This research focuses on students' higher-order cognitive skill (HOCS)-oriented learning to construct effective hierarchical thinking abilities in their chemical particulate nature of matter. For in-depth knowledge and profound understanding, this research deals with students' positive developments towards HOCS with a special guidance to Marzanos' taxonomy. The methodology starts from the retrieval and comprehension of HOCS-centered assessment instrument to students' analysis and knowledge utilization of transitional performances. 326 participants were assigned to take natural science curriculum in 2019 academic year. With the help of 7 scholars' implements, the importance of content validity and inter-rate reliability were constructed through instrument developments of students' HOCS performances. All research results indicated that more distributions of HOCS thinking abilities reached up to the target response of 38.0% analysis task and 27.30% knowledge utilization in Marzanos' spectrum. This research is beneficial and advantageous that students will be capable of additional learning efficiency in their multiple interactive engagements with academic resources and suggestions from instructors, researchers, and science educators.