128+ Free ICAS Science Practice Questions

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Key Facts: ICAS Science Exam

Years 2-12

ICAS Science is offered from the Introductory paper to Year 12

ICAS Assessments subject page

5 skill areas

Observing, interpreting, predicting, investigating, reasoning

Reach and ICAS Science framework

Mainly multiple choice

Supervised online assessment with published device and browser requirements

ICAS Assessments subject page

No pass mark

Performance recognised by certificate and rank, not a cutoff

Common questions about ICAS

Run by Janison

ICAS Assessments, formerly UNSW Global, owns and runs ICAS

ICAS Assessments homepage

128

Original practice questions in this bank

OpenExamPrep

ICAS Science has no universal paper or pass mark. Intro/A/B contain 30 questions in 45 minutes, C/D contain 40 in 55 minutes, and E-J contain 40 in 60 minutes. Results use achievement levels rather than a certification-style pass/fail threshold.

Sample ICAS Science Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your ICAS Science exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 128+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A student records the temperature of a cup of hot water every two minutes and plots the results on a line graph. The line falls quickly at first, then more slowly, and finally becomes almost flat. What does the flattening of the line most likely show?

A.The water nears room temperature

B.The thermometer has stopped working completely

C.The water gains heat from the surrounding air

D.The water is starting to boil again at 100 degrees Celsius

Explanation: Hot water cools fastest when the difference between its temperature and the room is largest. As the water nears room temperature the rate of cooling slows, so the line flattens. This is a standard interpretation of a cooling curve.

2In a food web, grass is eaten by rabbits, rabbits are eaten by foxes, and foxes have no predators shown. If a disease suddenly kills most of the rabbits, what is the most likely short-term effect?

A.Fox numbers will fall with less food

B.Grass amounts will decrease sharply

C.Fox numbers will increase rapidly without rabbits

D.Grass will become extinct in the area

Explanation: Foxes depend on rabbits as their food source in this web. If most rabbits die, foxes have less to eat and their numbers are likely to fall. This is reasoning about energy flow through a food web.

3A student wants to test whether plants grow taller with more sunlight. She puts one plant on a sunny windowsill and one in a dark cupboard. To make this a fair test, what must she keep the same for both plants?

A.Water amount, plant type and pot size

B.The amount of sunlight each plant receives

C.Only the colour of each plant pot

D.Nothing at all; the test is already completely fair

Explanation: In a fair test, only the variable being tested (sunlight) should differ. Everything else, such as water, plant type and pot size, must be kept the same so any difference in growth can be linked to sunlight.

4The table shows how far a toy car travels down ramps set at different angles. Ramp at 10 degrees: 50 cm. Ramp at 20 degrees: 90 cm. Ramp at 30 degrees: 130 cm. Based on the pattern, how far would the car most likely travel from a ramp at 40 degrees?

A.About 170 cm

B.About 100 cm

C.Exactly 130 cm

D.Less than 50 cm

Explanation: Each 10-degree increase in angle adds about 40 cm to the distance (50, 90, 130). Continuing this pattern, a 40-degree ramp would give roughly 130 + 40 = 170 cm. This is interpreting a numerical pattern in a table.

5Which of these is a property that would best help you sort materials into 'magnetic' and 'non-magnetic' groups?

A.Whether the material is attracted to a magnet

B.Whether the material floats in water

C.Whether the material is shiny

D.Whether the material is heavy

Explanation: Being attracted to a magnet is the defining property of a magnetic material. Sorting by this property directly separates magnetic from non-magnetic materials.

6A bar graph shows the rainfall in a town for each month. The tallest bars are in June and July, and the shortest are in December and January. What conclusion is best supported by the graph?

A.Most rain falls mid-year; least at year end

B.It rains exactly the same amount every month

C.The town never gets any rain during summer months

D.December is always the wettest month of the year

Explanation: The tallest bars in June and July indicate the highest rainfall, while the shortest bars in December and January show the lowest. The graph supports a mid-year peak and end-of-year low.

7A simple electrical circuit has a battery, wires and one light bulb that is glowing. A student adds a second identical bulb in series with the first. What is most likely to happen to the brightness of the original bulb?

A.It dims as current through it decreases

B.It becomes brighter because there are more bulbs in the circuit

C.It goes out completely and cannot be relit at all

D.It stays exactly the same brightness as before

Explanation: Adding a second bulb in series increases the total resistance, which reduces the current flowing through the circuit. With less current, the original bulb glows more dimly.

8Which of the following is the best example of a living thing responding to a change in its environment?

A.A plant bending toward window light

B.A rock rolling down a hill during heavy rain

C.A puddle drying up completely on a hot summer day

D.A metal gate slowly rusting over many months

Explanation: A plant bending toward light is a regulated biological response to a stimulus. Non-living systems can also change when conditions change, so the important distinction is the organism's coordinated biological response—not merely that a change occurred.

9A student measures the mass of a candle before lighting it and again after it has burned for ten minutes. The mass after burning is less than before. What is the best explanation?

