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London independent-school entry • 2027
London 11+ Consortium 2027:
Test Format, 14 Schools & Practice
The London 11+ Consortium uses a
bespoke 100-minute online entrance assessment
shared by 14 independent girls’ schools.
It is not the ISEB Common Pre-Test and it is not a CEM examination.
The assessment combines adaptive Maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal
reasoning with non-adaptive English, problem-solving and
Creative Comprehension. Test results are considered
alongside a school reference and each senior school’s own interview
process.
This guide will help you:
member schools
total assessment time
assessment components
shared across applications
On this page:
What changed
2027 dates
Test format
Adaptive testing
Six sections
14 schools
Reference
Interview
Preparation
Old papers
FAQs
written English-and-Maths examination, but familiar test conditions and
sustained concentration still matter. Image: Alison Wood /
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Critical update
The London 11+ Consortium test is not CEM or ISEB
This is the most important correction to the old School Entrance Tests
page.
The Consortium introduced its new bespoke assessment for pupils applying
for September 2023 entry onwards.
The current assessment was developed by the Consortium in collaboration
with Quest Assessments and curriculum specialists from
Consortium schools.
Old description — remove
- “CEM test”
- “ISEB Common Pre-Test”
- 12 Consortium schools
- 75-minute cognitive test
- traditional Consortium English/Maths papers as current format
Current description
- bespoke Quest-developed online assessment;
- 14 Consortium schools;
- 100 minutes of testing;
- six distinct components;
- adaptive + non-adaptive sections;
- problem-solving and Creative Comprehension.
Why the new test matters:
the Consortium explicitly designed the assessment to look beyond cognitive
ability alone and gather evidence about analysis, synthesis,
problem-solving and creative and critical thinking.
September 2027 entry
London 11+ Consortium 2027 dates
| Stage | 2027-entry date | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Applications / registration close | Friday 6 November 2026 | Apply separately to each Consortium school you want your daughter to be considered by. |
| Assessment sitting 1 | Friday 27 November 2026 | A candidate sits the Consortium assessment only once, irrespective of how many member schools she applies to. |
| Assessment sitting 2 | Tuesday 1 December 2026 | |
| Assessment sitting 3 | Thursday 3 December 2026 | |
| Offers | Friday 12 February 2027 | Consortium schools issue their admissions decisions according to the common timetable. |
| Acceptance deadline | 12 noon, Wednesday 3 March 2027 | Deadline for accepting the relevant offer. |
One assessment does not mean one application.
Parents still apply separately to each Consortium school they wish to
consider their daughter.
Whole admissions process
The Consortium uses three complementary sources of evidence
1. Online assessment
A 100-minute combination of cognitive reasoning, English,
mathematics, problem-solving and creative/critical comprehension.
2. School reference
A common reference framework can provide contextual evidence about
academic performance, attitudes and character.
3. School interview
Each senior school designs its own interview experience and decides
how interview evidence contributes to selection.
This means the Consortium assessment should not be treated as a
stand-alone “pass/fail” exam. Schools are trying to build a broader picture
of each applicant.
Assessment structure
London 11+ Consortium test format
The online assessment lasts
100 minutes — 1 hour 40 minutes.
There is a break of up to 30 minutes after the first four components.
20 min
Mathematics
Adaptive
10 min
Non-Verbal Reasoning
Adaptive
20 min
English
Non-adaptive
10 min
Verbal Reasoning
Adaptive
15 min
Problem Solving
Non-adaptive
25 min
Creative Comprehension
Non-adaptive
All prior curriculum knowledge required for the assessment is based on
the Year 5 National Curriculum. Challenge is introduced
through the depth and style of the questions rather than requiring pupils
to race ahead through Year 6 curriculum content.
Member-school context
One Consortium test can support several school applications
Candidates normally sit the assessment at their current school.
If their school cannot host the examination, a candidate can sit at a
Consortium school to which she has applied.
