OLNA practice tests help you become comfortable with the test website, the timing and the everyday literacy and numeracy skills you may need to use. SCSA provides public practice and example tests for numeracy, reading and writing.
Open the official OLNA practice and example tests
Start the official OLNA practice and example tests
Practice tests and example tests are different
The portal contains short practice components and longer example tests. Choose between them according to what you need to learn next: the mechanics of the website or the pace of a complete assessment. Starting with the right format makes the result much easier to interpret.
Practice tests: learn how the website works
The short practice test for each component is designed to make the online environment familiar. Reading has 20 multiple-choice questions, numeracy has 20 multiple-choice questions, and writing has one prompt. SCSA allows 20 minutes for each practice component. Use these first if the buttons, navigation, timer or onscreen tools are new to you.
Example tests: experience a complete assessment
The example tests show a wider range of skills and use the full assessment timing. Reading and numeracy each contain 45 multiple-choice questions and allow 50 minutes. Writing has one prompt and allows 60 minutes. The public portal offers two reading examples, two numeracy examples and one writing example.
SCSA says the questions in these practice and example tests will not appear in the OLNA. The skills, text types and prompts can also differ. Treat the material as a guide to the experience and the range of skills, not as a list to learn by heart.
What does OLNA assess?
OLNA has three separate components: reading, writing and numeracy. The minimum standard is based on Level 3 skills from the Australian Core Skills Framework. These are practical skills used in everyday life, study and work. A student may need to sit only the component or components in which they have not already demonstrated the standard.
Reading
Expect to use information from different kinds of texts, including material with tables, diagrams or other visual information. Practise finding a stated fact, drawing an inference and comparing details. When you review a mistake, point to the words or feature in the text that supports the correct answer.
Numeracy
Questions may involve number, measurement, space, data and algebraic representation in practical settings. Write a small amount of working even when you select an answer on screen. Check units, estimate the likely size of the result and decide whether every number in the question is relevant.
Writing
The writing component asks for a typed response to one prompt. Use a few minutes to choose a clear direction and order your ideas. Leave time to read your answer again for missing words, sentence boundaries, spelling and paragraphs. A controlled, relevant response is more useful than writing as much as possible without a plan.
How to prepare for OLNA
Focus on the reading, writing or numeracy component you still need. Use the public material to identify one clear weakness, practise that skill away from the portal and then return under the official time. Progress comes from the work between attempts, not from repeatedly opening the same test.
The unfiltered bottom line
- The public questions will not appear in OLNA. Use them to learn the format and skills, not as a bank of answers to memorise.
- Start with the short practice test. Learn the buttons, timer and onscreen tools before using a full example test to rehearse timing.
- Work on the component still needed. Separate reading, writing and numeracy weaknesses instead of repeating broad practice without a target.
Use a simple preparation sequence
- Complete the short practice test for the component you are preparing for.
- Write down whether the difficulty came from the test website, time pressure or the skill being assessed.
- Work on that specific weakness with ordinary reading, writing or numeracy activities.
- Return to an example test and use the full official time.
- Review the choices you made instead of only counting correct answers.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trying to memorise the public questions as if they will be repeated in OLNA.
- Using a full example test before learning the website through the shorter practice set.
- Spending too long on one reading or numeracy question.
- Starting the writing response without a simple plan or leaving no time to edit.
- Ignoring the specific component that still needs improvement.
Build up to the full example test: begin with the short practice test, work on one clear weakness, then rehearse the timing with a complete example. What you fix between attempts matters more than how many times you open the portal.
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