ISEB Common Entrance pre-tests practice

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Key dates for the ISEB Common Entrance Pre-tests

Registration for the 2024-25 academic year starts from 10 June 2024.
ISEB Common Entrance Pre-tests REGISTRATION here.
Live ISEB Pre-Tests starts on 3 September 2024.

The ISC common entrance exam lists are an excellent place to find out more about your specific private school’s entry process, including which entry test type they use for selecting new pupils.

Download ISEB pretests introductory guide ISEB Pre Tests Parents Guide.

Introducing the ISEB pretests / ISEB Common entrance exam

The Independent Schools Examination Board (the ISEB) designs the Common Entrance exam assessments. As used in Year 8 (or Year 6 for 11+) and the Common Pre-Test used by the independent school sector.

GL Assessment’s Common pre-test is commonly adopted by many senior schools who do not which to design their own school entrance exam.

The Common pre-test is commonly adopted by many senior schools who do not which to design their own school entrance exam. It consists of the following four adaptive, multiple choice, online tests:

Non-Verbal Reasoning,
Verbal Reasoning,
English and
Maths.

The above ISEB sub-tests can be taken:

On the same day or across multiple days.
At the pupils’ current junior/prep school,
The senior private school they are applying for
Or, globally, at an approved independent test centre.

Which ISEB pretests preparation materials are available?

The ISEB provides a range of free and premium pre-tests prep materials.

These are to support parents and ISEB pupils.

Further practice for the the ISEB sub-tests

When are the ISEB pre-tests taken?

Year 8 (or Year 6 for 11+) and the Common Pre-Test used by the independent school sector.

Which skills does the ISEB Common Entrance Pre-tests assess?

The key skills assessed by the ISEB Common Entrance Pre-tests are:

English skills
Maths skills
Verbal reasoning skills
Non-verbal reasoning skills

Key ISEB pre-tests features

ISEB pre-tests results are made available to senior private schools immediately.
The same indepednet school admin portal allows these results to be shred with other private schools
Hence ISEB test-takers only need to sit the ISEB pre-tests once.
ISEB common entrance pretests are normed to ensure the ISEB results can be standardised for the private school sector.

Private school application tips

For example, with sixth from applications there is no limit to how many sixth form colleges you can apply to. Whereas, primary school applications:

Depending on your local authority you can submit between three and six school preferences.
Primary school places are then allocated by the school’s governing body, an academy trust or the local authority.
Each primary school will have its own admissions criteria. This must be within the national framework for primary school entry. Hence, on school offer day parents will be offered only one primary school place for their child.
Then shortlist all those schools you and your child like. Consider all those schools falling within your catchment area. You now have a shortlist of schools which can review at your leisure.
Provided this is a relatively short list, then visit each school for yourself and your child.
Check the latest Ofsted reports for each school. Prepare questions on any school topic that is unclear. Do you have any reservations? Why can’t you see your child at this school.
Such introspective self questioning will help you to prepare questions for school open day visits.
When attending a school open day, ask yourself whether the school atmosphere and ethos are a good fit for your child.
We certainly recommend shortlisting schools based on national standard statistics. More specifically, the percentage of students meeting the expected standards. For example if the national standard is 60%, then you need to check whether each of your selected schools exceeded that in their latest Ofsted inspections.

What’s the ISEB’s Common Pre-tests pass mark?

There is no pass mark as every school has different requirements and uses the test scores in different ways.
Common Pre-Test provides the senior school with a standardised score, based on the age of the child, the level of difficulty they achieved and their accuracy.
The score is based around a normal distribution where 100 is the average. This is similar to the way in which Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs) are scored.
Selective schools will use the Common Pre-Test score, along with the reference from their current school, as an initial cut off point. They will then invite successful pupils back for a further test and/or group activities and an interview.
After this, they will offer a place, wait list place or no place. For these schools, the Common Pre-Test accounts for about 25-30% by the end of the process but is key in the initial decision the school makes.
Other independent schools will use the Common Pre-Test score in conjunction with the reference from their current school, an interview and/or a taster day involving group activities.
They will look at all the information they have at their disposal before making their choices.
For some of these independent schools, the Common Pre-Test accounts for just 10% of the process with the main drivers being the interview and reference from their current school.

