A guide for parents

NSW Selective & OC practice. Find your next step.

Start with the exam your child is preparing for, then choose a skill to revisit. MistakeBook helps families turn individual mistakes into explanations, focused practice and a record of learning.

The NSW Selective High School Placement Test includes reading, mathematical reasoning, thinking skills and writing. The Opportunity Class Placement Test includes the first three areas, without writing. MistakeBook supports parts of that preparation; it is not a complete mock-test platform.

Create parent account

Which subjects should we practise?

Use the official NSW resources to understand the whole test. Use the links below to see the specific practice available in MistakeBook.

NSW exam areas and current MistakeBook support
Test area	Selective	OC	MistakeBook today
Mathematical reasoning	Included	Included	Supported maths questions, explanations and checked practice
Thinking Skills	Included	Included	Selected verbal and argument skills; see the current scope
Writing	Included	Not included	Six foundation lessons, drafts and AI learning feedback
Reading	Included	Included	No complete reading preparation module

Exam information source: NSW Department of Education. Official links are provided below; check them for current formats and arrangements.

Choose a focused practice session

Maths practice

MistakeBook helps families review supported maths questions, including fractions, geometry and word problems. Upload a complete question to get an explanation and, when available, a short set of checked practice questions.

Explore practice & an example 02

Thinking Skills

MistakeBook currently offers checked practice for selected Thinking Skills areas: argument flaws, synonyms, and main idea and conclusion. Hidden assumptions have analysis and explanation only. Spatial rotation, folding and complex image matrices are not supported.

Explore practice & an example 03

Selective writing

Writing Studio offers six introductory lessons, draft writing or import, and AI learning feedback. It uses general writing methods in the context of public NSW Selective requirements. It does not provide official exam marks or predict placement outcomes.

Explore practice & an example

A small routine you can repeat

Choose one difficult question. Keep its passage, diagram and answer options together.
Ask your child to explain their thinking. Compare it with the worked explanation.
Try a different question on the same idea, when checked practice is available.
Come back later. Look for understanding across different questions and days.

What a progress record can tell you

First-answer accuracy and skill-level records help identify what to revisit. Repeating the same familiar question is recorded separately from answering a new question. A few answers are a starting point for a conversation, not a reliable forecast of exam performance.

For writing, compare a child's own drafts and discuss one change at a time. AI feedback, completion indicators and growth badges describe practice evidence; they are not official marks or admission predictions.

See how MistakeBook tracks learning

Before you begin

What is MistakeBook?

MistakeBook is an online learning tool for families preparing for NSW Selective and Opportunity Class exams. It combines maths mistake review, selected Thinking Skills practice, writing foundations and a private learning record.

Where should we start?

Try the public worked examples below, then create a parent account. Bring one complete maths or supported Thinking Skills question, or start a draft in Writing Studio. Review the explanation and choose one thing to practise.

Are uploaded questions added to a public question bank?

No. Family uploads are used for private learning analysis and practice tracking, not to create a public question bank. Upload only material you have permission to use. See our privacy and upload policies for details.

Does MistakeBook replace a complete exam course?

It is a focused practice companion. It does not cover every exam section or question type, and it does not predict scores or admission. AI can make mistakes; check explanations together and use the official NSW resources for exam information.

Official NSW exam resources

These sources explain the exams and provide official practice resources. MistakeBook's worked examples are original teaching material, not copied exam papers. MistakeBook is independent and is not affiliated with the NSW Department of Education.