Year 7 is the first NAPLAN in high school and the first with a calculator: the numeracy test is 65 minutes, online and adaptive, with a calculator-allowed section first and a short non-calculator section at the end. The strand is Australian Curriculum Year 7: integers, fractions, decimals and percentages, ratio and rates, the first algebra (expressions, substitution, one-step and two-step equations), area and volume, angles, the Cartesian plane, mean, median and range, and probability as a fraction. This practice test has 30 questions in the NAPLAN styles, in the same two sections, with the answer and a one-line reason for each and a printable PDF. Give your child 45 minutes, then mark it together.
Download the Year 7 NAPLAN numeracy practice test as a PDF (30 questions, answer key with explanations, A4, free). The same 30 questions are below.
The Year 7 NAPLAN numeracy practice test
Time: 45 minutes. Questions 1 to 22: calculator allowed. Questions 23 to 30: no calculator. Choose one answer for each question.
1. −8 + 5 = ?
A. −13 · B. −3 · C. 3 · D. 13
2. 7 − (−4) = ?
A. 3 · B. −11 · C. 11 · D. −3
3. 3 + 4 × 5 = ?
A. 35 · B. 23 · C. 27 · D. 60
4. 0.6 written as a fraction in simplest form is
A. 6/10 · B. 3/5 · C. 6/100 · D. 2/3
5. 45% of 80 = ?
A. 35 · B. 36 · C. 40 · D. 45
6. Two amounts are in the ratio 3 : 5 and add to 40. What is the smaller amount?
A. 15 · B. 25 · C. 8 · D. 24
7. A $60 shirt is reduced by 25%. What is the sale price?
A. $35 · B. $45 · C. $48 · D. $15
8. Which is the better buy: 500 g for $4.00 or 750 g for $5.70?
A. 500 g pack · B. 750 g pack · C. They cost the same per gram · D. It cannot be worked out
9. Simplify 4a + 3b − a + 2b
A. 3a + 5b · B. 5a + 5b · C. 3a + b · D. 7ab
10. Solve 3x + 4 = 19
A. x = 5 · B. x = 7 · C. x = 15 · D. x = 23/3
11. What is the value of 2n − 3 when n = 7?
A. 11 · B. 14 · C. 4 · D. 17
12. A triangle has base 10 cm and height 6 cm. Its area is
A. 60 cm² · B. 30 cm² · C. 16 cm² · D. 32 cm²
13. A box is 5 cm by 4 cm by 3 cm. Its volume is
A. 12 cm³ · B. 60 cm³ · C. 47 cm³ · D. 94 cm³
14. A parallelogram has sides of 7 cm and 4 cm. Its perimeter is
A. 11 cm · B. 22 cm · C. 28 cm · D. 14 cm
15. Two straight lines cross. One of the angles is 35°. The angle vertically opposite it is
A. 35° · B. 55° · C. 145° · D. 325°
16. The point (−3, 2) is in which quadrant?
A. First · B. Second · C. Third · D. Fourth
17. The mean of 4, 8, 5, 7, 6 is
A. 5 · B. 6 · C. 7 · D. 30
18. The median of 3, 9, 4, 8, 6 is
A. 4 · B. 6 · C. 8 · D. 9
19. The range of 12, 5, 9, 20, 7 is
A. 15 · B. 12 · C. 20 · D. 8
20. A fair die is rolled once. The probability of a number greater than 4 is
A. 1/3 · B. 1/2 · C. 2/3 · D. 1/6
21. √81 + 2³ = ?
A. 17 · B. 89 · C. 15 · D. 20
22. A car travels 180 km in 2.5 hours. Its average speed is
A. 72 km/h · B. 90 km/h · C. 60 km/h · D. 450 km/h
23. 2/3 + 1/6 = ?
A. 3/9 · B. 5/6 · C. 1/2 · D. 3/6
24. 0.25 × 12 = ?
A. 3 · B. 4 · C. 30 · D. 0.3
25. 15% of 200 = ?
A. 15 · B. 30 · C. 3 · D. 20
26. −4 × (−6) = ?
A. −24 · B. 24 · C. −10 · D. 10
27. 5² − 3² = ?
A. 4 · B. 16 · C. 34 · D. 64
28. 12.5 ÷ 0.5 = ?