What are the latest ISEB Common Entrance changes?

The ISEB is aware of some senior schools changing their thoughts on Common Entrance exams and are in the process of adapting the curriculum to suit the changing needs. This does also mean that there is more pressure during Year 6 and 7 to gain a place offer, even if it is subject to Common Entrance results.

How is ISEB’s Common Entrance exam scored? What are the pass marks?

Our focus is on helping parents and their children to gain a private school education in London. This is why we here offer some key Insights into the ISEB Common Pre-Tests:
ISEB pre-tests are typically administered in Year 6 or 7. Hence ISEB pretest pupils are aged somewhere between 10 to 12 years old.
These are standardized online assessments which adapt to the individual student’s ability level. This adaptive testing relies upon item-response theory to present each pupil with the most suitable item for their ability level. ISEB’s computer-adaptive testing system (CAT system) updates the ability level, or theta score, depending upon which Sommon Entrnace items are answered ocrrectly or incorrectly.
They offer a standardized and universally recognized measure of a student’s academic achievement, aptitude, and potential.
The ISEB Common Pre-Test comprises four sections: English, mathematics, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning.
Completing all four pretest sections usually takes approximately 2.25 hours. Although students are allowed to take their Common Entrance exams together or separately.
The tests are conducted online and adapt to the student’s level.

ISEB Common Entrance questions

These are presented in a multiple-choice format, with one correct answer for each question.

To register for any ISEB pre-test, candidates must go through the ISEB’s own portal.
ISEB Common Entrance test results are made available to all senior schools for which the pupil has registered. Hence there’s no need for pupils taking multiple pretests.
Pretests are specifically designed for UK independent school students.
An ISEB pretest can only be sat once within a twelve-month period.
Candidates can take the tests at any official test center with an internet connection. Typically, they are administered at the child’s current prep school. Alternatively, you can select a local test center when registering. For candidates overseas, tests can be taken locally.

Why are ISEB Pre-Tests used?

The Pre-Test serves several important purposes for senior schools:

It allows schools to assess in advance whether a student meets their academic standards.
For 11+ entry, some schools use ISEB Pre-Test scores as a basis for admission, while others employ it as an initial screening test for their own subsequent assessments.
Students who pass the Pre-Test for 13+ deferred entry may be offered a conditional place, contingent on their successful completion of the Common Entrance exam at 13+. Additionally, there may be further assessment stages within the school.

School-Specific Approaches

It’s important to note that each school determines how they utilize a student’s Common Pre-Test results.

Highly selective and popular senior schools may employ the Pre-Test as a filtering mechanism.

Hence, understanding the ISEB Common Pre-Test and its significance can greatly benefit students and parents as they navigate the admissions process for independent senior schools.

How long does the ISEB Common pre-test take? When is it taken?

Around 150 mins if taken consecutively.
Although pupils with SEND are entitled to extra time.
The Common Pre-Test is taken by children in either Year 6 or Year 7.
This depends on the entry process and requirements of the senior school at which they have registered.

What does each of the four Pre-Test sub-tests involve?

English Test is an online comprehension followed by some punctuation, spelling and grammar questions and takes a total of 25 minutes.
Verbal Reasoning element takes 36 minutes and contains 6 different types of Verbal Reasoning question.
Non-Verbal Reasoning element takes 32 minutes and contains 3 different types of non-verbal reasoning questions. For both these tests, there are practice questions at the start of each section.
Maths Test takes 50 minutes and has 36 questions to answer. The questions are worded using simple English and mathematical vocabulary and range from simpler ordering questions to more applied, multi-step word problems. There are practice questions at the start of this test too.

How do I motivate my child?

In our opinion, the best attitudes to prepare for prepare your child for their school entrance test are:

Believing that your children should be able to pass. Also though, to manage their own expectations.
Treating your target schools as options only. That way if they don’t get in, it Is because the school was not right for them.
Being open and honest about the high amount of prep school exam prep that will be required. Promote a growth mindset by avoiding the belief that your child has failed somehow.