The test location does not determine which schools can use the result.
Consortium schools. Image: David Anstiss / Geograph /
Wikimedia Commons. Check the Wikimedia file page for attribution
requirements when uploading your compressed WebP copy.
Computer-adaptive assessment
What does “adaptive” mean in the London Consortium test?
Mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning are
adaptive.
The difficulty and selection of later questions responds to the
candidate’s earlier performance. This means two candidates do not
necessarily see the same questions in these sections.
Adaptive sections
- Mathematics
- Verbal Reasoning
- Non-Verbal Reasoning
The system adjusts question difficulty to produce efficient evidence
about the candidate’s level of performance.
Non-adaptive sections
- English
- Problem Solving
- Creative Comprehension
Candidates on the same sitting see the same underlying non-adaptive
material, while different material is used across the three test dates.
Adaptive practice is not about memorising a question bank.
Because the assessment responds to performance, the more useful objective
is secure underlying maths, language and reasoning capability plus
familiarity with the online interface.
What each component measures
How to prepare for the six Consortium components
Mathematics — 20 minutes
Questions are based on the Year 5 National Curriculum, but the
Consortium can increase challenge through question depth and
unfamiliar application.
Build secure arithmetic, fractions, decimals, measures and
problem-solving rather than rushing ahead to Year 6 topics.
Non-Verbal Reasoning — 10 minutes
NVR assesses the ability to identify visual patterns and logical
relationships.
Familiarise pupils with this style if it is new, but avoid turning
preparation into endless repetition of nearly identical shapes.
English — 20 minutes
The English section uses a specially written fiction passage and
assesses comprehension plus correct Standard English in context.
There is no extended writing task in this current
component.
Wide reading, inference and vocabulary-in-context are more useful
than memorising grammar definitions.
Verbal Reasoning — 10 minutes
VR assesses vocabulary, language relationships, pattern recognition
and elements of critical thinking.
Vocabulary breadth matters, but so does understanding how words and
verbal rules relate to each other.
Problem Solving — 15 minutes
Candidates use words and numbers to solve multi-step problems.
The challenge is often not a single difficult calculation. It is
deciding what information matters, combining steps and maintaining
an accurate line of reasoning.
Creative Comprehension — 25 minutes
Candidates integrate information from several different sources and
formats.
The section is designed to elicit analysis, synthesis and flexible
comprehension rather than simply conventional passage retrieval.
Online test technique
Candidates cannot simply return to an earlier section
The assessment displays a countdown clock for each section.
The clock counts down in minutes rather than seconds, and candidates do
not receive separate additional time warnings.
Once a section has been completed, candidates cannot return to it to
change earlier answers.
Learn the interface
Use the official familiarisation materials so that basic navigation is
not novel on assessment day.
Practise section pacing
Children need a realistic sense of how quickly a 10-, 15-, 20- or
25-minute section passes.
Avoid clock fixation
The aim is controlled pacing rather than repeatedly checking the
timer after every question.
Current membership
The 14 London 11+ Consortium schools
The Consortium currently consists of 14 independent girls’ day schools
across London.
Highgate
Regent’s Park
Sloane Square
Hammersmith
Knightsbridge
Northwood
Ealing
Harley Street / Marylebone
South Kensington
Hampstead
Ealing
Northwood
Kensington Olympia
Hampstead
Candidates take the Consortium assessment only once even when they are
applying to several member schools. The result can then be shared with the
Consortium schools to which they have applied.
One test, different schools
The interview stage can differ considerably between Consortium schools
Sharing an entrance test does not make the 14 schools identical.
Each school decides how it uses the assessment, reference and interview
evidence within its own selection process.
Image: Stephen McKay / Geograph via Wikimedia Commons.
Upload a compressed WebP copy to the SET media library and retain the
required attribution.
School evidence
The current-school reference matters
The Consortium approach deliberately gathers evidence beyond test
performance.
