Thinking Skills study method

Transfer a method to a new question without waiting for a hint.

Finishing a familiar example is useful practice. A new setting checks whether you can recognise when the method belongs.

Name the method, not the topic

  1. Notice the structure of the new question.
  2. Choose a method that matches: a table, an arrow, a model or a reason link.
  3. Explain why you chose it, then check the result in a second way.

Worked example

You previously used a table to list possible fruit pairs. A new question asks for two different paint colours from red, blue and yellow.

The topic changed from fruit to art, but the structure is still “choose two different items where order does not matter”. Transfer the ordered-search table: red–blue, red–yellow, blue–yellow.

A common error

Looking for a keyword from the earlier question instead of a matching relationship. “Fruit” does not tell you to make a list; “all possible pairs” does.

Independent self-check

After solving, ask: “Could I explain my first step before seeing the answer?” If you needed a prompt, repeat later with a genuinely different context. One successful question alone does not prove independent mastery.

Use the method in practice

Use new original questions in NSW Selective or Opportunity Class practice, beginning with a free test. See how this fits the eight-unit sequence in the Thinking Skills study overview.