Top tips for motivating your child to practice

A system of carefully selected rewards or bribes can often prove effective!
Don’t make the sessions too arduous. Try to make learning fun and sit with your child whilst they work. Maybe task your other child or children with chores to do at the same time so that he or she doesn’t feel that their siblings are having fun whilst they are having to knuckle down and work.
Have tuition times that suit your child; when they aren’t tired or over excited about some activity that they might be doing later in the day.
Too much pressure and not enough encouragement will create what is termed a negative learning environment. This means the child will be miserable and view practice as a chore. In short, they won’t want to learn. Creating a situation whereby the child wants to learn, even if they may not enjoy every second of it, is the aim.
Employ short diversions and apply different learning methods that will make the work less monotonous and help it all sink in.

So, what is in each of the three Common Entrance exam papers?

English ISEB Pre-test 11+

ISEB’s English pre-test has questions on spelling, reading comprehension, grammar and sentence completion. The ISEB English pre-test takes 25 mins. The English ISEB 11 plus Common Entrance exam is two reading and writing skills exams.

Maths ISEB Pre-test 11+

ISEB’s Maths Pre-test is based upon the National Curriculum. Hence it has questions covering the National Curriculum’s Maths topics (up to Year 5).. The ISEB Maths pre-test takes 50 mins.

Science ISEB Pre-test 11+

The Science Common Entrance exam consists of Biology, Chemistry and Physics related questions. – Aren’t Non-Verbal Reasoning Tests included? ISEB’s Common Entrance 11+ does not include non-Verbal Reasoning tests. However a few independent schools do apply non-verbal reasoning entry requirements. Two commonly used non-verbal reasoning question formats are horizontal codes, and shape analogies. – Aren’t verbal reasoning tests included? ISEB’s Common Entrance 11+ does not include Verbal Reasoning tests. Although many private schools do set these as part of their entry requirements. Some typical verbal reasoning question formats include: word combinations; common words; letter transfers and antonyms.

ISEB Common Entrance Exam Intro

ISEB, or the Independent School Examination Board, provides sets of Common Pre-tests for senior school students in year 6 or 7, when the students are aged 10 to 12.
While candidates who are aged 6 take the 11+ Common Entrance Exam, those who are aged 8 years take the 13+ Common Entrance Exam for admittance to the senior school of their choice.
The ISEB tests are considered entrance tests for students by many prep or senior schools and the marks achieved therein help students to gain admittance to independent schools.
As these tests are age-standardised exams, students start to prepare for them at a very young age in readiness for joining their senior school.
ISEB tests are held online by the school administration in which the pupil currently studies. They include multiple choice questions in English, mathematics, non-verbal and verbal reasoning.
As it is the responsibility of the senior school students to inform the parents about the Common Pre-tests, parents do not need to register.
The ISEB is taken once a year for those children applying to several senior schools.

How long is the ISEB common entrance test?

The total time:

Given to complete the test is 2 hours and 30 minutes.
This is allotted as follows:
- 25 minutes for the English section.
- 50 minutes for the Maths section.
- 32 minutes for the Non-verbal reasoning section.
- And the remaining 36 minutes for the verbal reasoning section.

Students can take the tests together or separately. However, each section needs to be completed within the given time allotted to the respective section. Overseas candidates can take the exam at the testing centres accepted by the senior schools.

What sort of questions are in each section of the Common Entrance Exam?

For the English section, students are tested on their writing and reading skills.
Maths section entails an hour answering questions on numbers, measuring, algebra, geometry, space and data.
For the science section, the 11+ Common Entrance Test covers biology, chemistry and physics knowledge.
Verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning are not part of the 11+ test, but many prep schools prefer to test the candidates in these areas as well.

For the mathematics section, students need to sit these three levels.

The first Maths level is a calculator paper.
Second MAths level is a non-calculator paper.
Third Maths level is a mental arithmetic paper.
For science subjects, there are also two levels of paper, and students prefer to sit level 2.