A common reference form asks the candidate’s current school for wider
contextual information, including commentary on academic performance,
attitudes and character.
Feeder schools are not necessarily compelled to use the common form and
may use their own reference system, but Consortium schools seek school
evidence as part of the admissions process.
The selection model is therefore broader than
“100-minute test score = admission decision”.
School-specific assessment
There is no single London Consortium interview
Interviews are individual to each senior school.
Schools determine:
- which candidates are invited;
- the interview structure;
- which staff take part;
- what evidence they explore; and
- how interview performance contributes to the final decision.
For example, Channing currently interviews all applicants, whereas
Godolphin and Latymer and South Hampstead High School select candidates
for interview from the assessment.
Do not script interview answers.
Consortium schools emphasise intellectual curiosity and independent
thinking. Heavily rehearsed responses can work against that objective.
Access arrangements
Extra time and SEND arrangements
Candidates requiring access arrangements should indicate this through
the relevant school applications and provide the required evidence.
For the autumn 2026 assessment series supporting September 2027 entry,
Consortium schools use the relevant JCQ framework for considering
additional time and other arrangements.
Extra time, where approved, is applied to each assessment section rather
than supplied as one block at the end.
Families requiring access arrangements should deal with this during the
application process, not shortly before the test.
Common preparation mistakes
Six mistakes to avoid for the London Consortium test
Preparing for CEM
The current test is a bespoke Consortium/Quest assessment, not CEM.
Preparing for ISEB instead
The Consortium assessment is distinct from the ISEB Common Pre-Test.
Ignoring the creative sections
Problem Solving and Creative Comprehension account for 40 minutes of
the current assessment.
Racing ahead to Year 6 Maths
Required curriculum knowledge is based on Year 5; challenge comes
through application and depth.
Over-coaching NVR and VR
Familiarity helps, but the Consortium itself warns that intensive
drilling produces diminishing gains.
Ignoring interview and reference
The entrance assessment is only one of the three broad sources of
selection evidence.
Evidence-led preparation
A six-stage London Consortium preparation plan
Use the official familiarisation material
Establish what the real interface, navigation and six components
look like before using commercial resources.
Diagnose the six domains separately
Identify whether weaker performance reflects Maths, NVR, English, VR,
multi-step problem-solving or Creative Comprehension.
Repair underlying weaknesses
Improve reading, vocabulary, Year 5 Maths and reasoning before
increasing mock-test volume.
Practise integration
Give particular attention to problems requiring several pieces of
information to be combined rather than one rehearsed procedure.
Add online timed rehearsal
Practise 10-, 15-, 20- and 25-minute online blocks and familiarity
with moving permanently from one section to the next.
Taper rather than cram
Use a limited number of realistic full simulations in the final phase
rather than turning the last weeks into continuous testing.
Practice resources
Use current-format Consortium practice
Official Consortium familiarisation
This should be the starting point because it comes directly from the
assessment system and demonstrates the current question styles and
online interface.
London Consortium online practice
Pretest Plus currently provides dedicated London Consortium practice
covering Maths, NVR, English/VR, problem-solving and analysis /
Creative Comprehension.
School-specific 11+ papers
Search for additional papers relevant to an individual Consortium
school or another independent-school application.
Free general 11+ diagnostics
Use English, Maths and reasoning samples to identify underlying skill
gaps before buying multiple full Consortium mocks.
Important distinction
London Consortium versus ISEB Common Pre-Test
The old SET page incorrectly merged these two assessments.
| Feature | London 11+ Consortium | ISEB Common Pre-Test |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment | Bespoke Consortium / Quest test | ISEB Common Pre-Test |
| Main use | 14 London Consortium girls’ schools | Independent schools using ISEB |
| Total testing | 100 minutes | Different assessment architecture |
| Distinctive content | Problem Solving + Creative Comprehension | English, Maths, VR and NVR |
| Provider | Developed with Quest Assessments | ISEB |
If another target school uses ISEB, use our separate
ISEB Common Pre-Test guide
.
