The idea to take away
The useful outcome of practice is knowing what to try next. Review the reasoning behind both mistakes and lucky guesses before adding more questions.
Start with a manageable piece of practice
Choose a short passage, a handful of reasoning questions or a writing prompt. Agree on what your child will practise, such as finding evidence in a passage or drawing a model for a worded problem. A full practice test is not necessary for every session.
This guide focuses on preparation habits for the NSW selective-school pathway. Use the NSW Department of Education's official practice materials to become familiar with the current test. Check the department's website for format and application information; requirements elsewhere may differ.
Record the thinking before opening the answer
Ask your child to mark questions they guessed or felt unsure about. A correct guess is still worth reviewing. Before checking an answer, ask: ‘What made that option seem right?’ and ‘Which information did you use?’
Keep the conversation curious. A wrong answer can come from misreading a condition, missing evidence, choosing an unsuitable method or rushing a calculation. Those are different difficulties and need different next steps. Simply telling a child to concentrate does not identify which one occurred.
Use a small example to separate a rule from an assumption
Try this original reasoning example: ‘Every member of the library club has a library card. Alex has a library card. Must Alex be a member of the library club?’ The answer is no. The rule tells us something about club members, but does not say that only club members can have cards.
If your child answered yes, draw a large circle for card holders and a smaller circle inside it for club members. Alex belongs in the large circle, but the information does not tell us whether Alex is in the smaller one. Ask your child to explain that difference in their own words. This example is for practice, not a past placement-test question.
Write a useful note instead of copying the solution
An error note can be brief: what I assumed, what the question actually said, and what I will check next time. For the library example, it might read: ‘I reversed the rule. Next time I will check whether it says all members have cards or all card holders are members.’
For reading, the note might point to evidence that rules out an option. For writing, it might identify where the response drifted from the prompt. Keep the note specific enough that your child can use it on a new task without needing the original solution beside them.
Return to the skill after a break
Choose a different question that tests the same idea and try it later. Ask your child to explain the choice, not just announce the answer. Once the method is more secure, timed practice can help identify where pacing becomes difficult.
Keep the workload proportionate to school, reading, activities and rest. If practice repeatedly becomes upsetting, reduce the task and discuss a more manageable approach with your child's teacher or tutor. Preparation should not depend on a promised placement result, and tutoring is not required to apply.
Your turn
Check the direction of the rule
Every student in the chess team attends lunchtime practice. Sam attends lunchtime practice. Does the statement prove that Sam is in the chess team? Explain your answer.
Show the explanation
No. Other students might also attend lunchtime practice. Knowing that every team member attends does not tell us that every attendee is a team member. Draw the groups or describe a counterexample to explain why.