NAPLAN Year 3 Online Preparation, Tips & Free Practice Questions – 2025

NAPLAN Year 3 Test

What Is the NAPLAN Year 3 Exam?

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) runs the National Assessment Program (NAP), which provides yearly student assessments. In particular, the NAPLAN test focuses on assessing students’ literacy and numeracy knowledge in years 3, 5, 7, and 9.

The ACARA NAPLAN year 3 exam is the first-time students will encounter the NAPLAN test, so it is essential to ensure that the students prepare. While NAPLAN practice will happen throughout the year in the classroom, parents should also help their children with schoolwork at home to better prepare them for the NAPLAN test.

 

NAPLAN Year 3 Test Sections:

Writing

The first ACARA NAPLAN section is the writing section. Students will take the NAPLAN year 3 writing test on paper, though the rest of the sections will be online. Students will have 40 minutes to respond to a prompt to expand on a specific idea or topic.

Because students at this age are still learning to write, the NAPLAN year 3 writing prompt will also include examples or suggestions of characters and objects they can use. They will also receive things to consider including in the story, such as how the story will end, and things to remember, such as checking their spelling and writing in complete sentences.

ACARA NAPLAN practice tests are an excellent resource for viewing sample writing prompts, so the students know what to expect on the actual ACARA NAPLAN exam.

 

Sample Question:

Imagine that you are walking through the woods when you find something unexpected. Write a narrative (story) about what you saw and what happened after you found it.

You can use the following characters and objects, or you can make up your own:

  • Characters:
    • An Owl
    • An old woman
    • A tree
    • A young boy
  • Objects:
    • A house
    • A picnic basket
    • A rock
    • A bed

While writing the story, think about:

  • How you meet the characters
  • What you found and why it was unexpected
  • How the story ends

Remember to:

  • Pay attention to your spelling and punctuation
  • Write in full sentences
  • Read the story back to make sure it makes sense
  • Edit your writing

 

Reading

Next, students will take the NAPLAN year 3 reading exam. They will have 45 minutes to read several passages and answer questions. The questions will ask the students to use context clues to decipher words, make inferences based on what they read, and identify specific things about the text. Online NAPLAN practice tests will have sample reading questions to better prepare the students for the exam.

 

Sample Question:

After checking the weather forecast, Mr. Johnson grabbed an umbrella when he left for school. (paragraph 1).

This sentence shows that Mr. Johnson

  1. feels hot.
  2. thinks it is going to rain.
  3. feels cold.
  4. has children.

 

Answer: B

 

Language Conventions

The third section of the ACARA NAPLAN test will be language conventions and will examine the students’ grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and they will have 45 minutes to complete the exam.

The NAPLAN year 3 language questions will combine multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. For example, the student may need to provide the correct spelling for a word, select the right word choice, or identify the sentence with proper grammar and punctuation. NAPLAN practice tests and other online practice resources will provide excellent examples of the different question types on this exam.

 

Sample Question:

There is one spelling mistake in the following sentence. Write the correct spelling of the word.

We like to go swiming in the summer.

 

Answer: Swimming

 

Numeracy

Numeracy will be the last section of the ACARA NAPLAN year 3 exam. Students will have 45 minutes to answer questions about numeracy, basic operations, shape identification, pattern identification, and chart and graph interpretation.

Because this is their first year taking this type of numeracy exam, it is an excellent idea to use NAPLAN preparation materials such as ACARA NAPLAN practice tests to familiarize them with the content and format.

 

Sample Question:

Johnny has more than 10 colored pencils but less than 15 colored pencils. Which of these could be the number of colored pencils that Johnny has?

  1. 10
  2. 14
  3. 15
  4. 16

 

Answer: 14

 

How to Prepare for the NAPLAN Year 3 Test?

The best way for year 3 students to prepare for the NAPLAN assessment is to complete their schoolwork throughout the year and to use online NAPLAN preparation such as NAPLAN practice tests. While ACARA does not recommend intense studying for students taking the NAPLAN, familiarizing the student with the content and the format is the best way to prepare.

The content on the test will be the work the student completes throughout the year. Therefore, keeping up with schoolwork and ensuring that the student understands the material is the best way to study the exam’s content.

NAPLAN also provides online practice resources for parents and students to give them a better understanding of the format of the exam. These include study guides, NAPLAN practice tests, and past NAPLAN tests with answers. Online practice will let students know what to expect and will boost their confidence for the test. The NAPLAN practice tests will also help students rehearse their timing, which is imperative for the exam.

Students who study for the exam using NAPLAN practice tests and other NAPLAN preparation are more likely to do well on the test than their peers who did not do any online ACARA NAPLAN practice.