How much should my child practise for NAPLAN?

Short, regular practice beats long sessions. Fifteen to twenty minutes a few times a week over a term is plenty for most children.

Should my child do NAPLAN practice tests?

Yes, two or three. One to find gaps, one to check progress and one to practise timing. More than that adds stress without much benefit.

My child gets anxious about NAPLAN. What helps?

Keep the language low-key, make the format familiar with the demonstration site and remind them NAPLAN doesn't affect school grades.

NAPLAN guidesUpdated 24 September 2026Super Sheldon academic team

NAPLAN Tips: How to Prepare Your Child Without the Stress

NAPLAN preparation doesn't need cramming or piles of worksheets. A few focused habits over a term make the biggest difference, and they help at school too. Here's a simple timeline and five NAPLAN hacks that actually work.

In Term 4: find the gaps

Try one practice test. Do it untimed (our NAPLAN tutoring includes NAPLAN-style tests). You're looking for patterns, not a score.
Pick two or three skills to work on. For example: times tables, apostrophes and paragraphing. Small, specific goals work better than "do more English".
Read every day. Fifteen minutes of reading, plus a quick chat about it, builds the comprehension and vocabulary every NAPLAN test depends on.

In January: build the skills

Write once a week. Alternate between a short story and an opinion piece on a fun topic ("Should homework be banned?"). NAPLAN writing uses narrative or persuasive prompts.
Teach a simple structure. For persuasive writing: opinion, three reasons with examples, conclusion. For stories: a clear problem, a turning point and an ending.
Five minutes of mental maths. Quick daily number facts help most in numeracy.
Spell out loud. NAPLAN spelling includes audio dictation, so practising words your child hears (not just sees) helps.

In February: get familiar with the format

Use the official demonstration site. The NAPLAN public demonstration site shows the real online tools, so nothing looks strange on the day.
Practise typing. From Year 5 the writing test is typed. A child who types slowly writes less.
Year 3? Practise by hand. The Year 3 writing test is still on paper.
Try one timed practice. Just one, to get a feel for pacing.

In NAPLAN week: keep it calm

Normal bedtime, a good breakfast and no extra practice the night before
Talk about NAPLAN as "a chance to show what you know", not a big exam
Remind your child it's fine to skip a hard question and come back
Afterwards, ask what they enjoyed, not how they scored

Five quick NAPLAN hacks that actually help

1Read the question twice. Many lost marks come from answering a different question.
2Underline key words in maths problems: total, difference, each, left.
3Plan writing for five minutes. A quick plan produces better structure than starting straight away.
4Check capital letters and full stops at the end of the writing test. They're easy marks.
5Estimate first in numeracy. If the answer doesn't look sensible, check again.

Keep reading

What is NAPLAN? Parent guide NAPLAN tutoring

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