Opportunity class and selective high school placement are often discussed as one thing. They share a calendar and a set of rules, but they are different tests, sat at different ages, for different lengths of placement.
| Opportunity class | Selective high school | |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | Child is in Year 3 | Child is in Year 5 |
| Applications close | Child is in Year 4 | Child is in Year 6 |
| Test sat in | Year 4 | Year 6 |
| Entry year | Year 5 | Year 7 |
| Length of placement | 2 years (Year 5–6) | 6 years (Year 7–12) |
| Test components | Reading · Maths Reasoning · Thinking Skills | Reading · Maths Reasoning · Thinking Skills · Writing |
| Writing task | None | 1 question, 30 minutes, typed |
| Component weighting | Not published | Each section 25% |
The rules that decide outcomes are the same for both, and they are the rules families most often misunderstand.
The Selective test adds a typed writing task worth 25% of the score. That single addition changes what preparation looks like: a student can be strong across three multiple-choice components and still lose a quarter of the available marks.
The second difference is timing. Applying for an opportunity class means deciding in Year 3. Applying for a selective high school means deciding in Year 5. Families who assume both decisions happen in the same year discover the OC window has already closed.
Not at the same time. They are sat two years apart — the OC test in Year 4 and the Selective test in Year 6 — so a child can do both in sequence, but they are separate applications with separate tests.
There is no formal link. Selective high school placement is decided on the Year 6 placement test and the Equity Placement Model, not on whether a student attended an opportunity class. Each application is assessed on its own.
They are not directly comparable. The Selective test adds a fourth component, a typed writing task, and is sat two years later against an older cohort. The OC test has three components and no writing. What makes either difficult is the same thing: the cut-off depends on how the rest of the cohort performs that year, not on a fixed standard.
They run on the same calendar. For the most recently completed cycle, applications for both opened on 6 November 2025 and closed on 20 February 2026. The tests were a week apart — Selective on 1 or 2 May 2026 and OC on 8 or 9 May 2026 — with a shared make-up date of 22 May 2026.
Yes. From the 2027 intake, an equal number of places are available for girls and boys at selective high schools, partially selective high schools, and opportunity classes.
Last reviewed 2 August 2026. Where official materials do not state something clearly, this guide says so rather than fill the gap. Rules and dates change — confirm against the source before acting on them.
