NAPLAN Year 3: A Complete Guide For Parents

You google “NAPLAN Year 3”, wary that these infamous exams are just around the corner. Naturally, you want the best for your child, which means you have questions! What is NAPLAN? What does it actually test? Where do my child’s results go? Will these grades remain on their permanent record, or impact their selective school prospects? If so, how can I prepare? Fear not! In this complete Year 3 NAPLAN guide, all your questions will finally be answered.

What is NAPLAN?

NAPLAN stands for the National Assessment Program for Literacy And Numeracy. It is an annual, national assessment of all Australian school students in Year 3, 5, 7, and 9. The series of tests administered during NAPLAN are designed to help the Australian government assess whether students are reaching important numeracy and literacy goals. NAPLAN also allows schools to assess the effectiveness of their education programs, and subsequently improve them. In this sense, NAPLAN grades your child’s educators more than it grades your child!

NAPLAN is also designed to assess how an individual child’s academic development compares to that of their peers. If a particular student’s NAPLAN results suggest they are falling behind, parents and teachers can more readily offer them targeted support!

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Ultimately, NAPLAN is designed to help educators improve their learning programs and track the progress of their students. A student’s individual NAPLAN results are not visible on any kind of public transcript or “permanent record”. While ACARA (The Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority) provides these results to both you and your child’s school, they are not accessible to anyone else. This means NAPLAN results are unable to affect your child’s high school transcript, HSC results, or university admissions.

However, some selective schools do require parents to submit their child’s NAPLAN results with their application. If this is a concern you have, it is best to contact the school directly, as all selective schools have different methods of assessing prospective students.

For more information on selective school applications, visit our guide here.

When is Year 3 NAPLAN?

The NAPLAN tests are conducted during Term 1 of the school year, between the 10th and the 30th of March. In 2024, the NAPLAN tests were conducted between the 12th and the 25th of March. In 2024, the NAPLAN tests will be conducted between the 12th and the 25th of March.​

Download your free Year 3 NAPLAN Mock Test

Free Year 3 NAPLAN Mock Test

Get test-ready and practice questions modelled on the NAPLAN test.

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Free Year 3 NAPLAN Mock Test

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Grade in 2025123456789101112

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