NAPLAN Test Online Preparation & Practice Materials – 2025

NAPLAN Exam

What Is the NAPLAN Test?

The National Assessment Program (NAP) manages the Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and consists of several national and international school tests in Australia. The online ACARA NAPLAN exam covers literacy and numeracy for schoolchildren in years 3, 5, 7, and 9. Students will take the exam once each school year, typically in the Spring.

According to ACARA, there are several other benefits associated with students taking the NAPLAN test:

  • Students and parents can use the results as a starting point to discuss progress with teachers and compare their performance against their peers.
  • Teachers can identify which students may need extra support and which ones may need to be more challenged.
  • Schools can track student progress, set goals, and identify strengths and weaknesses in their programs.
  • School systems and governments can use the data to improve schools and support good teaching and learning.

 

NAPLAN Test Sections

The ACARA NAPLAN test consists of four domains. The order of the topics is consistent no matter the year you are in; however, the time limits and difficulty of the test questions will vary. Here is what the student can generally expect during the NAPLAN exam.

 

Writing

The first test they will take is the writing exam. Students in all grade levels will start their writing exam on day one and have 40 to 42 minutes to complete the test. The exam will provide a writing prompt with a topic or idea the student must respond to. There will be directions on what genre of writing they will need to produce, such as a narrative piece or persuasive writing. ACARA NAPLAN practice tests will give example prompts to give a better idea of what to expect on the exam.

 

Reading

Next will be the reading test. Students can expect to spend 45 to 65 minutes on this exam. Like other reading tests, the ACARA NAPLAN test will present several passages students need to read and answer questions about. The passages will cover a range of imaginative, persuasive, and informative texts.

This test will include a magazine of passages and a packet of test questions. Check out the NAPLAN practice tests to see how the test is formatted beforehand.

 

Language Conventions

The third test to complete is the language conventions exam. This test will take 45 minutes, no matter what year the student is in. This ACARA NAPLAN section will assess the student’s grammar, punctuation, and spelling knowledge. NAPLAN practice tests are an excellent resource for understanding the questions in this test section.

 

Numeracy

The last section on the ACARA NAPLAN test is numeracy. This exam will take between 45 and 65 minutes to complete. The numeracy exam will assess the child’s knowledge of several mathematical subjects and concepts, including:

  • Basic numeracy
  • Measurement
  • Algebra
  • Geometry
  • Statistics
  • Probability

The difficulty of the questions will be grade-appropriate, but students should expect to use the knowledge they have gained in these topic areas and apply those concepts to solve problems. The older students will also have two versions of the numeracy exam to complete, one with a calculator and one without.

It is essential to use NAPLAN practice tests to prepare for the numeracy exam, especially for students who must take a no-calculator section.

 

NAPLAN Test Results

The results of the ACARA NAPLAN test provide teachers and parents with information on how the student is progressing. The results will give the student’s performance on a national achievement scale that shows how well the student did in terms of expectations for both literacy and numeracy in their year. This report will show how the student did compared to others in their school and compared to national standards. The school will also provide an individual report of the student’s test results later in the year.

Remembering that the NAPLAN test scores are just one part of the child’s overall school assessment is important. However, using NAPLAN practice tests and other NAPLAN preparation materials is still essential to ensure you do well on the exam.

 

Tips on How to Pass the NAPLAN Test

Here are a few tips students and parents can follow to help prepare for the NAPLAN exam:

  • Keep up with schoolwork throughout the year. ACARA NAPLAN practice starts on the first day of school. Because the test will cover topics and benchmarks that the student will be learning throughout the year, keeping up with the schoolwork is the best way to ensure they understand and practice the material on the test.
  • Do not stress over the test. The NAPLAN test is meant to be part of the school curriculum for that year and is not a determining factor in your student passing to the next grade level. Ensure the students that they should try to do their best, and their teachers will help familiarize them with what will be on the exam and other NAPLAN preparation materials.
  • Make sure the student is fed and well-rested. Like any standardized exam, having a healthy breakfast and a good night’s sleep can impact test performance. Parents should stress this to students and provide them with the resources needed to be successful.

 

Free Study Guides & Sample Questions by Grade:

 

How to Prepare for the NAPLAN Test?

While ACARA does not recommend intense studying for the NAPLAN test, there are steps students can take to prepare for the assessment. One thing students can do is familiarize themselves with the test format and sample questions online. ACARA provides online practice examples of previous tests, and there are NAPLAN practice tests and other online practice materials that the student can utilize.

Online NAPLAN practice tests can help students by showing them the format they can expect, the types of questions they will need to answer, and a solution key so they can better understand how to answer questions on the actual exam correctly. Working through NAPLAN practice questions will also help students rehearse their timing.

Students who use online practice resources such as NAPLAN practice tests and other NAPLAN practice materials tend to do better on exams. Therefore, ensuring the student has access to these online NAPLAN preparation materials is essential.