A. 6.25 · B. 25 · C. 2.5 · D. 62.5
29. Simplify 6x ÷ 2
A. 3x · B. 4x · C. 3 · D. 12x
30. Round 3.4567 to two decimal places
A. 3.45 · B. 3.46 · C. 3.5 · D. 3.457
Answers, with the reason
| No. | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B −3 | Start at −8 and count up 5: −3. |
| 2 | C 11 | Subtracting a negative is adding: 7 + 4 = 11. |
| 3 | B 23 | Multiply first: 4 × 5 = 20, then 3 + 20 = 23. |
| 4 | B 3/5 | 0.6 = 6/10 = 3/5. |
| 5 | B 36 | 0.45 × 80 = 36. |
| 6 | A 15 | 8 parts = 40, one part = 5, so 3 parts = 15. |
| 7 | B $45 | 25% of 60 is 15; 60 − 15 = 45. |
| 8 | B 750 g pack | Per 100 g: 80c against 76c. |
| 9 | A 3a + 5b | 4a − a = 3a; 3b + 2b = 5b. |
| 10 | A x = 5 | 3x = 15, so x = 5. |
| 11 | A 11 | 2 × 7 − 3 = 11. |
| 12 | B 30 cm² | Half of base × height: ½ × 10 × 6 = 30. |
| 13 | B 60 cm³ | 5 × 4 × 3 = 60. |
| 14 | B 22 cm | 7 + 4 + 7 + 4 = 22. |
| 15 | A 35° | Vertically opposite angles are equal. |
| 16 | B Second | x negative, y positive: top left, the second quadrant. |
| 17 | B 6 | Total 30, five numbers, 30 ÷ 5 = 6. |
| 18 | B 6 | In order: 3, 4, 6, 8, 9; the middle value is 6. |
| 19 | A 15 | Largest − smallest: 20 − 5 = 15. |
| 20 | A 1/3 | 5 and 6: 2 of 6 outcomes = 1/3. |
| 21 | A 17 | 9 + 8 = 17. |
| 22 | A 72 km/h | 180 ÷ 2.5 = 72. |
| 23 | B 5/6 | 2/3 = 4/6; 4/6 + 1/6 = 5/6. |
| 24 | A 3 | A quarter of 12 is 3. |
| 25 | B 30 | 10% is 20, 5% is 10, total 30. |
| 26 | B 24 | Negative × negative = positive. |
| 27 | B 16 | 25 − 9 = 16. |
| 28 | B 25 | How many halves in 12.5: 25. |
| 29 | A 3x | 6 ÷ 2 = 3, keep the x. |
| 30 | B 3.46 | The third decimal is 6, so round up: 3.46. |
What the score means for a Year 7 child
| Score out of 30 | What it usually means | What to do before March |
|---|---|---|
| 26 to 30 | Working at or above the Year 7 strand; on the adaptive test this child is branched to the harder set | Practise the harder set: multi-step percentage and ratio problems, algebra with negatives, timed |
| 20 to 25 | Solid; one or two topics wobbling (usually negatives, ratio, or the algebra) | Group the wrong answers by topic and fix the topic; four weeks of two classes a week |
| 13 to 19 | Gaps in the strand, often fractions and percentages carried over from primary | A term on the Year 7 strand in the school's order, with fraction and decimal fluency first |
| under 13 | Working below Year 7 in numeracy | Start from the Year 5 and 6 strands; tell the school; treat March as a checkpoint |
Where Year 7 children lose marks
- Negatives. 7 − (−4) and −4 × (−6) are answered by feel. The number line and the sign rules take two classes to make automatic.
- Ratio as a sharing problem. "3 : 5 adds to 40" needs the parts idea (8 parts, 5 each); children who divide 40 by 3 have not met it.
- The non-calculator section. After 22 questions with a calculator, 2/3 + 1/6 and 12.5 ÷ 0.5 by hand catch children who have stopped doing mental maths. Ten minutes a week of mental practice for a term is the fix.
- Reading the algebra. "The value of 2n − 3 when n = 7" is substitution, not solving; the two are confused in Year 7 more than in any other year.
How we prepare Year 7 students for NAPLAN
Two 1-on-1 classes a week from Term 4 on the Year 7 strand in the school's order, then the two-section format with timed practice in February. Year 7 numeracy is also where the Year 8 and 9 algebra is decided, so the standard we teach to is the top of the strand. The first 30-minute class is free; bring this test, marked. Details on the NAPLAN tutoring online page; the Year 9 test is the next one up.
Questions parents ask
1How many questions are in the Year 7 NAPLAN numeracy test?
2Where are the official NAPLAN past papers?
3Is this the real NAPLAN 2027 test?
4My child scored under 20. Is that bad?
See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →
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