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NAPLAN preparation | Learn, see, try

Prepare by understanding, not by rushing

Start with one question you can discuss. These free examples introduce Numeracy, Reading and Conventions of Language for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Choose your year below for a more focused starting point.

Adaptigo is an independent learning platform, not affiliated with or endorsed by ACARA. These original NAPLAN-style examples are not official test questions or results.

Read: The book swap

The school book swap opens at lunchtime on Thursday. Bring one book you have finished reading. Students who do not bring a book may still browse the display, but they cannot take a book home.

You can reread this original passage while answering.

What to notice

Different questions ask for different kinds of evidence. A number problem needs a relationship between quantities. A reading answer needs support in the passage. An editing question needs a rule that fits the whole sentence.

What to do

Read the question before choosing an option. Use Help if you need a starting point, check your answer, then read the explanation even when you were correct. Try to describe the method without looking at the options.

Why it works

An explanation helps separate a method you understand from a lucky choice. If an answer is wrong, identify the exact step that needs attention: finding information, choosing an operation, or checking a sentence.

Work through an example

Three notebooks cost $4 each. What is the total cost?

  1. Each notebook contributes another $4. The groups are equal.
  2. Add $4 + $4 + $4, or multiply 3 by $4, to get $12.
  3. Check the units: the answer is a cost in dollars, not a number of notebooks.

Guided practice and a timed simulator

Adaptigo offers guided NAPLAN-style practice and a separate timed simulator for Numeracy, Reading and Conventions of Language. In the simulator you can move between questions, flag items and review answers after submission. Simulator lengths and practice percentages are Adaptigo settings, not official test specifications or predicted NAPLAN results. Use untimed learning first when a concept is unfamiliar.

Writing: guidance, not automated assessment

For writing preparation, choose a purpose and audience, plan a short sequence of ideas, draft, then reread for meaning and punctuation. Ask a teacher or trusted adult to discuss whether the writing communicates clearly. This public area does not automatically assess writing, award official proficiency levels or provide an official-equivalent writing score.

A common mistake

Completing many questions quickly can hide the same misunderstanding. Pause after a mistake and practise the underlying skill before trying another timed session.

A strategy to try

Choose a year page for a short mixed sample, or a domain page to work on a particular kind of reasoning. End by explaining one thing you would do differently next time.

Try it now

Try three questions

No account is needed. These examples do not change saved learning progress. Choose an answer and check it for an explanation; you can try again.

Year 3 · Numeracy

1. Four pens cost $2 each. What is their total cost?
Help: a starting point

Identify how many pens there are and the cost of one pen.

Help: the next step

Count four equal groups of $2.

Year 5 · Reading

2. According to the book-swap notice, what may a student without a book do?
Help: a starting point

Find the sentence about students who do not bring a book.

Help: the next step

Separate what that sentence allows from what it rules out.

Year 3 · Conventions of Language

3. Yesterday Eli ___ to the library.
Help: a starting point

Look for the word that tells you when this happened.

Help: the next step

Choose a complete verb form for an action in the past.

For parents and carers

Keep the first session small and calm. Ask your child to show a clue or calculation rather than defend a score. These selected examples are not a full test or a diagnostic assessment. The related skill guides below offer a useful next step when an explanation reveals a gap.

Ready for more practice?

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