t be crammed. Thinking Skills isn’t a school subject, so there are no facts to revise the night before. The only real preparation is practising the reasoning itself, a little at a time.
Understanding, not tricks. Practise reasoning your child can explain back to you. If they can say why an answer is right, the skill will travel to a question they’ve never seen.
Meet the question types early. Much of the difficulty is simply unfamiliarity. Once a child recognises an ordering puzzle or an assumption question, it stops being frightening.
Slow down to read. Most mistakes come from missing a single word — ‘not’, ‘only’, ‘must’. Teach your child to read the question twice before touching an option.
Talk through everyday logic. Board games, riddles and ‘how do you know?’ conversations build the same reasoning the test rewards, without a worksheet in sight.
Start from the truth. A free assessment finds your child’s actual level in reasoning, so time goes to the gaps that matter — not what they can already do.
A note on past papers
The NSW Department of Education does not release recent OC or Selective test papers. Be wary of anyone selling “real Thinking Skills past papers”. Every question your child sees on Hootbrook is written by educators in the current test format and checked before it is used — so your child practises the real thing, not a leak.
Where Thinking Skills is tested
Thinking Skills is a section within two NSW tests. These guides explain each test in full — when it’s sat, what else is on it, and how the whole thing fits together.
Section guides: Thinking Skills · Mathematical Reasoning · Reading · Writing
Thinking Skills — frequently asked
What is the Thinking Skills test?
Thinking Skills is one section of the NSW OC and Selective tests. It assesses critical and logical reasoning — working things out from clues, spotting assumptions, judging arguments and finding patterns — rather than knowledge of any school subject.
Which tests include Thinking Skills?
Both the NSW Opportunity Class (OC) test, sat in Year 4, and the NSW Selective High School Placement Test, sat in Year 6, include a Thinking Skills section. It is done on a computer as part of each test.
Why do families find Thinking Skills the hardest section to prepare for?
Because it isn’t tied to a subject you can revise. There are no times tables or spelling lists to learn — the questions test reasoning itself, in formats most children have never seen before. That makes it feel unpredictable, but it responds well to steady, understanding-first practice.
What kinds of questions are in Thinking Skills?
Common types include deduction and ordering puzzles, number and figure patterns, identifying an argument’s hidden assumption, judging cause and effect, choosing what would strengthen or weaken an argument, and drawing valid conclusions from given statements.
Can you actually study for Thinking Skills?
You can’t memorise it, but you can absolutely prepare. The reliable way is to practise the reasoning a little and often, learn to recognise each question type, and always be able to explain why an answer is right — so the skill transfers to new questions.
Is Thinking Skills the same in the OC and Selective tests?
The question types are similar, but the Selective version is pitched at a Year 6 level and is generally more demanding than the OC version, which is sat in Year 4. Practising at the right level for your child’s stage matters.
Are there real Thinking Skills past papers?
No. The NSW Department of Education does not release recent OC or Selective test papers, so be cautious of anyone selling ‘real past papers’. The honest way to prepare is genuine practice in the current test format — which is exactly what Hootbrook provides.
See how your child reasons today
Start with the free assessment. It finds your child’s true level in reasoning and every other section, so preparation begins from the truth — not a guess.