Thinking Skills Mock Test 15: 2026 NSW Selective Format

Master the new Janison-style Thinking Skills exam with our comprehensive 40-question mock test. Designed specifically for students targeting top-tier NSW Selective High Schools.

Duration

40 Minutes

Format

2026 NSW Format

Questions

40 multiple-choice

Level

Official Selective Test Level

Skills Covered in this Test

This mock test mirrors the official weightings of the NSW Department of Education exam.

The breakdown

  • Finding Procedures: Identifying the correct sequence or steps to reach an outcome.
  • Additional Evidence: Strengthening and weakening arguments with new information.
  • Spatial Reasoning: Visualising and manipulating shapes, positions, and arrangements.
  • Seating Arrangements: Deducing who sits where from ordering and constraint clues.
  • Drawing a Conclusion: Logic-based deduction and inference from given premises.
  • Detecting Reasoning Errors: Identifying flaws, assumptions, and gaps in arguments.

Sample Questions from Test 15

The first two questions of this mock test (same order and wording as the timed exam).

Thinking Skills

Ivan, Jen and Kim each have 18 tokens. They take turns in that order (Ivan, then Jen, then Kim). On an even s…

Question 1 · Multiple choice

Question

Ivan, Jen and Kim each have 18 tokens. They take turns in that order (Ivan, then Jen, then Kim). On an even spin you give that many tokens to each of the other two people; on an odd spin you receive that many tokens from each of the other two. Ivan spins 2. Jen spins 3. Kim spins last. They finish with Ivan on 13, Jen on 28, and Kim on 13. What number did Kim spin?

Options

  • A. 1
  • B. 2
  • C. 3
  • D. 4

Correct answer

B. 2

Explanation

Everyone starts with 18 tokens. Ivan spins 2. Since 2 is even, Ivan gives 2 tokens to Jen and 2 tokens to Kim. So Ivan loses 4 altogether. New totals: Ivan 14, Jen 20, Kim 20 Jen spins 3. Since 3 is odd, Jen receives 3 tokens from Ivan and 3 from Kim. So Jen gains 6 altogether. New totals: Ivan 11, Jen 26, Kim 17 Now test Kim's possible spin. To finish on 13, 28 and 13, Kim must lose 4 altogether, while Ivan and Jen each gain 2. That happens when Kim spins 2, because 2 is even and she gives 2 to each of the other two. Check: Ivan 11 + 2 = 13 Jen 26 + 2 = 28 Kim 17 - 4 = 13 So Kim spun 2.

Thinking Skills

A councillor argued that widening the pavement would reduce crowding because people would spread out. Which o…

Question 2 · Multiple choice

Question

A councillor argued that widening the pavement would reduce crowding because people would spread out. Which one of these, if true, most strengthens the argument?

Options

  • A. Widening costs money.
  • B. Wider pavements elsewhere saw crowding fall.
  • C. Some prefer narrow streets.
  • D. Widening takes time.

Correct answer

B. Wider pavements elsewhere saw crowding fall.

Explanation

The councillor's idea is that widening the pavement will reduce crowding because people will have more space to spread out. To strengthen this argument, we want evidence that wider pavements have already reduced crowding in other places. If wider pavements elsewhere saw crowding fall, that strongly supports the claim. It shows that the same kind of change can really improve how people move through an area. The other options are weaker: cost does not show whether the idea works, some people preferring narrow streets does not support the claim, and the work taking time is not evidence about the result. So the strongest answer is the evidence from places where crowding fell after pavements were widened.

Core Competencies

Additional EvidenceData SufficiencyDetecting Reasoning ErrorsDrawing a ConclusionEvaluating HypothesesFinding ProceduresIdentifying SimilarityLogical DeductionMatching ArgumentsRelevant SelectionsSeating ArrangementsSpatial ReasoningSyllogismsTruth/Liar Puzzles

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