There are optional papers for the exam, including Latin, Classical Greek, German, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. For the English paper, there are two levels. Papers for other subjects are also divided into several levels and students prefer to sit the standard level to achieve the more valuable score.

Which subjects are in the Common Entrance Exam?

The main subjects of the 13+ Entrance Exams are English, mathematics and science.
However, additional subjects that students can apply for to enhance their admission process include French, geography, history and religious studies. Most pupils prefer to sit the second level as it is the standard paper.

What happens to my ISEB results?

The scores for the ISEB tests are shared with all the senior schools that the candidate is registered with. Hence, the parents need to inform the administration of each senior school about the test their child took before admission.

How much does the Common Entrance Exam cost?

- - The fee for students to take the exam in the United Kingdom is £125.
  - The date and timing of the exam for each academic year is available at the ISEB or Galore Park exam site.
  - Students with a high score get to choose their preferred senior school.

These schools are fee-paying and most of them are members of the ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate). They are therefore independent of many regulations that apply to state schools. The biggest of these regulations that they are independent of is the National Curriculum.

COMMON APPLICATION FORM

There are often stories of disappointment from people allocated inappopriate schools. Or even unacceptable for their child. There are various reasons that this may happen. Although, it’s often because parents did not:

Grasp the admission criteria for their chosen schools.
Comprehend the process of allocating schools – the Equal Preference System.

It really should not happen that children lose out on school places. Certainly, not because their school preferences were entered incorrectly on the CAF (Common Application Form). Often this happens because parents listen to a headteacher or teacher. Even Headteachers and teachers are not always aware of the best procedure. Or able to advise on the correct way to complete the CAF. Often, parents have entered the following order of preferences on the CAF on the advice of their child’s Headteacher.

Preferred grammar school, not a catchment school.
Local Comprehensive school, heavily over-subscribed.
Local, catchment grammar school.

ISEB Exam Intro

ISEB, or the Independent School Examination Board, provides sets of Common Pre-tests for senior school students in year 6 or 7, when the students are aged 10 to 12.
While candidates who are aged 6 take the 11+ Common Entrance Exam, those who are aged 8 years take the 13+ Common Entrance Exam for admittance to the senior school of their choice.
The ISEB tests are considered entrance tests for students by many prep or senior schools and the marks achieved therein help students to gain admittance to independent schools.
As these tests are age-standardised exams, students start to prepare for them at a very young age in readiness for joining their senior school.
ISEB tests are held online by the school administration in which the pupil currently studies. They include multiple choice questions in English, mathematics, non-verbal and verbal reasoning.
As it is the responsibility of the senior school students to inform the parents about the Common Pre-tests, parents do not need to register.

Common Entrance Exam 2021

The Common Entrance Test is offered by Galore Park, which is the selected distributor of the Independent School Examination Board (ISEB) exam papers. The common entrance exams are titled the 11+ Entrance Test and the 13+ Entrance Test. The 11+ Common Entrance Test is conducted by senior schools in the United Kingdom in order to assess the eligibility of the candidate to enter the respective senior school. The test is held in year 6, during the spring or autumn. The subjects for the 11+ entrance exam are English, mathematics and science. The exam is at one level only. One set of parents were advised to put the comprehensive school as high as possible on the form if they wanted a chance of getting a place. The Headteacher was under the impression that if the child qualified for grammar school; the comprehensive school will automatically be ignored. She was wrong.

COMMON APPLICATION FORM intro

Remember when completing the CAF:

If your child is taking the 11+, list all your preferred grammar schools above any other type of schools.
Be realistic. If a certain grammar school is 15 miles away then don’t list it as a preference. Although if you live only 8-9 miles away, take a chance.
Your last preference school should be your ultimate fallback if all else fails. Therefore, make sure it is still a school that will be acceptable. Plus, one that your child is certain to get a place.
Keep a copy of your CAF (print the online version or make a copy of the form signed and dated version). You will be very glad if you decide to appeal. Then need to prove what you filled in.
Get proof that your application form has been sent. Take a screenshot or send it by recorded mail. You can even phone the local authority a few days later to confirm.
If you have any questions – ASK. You only have one opportunity to apply for secondary school places. So make sure you do it right.
If your child does not get a place at any of your listed preferences, your home local authority will allocate your child a place. Check carefully with your local Admissions Department. Or with the School Choice Advisers.