A.Burning gases escaped into the air

B.Mass was destroyed and no longer exists anywhere

C.The candle gained energy and lost weight as a direct result

D.The balance must have broken during the experiment

Explanation: When a candle burns, the wax reacts with oxygen and produces carbon dioxide and water vapour that escape into the air. The remaining candle is lighter because matter left as gas, in line with conservation of mass.

10The Moon appears to change shape over a month, showing phases such as crescent, half and full. What causes these phases?

A.We see varying amounts of the Moon's sunlit side

B.Earth's shadow covers part of the Moon each night

C.The Moon produces its own light that gets brighter and dimmer

D.Clouds in Earth's atmosphere block different parts of the Moon

Explanation: The Moon does not make its own light; it reflects sunlight. As the Moon orbits Earth, we see varying portions of its sunlit half, producing the phases.

About the ICAS Science Exam

ICAS Science is an international academic competition spanning Papers Intro through J, selected by school year or country-equivalent level. It assesses five scientific-reasoning skills across four knowledge areas. This resource is a cross-level original practice set, not a simulation of one universal paper and not a copy of secure ICAS items.

Assessment

Official ICAS Science uses different papers from Intro through J: Intro/A/B have 30 questions, while C-J have 40. Select the paper using the official country and year-level mapping.

Time Limit

45 minutes for Intro-A-B; 55 minutes for C-D; 60 minutes for E-J

Passing Score

No fixed pass mark. Students earn a certificate (Participation, Credit, Merit, Distinction or High Distinction) based on how they rank against others at the same year level.

Exam Fee

ICAS sitting fees are set per subject and vary by country and school; families register and pay through their participating school's ICAS shop or coordinator. (Janison (ICAS Assessments, formerly UNSW Global), conducted through participating schools)

ICAS Science Exam Content Outline

Not published

Observing and measuring

Questions practise reading instruments, choosing suitable equipment, recording measurements with units, and making careful observations across all four official knowledge areas.

Not published

Interpreting data

Stimulus-based questions practise reading line graphs, bar graphs, pie charts and tables, spotting patterns and trends, and extracting meaning from scientific data.

Not published

Predicting and concluding

Questions practise using evidence to make predictions, drawing valid conclusions, making inferences, and judging whether a claim is supported by the observations.

Not published

Investigating

Questions practise fair-test design, identifying independent and dependent variables, using controls, assessing reliability, and choosing how to collect and display data.

Not published

Reasoning and problem solving

Questions apply knowledge from Earth and Beyond; Natural and Processed Materials; Life and Living; and Energy and Change to unfamiliar, real-world problems.

How to Pass the ICAS Science Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: No fixed pass mark. Students earn a certificate (Participation, Credit, Merit, Distinction or High Distinction) based on how they rank against others at the same year level.
Assessment: Official ICAS Science uses different papers from Intro through J: Intro/A/B have 30 questions, while C-J have 40. Select the paper using the official country and year-level mapping.
Time limit: 45 minutes for Intro-A-B; 55 minutes for C-D; 60 minutes for E-J
Exam fee: ICAS sitting fees are set per subject and vary by country and school; families register and pay through their participating school's ICAS shop or coordinator.

Keys to Passing

Work through all 128 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

ICAS Science Study Tips from Top Performers

1Practise reading graphs, tables and diagrams closely, then state the exact data point or trend that supports each answer.

2For investigation questions, identify what is being changed (independent variable), what is measured (dependent variable) and what must be kept the same.

3Learn to spot a fair test and a control group; many ICAS questions reward clear experimental-design reasoning.

4Review the four knowledge areas—Earth and Beyond; Natural and Processed Materials; Life and Living; and Energy and Change—so you can reason about unfamiliar scenarios.

5When a result looks unusual, ask whether it could be an error or outlier before drawing a conclusion.

6Work through stimulus-based questions under light time pressure to build the quick reading-and-reasoning habit ICAS uses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who sits ICAS Science?

ICAS Science spans Papers Intro through J. The correct paper depends on the student's school year and country-equivalent mapping, so consult the current official table rather than assuming one universal year range.

What skills does ICAS Science assess?

ICAS Science assesses five skill areas: observing and measuring, interpreting data, predicting and concluding, investigating, and reasoning and problem solving. These are tested across four knowledge areas: Earth and Beyond; Natural and Processed Materials; Life and Living; and Energy and Change.

Is ICAS Science multiple choice?

Current support material describes supervised online test sessions using scientific stimulus. Check the current instructions and sample environment for the selected paper rather than assuming every interface type appears.

Is there a pass mark for ICAS Science?

No. ICAS does not have a fixed pass mark. Students receive a certificate such as Participation, Credit, Merit, Distinction or High Distinction based on how they rank against other students at the same year level.

How long is the ICAS Science test?

Intro, A, and B allow 45 minutes; C and D allow 55 minutes; E through J allow 60 minutes.

Are these official ICAS Science questions?

No. These are original practice questions written to match the skill areas and stimulus-based reasoning style of ICAS Science. They do not copy official ICAS papers or released sample items.