Year 3 is the first NAPLAN. Below are six practice questions at the Year 3 level, three numeracy and three grammar and punctuation, from the questions most children get right to the ones that decide Exceeding.
WhenEvery March at school. The 2027 test window is 10 to 22 March.
The testsWriting, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. Year 3 sits writing on paper, 40 minutes; the other three are online.
TimingNumeracy 45 minutes and reading 45 minutes. The online tests are tailored: how a child does in the first part decides how hard the next part is.
ResultsFour proficiency levels for each test: Exceeding, Strong, Developing, and Needs additional support.
Six practice questions, easy to hard
Try each one before opening the answer: the working shows the step where a wrong answer usually goes wrong.
1 · NAPLAN Year 3 · Numeracy · Warm-up
Some paper strips were measured with cubes. Which strip is the longest?
A
B
C
D
Show the answer and the working
Answer: A
Count the cubes under each strip: A 10, B 7, C 4, D 9. A has the most cubes.
Fastest method: Count the units from one end to the other. Where a thing starts does not change how long it is.
The trap: choosing the strip that reaches furthest to the right, without counting the cubes
2 · NAPLAN Year 3 · Grammar and punctuation · Warm-up
That was the ____ movie I have ever watched. Which answer completes this sentence correctly?
scariest
most scariest
scarier
more scary
Show the answer and the working
Answer: A (scariest)
"scariest": That was the scariest movie I have ever watched. One is picked out from a whole group ("of all", "in the world", "ever"), so the word takes -est or "most" (but never both).
Fastest method: Is the sentence comparing TWO things ('than')? Use -er or more: bigger, more exciting. Is it picking ONE out of a whole group ('the ... of all', 'in the world', 'ever')? Use -est or most: biggest, most exciting. Long words use more and most. Never use both (more bigger).
The trap: doubling up (more bigger, most tallest) or using -est when only two things are compared
3 · NAPLAN Year 3 · Numeracy · Middle of the paper
Ruby has 4 stamps. Hana has three times as many stamps as Ruby. How many stamps does Hana have?
12
7
8
16
Show the answer and the working
Answer: A (12)
Three times as many means 3 groups of 4: 3 × 4 = 12.
Fastest method: Draw the story as groups: how many groups, and how many in each group? Equal groups multiply; sharing divides.
The trap: adding 3 instead of making 3 groups
4 · NAPLAN Year 3 · Grammar and punctuation · Middle of the paper
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
We need glue, scissors and coloured paper for our project.
We need, glue, scissors and coloured paper for our project.
We need glue, scissors and, coloured paper for our project.
We need glue scissors and coloured paper for our project.
Show the answer and the working
Answer: A (We need glue, scissors and coloured paper for our project.)
Correct: We need glue, scissors and coloured paper for our project. A comma goes between the things in the list, and the last two are joined by 'and' with no comma. No comma goes straight after the doing word, after 'and', or after the last thing in the list.
Fastest method: First find the list and mark where each thing starts and ends (a thing can be more than one word, like 'a big red tractor'). Put a comma between the things, then 'and' before the last one. Nothing goes between the verb and the first thing.
The trap: a comma straight after the verb (I packed, a towel ...), a comma after 'and', or no commas at all
5 · NAPLAN Year 3 · Numeracy · The hard end
The graph shows how far Grace ran each day in a week.
On how many days did Grace run at least 8 kilometres?
1
5
2
3
Show the answer and the working
Answer: C (2)
'At least 8' means 8 or more. The days with 8 or more: Thursday, Friday. That is 2 days.
Fastest method: Use a ruler across from the top of each column to the scale; the lines without numbers are the odd numbers. Then read the question again.
The trap: leaving out the days with exactly 8, or counting the days with less
6 · NAPLAN Year 3 · Grammar and punctuation · The hard end
The puppies wont stop barking. Which word in this sentence is missing an apostrophe?
puppies
barking
stop
wont
Show the answer and the working
Answer: D (wont)
"wont" should be "won't", short for "will not". The apostrophe goes where letters were left out. The other words are not short forms: a word that just means more than one (birds, cups) never needs an apostrophe.
Fastest method: Say the two long words (did not, I will, what is). The apostrophe sits exactly where the missing letters were: did not -> didn't (the o is missing). Words that only mean more than one, like birds or cups, never take an apostrophe.
The trap: leaving the apostrophe out (dont, Whats), or putting it where the two words join instead of where the letters are missing (did'nt)
Numeracy: place value, adding and subtracting with regrouping, early multiplication and division, money, time, length and mass, shapes, position, tables and chance.
Grammar and punctuation: sentence boundaries and capital letters, question marks, apostrophes, verb tenses, comparing words (bigger, biggest), joining words.
Reading and writing are practised on the site too: reading on passages of the official length, and a weekly writing piece marked on the official rubric.
How the practice works
A free diagnostic first: it finds the skills not yet held and names the step behind every miss.
Then every week: a 20-question practice paper on those skills, a mock on Saturday on the real clock, and a report to you on Sunday.
Marked by code; a wrong answer is worked through step by step before the right one is shown.
Questions parents ask
Is NAPLAN Year 3 on paper or online?
Writing is on paper in Year 3. Reading, conventions of language and numeracy are online.
How much practice does a Year 3 child need?
Little and often works better than long sittings. Here the week is one 20-question practice paper on the skills not yet held, and a mock on Saturday.
Are these real NAPLAN questions?
No. No NAPLAN test item is reproduced. Each question is an original variation, calibrated on the official item descriptors and the share of children who got each real item right.