English 13+ exams papers

Firstly, English – Sample Paper 2 (Alleyn’s), 13+ English – Sample Paper 1 (Alleyn’s) Secondly, 13+English (Bromsgrove 2013) 13+ English (Charterhouse 2004) 12-13+ English (Colfe’s School 2008-9) 13+English (City of London Freemen’s School) 13+ English (City of London Freemen’s School 2012) 13+English (Colfe’s School 2008-9) English (Dulwich College Specimen Paper A) 13+ English (Dulwich College Specimen Paper B). English (Dulwich College Specimen Paper C) 13+ English (Dulwich College 2009) English (Emanuel School) English – Spelling, Proof Reading, Punctuation (Harrow) 13+ English Section A (King’s College School Wimbledon Pre-test 2019) English Section B (King’s College School Wimbledon Pre-test 2019) Lastly, 13+ English Section C (King’s College School Wimbledon 2017 and Pre-test 2019).

13+ ISEB PRACTICE TESTS

English (ISEB Level 2 Paper 1 November 2014) – with mark scheme 13+English (ISEB Level 2 Paper 2 November 2014) – with mark scheme 13+ English (ISEB Level 2 Paper 1 June 2014) – with mark scheme 13+English (ISEB Level 2 Paper 2 June 2014) – with mark scheme 13+ English (ISEB Level 2 Paper 1 January 2014) – with mark scheme 13+English (ISEB Level 2 Paper 2 January 2014) – with mark scheme 13+ English (ISEB Level 2 Paper 1 November 2013) 13+English (ISEB Level 2 Paper 2 November 2013) – with mark scheme 13+ English (ISEB Levels 1&2 Paper 2 2012) 13+English (ISEB Paper 1 Autumn 2013) 13+ English (ISEB Paper 2 Autumn 2013) 13+English Mark Scheme (ISEB Papers 1 and 2 2013) 13+ English (ISEB Paper 1 2012) English (ISEB Paper 2 2012)

English 13+ exam papers (continued)

Firstly, 13+English (Shrewsbury 2014) Secondly, 13+ English (St Edward’s 2016) English (St Edward’s Scholarship 2016) 13+ English (St Edward’s Scholarship 2015) English (St Edward’s 2014) 13+ English (St Edward’s Scholarship 2013-14). English (St Edward’s 2013) 13+ English (St Edward’s 2012-13) English (St Edward’s 2011-12) Lastly, 13+ English (St Edward’s 2010). Also see 13-14+ English (Shrewsbury 2013) and 13-14+English as an Additional Language (St Edward’s 2016).

ISEB PRACTICE TESTS

13+ Chemistry ISEB Papers

Greek 13+ exam papers

13+Greek (St Edward’s 2013)

How do independent schools use the ISEB Common Entrance Exam?

The 13+ Common Entrance Test is also conducted by senior schools to assess eligibility for admission.
This exam is mostly held in spring or summer during year 8. Practice and mock tests for the exam are also provided by Galore Park to help prepare the candidate for this exam.
The main subjects of the 13+ Entrance Exams are English, mathematics and science.
However, additional subjects that students can apply for to enhance their admission process include French, geography, history and religious studies. Most pupils prefer to sit the second level as it is the standard paper.

How much does the Common Entrance Exam cost?

The fee for students to take the exam in the United Kingdom is £125.

- However, if a candidate prefers to be tested on subjects separately, the fee is £25 for each subject.
- The date and timing of the exam for each academic year is available at the ISEB or Galore Park exam site.
- Both the 11+ Common Entrance Test and 13+ Common Entrance Test are vital for students going to senior schools in the United Kingdom and the scores of these exams are evaluated during admission time.
- Students with a high score get to choose their preferred senior school.