Historic archive
What about the old North London Consortium English and Maths papers?
School Entrance Tests has a valuable archive of historic papers from the
former North London Independent Girls’ Schools’ Consortium.
They can still be useful for general English and Maths development, but
they should not be described as replicas of the current online
London 11+ Consortium assessment.
Historic English example
Use older English papers for reading and comprehension development,
while remembering that the current Consortium English section is
online, 20 minutes and contains no extended writing.
Historic Maths example
Older written Maths papers can develop mathematical reasoning, but
current Consortium Maths is a 20-minute adaptive online component.
Label every pre-2023 Consortium paper as
historic practice — not the current assessment format.
This lets SET retain useful legacy resources without misleading parents
or confusing Google about the page’s current intent.
Related flagship guides
Continue your independent-school preparation
London 11 Plus 2027
Compare Consortium schools with London grammar and other private-school
entrance routes.
Independent School 11+
Find school-specific entrance formats and past papers.
ISEB Common Pre-Test
Use this only where another target school actually uses ISEB.
11 Plus English
Reading, comprehension, vocabulary and language accuracy.
11 Plus Maths
Year 5 Maths knowledge and problem-solving practice.
Verbal Reasoning
Vocabulary, verbal relationships and reasoning practice.
SET + Rob Williams Assessment
Use SET for practice — RWA for assessment interpretation
School Entrance Tests
Use SET for:
- London Consortium preparation;
- English and Maths skills;
- VR and NVR familiarisation;
- school-specific papers;
- historic-paper archives;
- parent preparation planning.
Rob Williams Assessment
Use RWA for:
- adaptive assessment explanation;
- standardised score interpretation;
- what cognitive tests measure;
- validity and admissions use;
- 11+ assessment differences;
- psychometric interpretation.
Expert guidance
Frequently asked questions
London 11+ Consortium 2027 FAQs
Does the London 11+ Consortium use CEM?
No. The current bespoke assessment was designed by the Consortium in
collaboration with Quest Assessments. The old CEM description is
obsolete.
Is the London Consortium test the ISEB Common Pre-Test?
No. These are different assessments. The London 11+ Consortium uses its
own bespoke assessment for its member schools.
How many schools are in the London 11+ Consortium?
There are currently 14 independent girls’ schools in the Consortium.
How long is the London Consortium assessment?
The testing time is 100 minutes in total, with a break of up to
30 minutes in the middle.
What are the six sections?
Mathematics, Non-Verbal Reasoning, English, Verbal Reasoning,
Problem Solving and Creative Comprehension.
Which sections are adaptive?
Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning are adaptive.
English, Problem Solving and Creative Comprehension are non-adaptive.
Is there creative writing?
No extended writing is required in the current English component.
The current English section assesses comprehension and correct Standard
English in context.
What Maths curriculum is tested?
Prior Maths knowledge is based on the Year 5 National Curriculum.
More demanding candidates are challenged through question style and
depth rather than Year 6 curriculum content.
Does my daughter sit the test once for every school?
No. She sits the Consortium assessment once, irrespective of the number
of Consortium schools to which she has applied.
Where is the test taken?
The Consortium prefers candidates to sit at their current school.
Where that is not possible, arrangements can be made at a Consortium
school to which the candidate has applied.
Does every Consortium school interview in the same way?
No. The interview process is individual to each senior school.
Schools also differ in whether every candidate or only selected
candidates are interviewed.
Should children be intensively coached for the adaptive sections?
Familiarisation is useful, but the Consortium itself discourages
excessive preparation and notes that intensive practice can produce
diminishing gains. Build underlying Year 5 Maths, reading, vocabulary
and reasoning skills first.
Can I still use old North London Consortium papers?
Yes, for general English and Maths development, but they should be
labelled historic because they do not replicate the current bespoke
online assessment introduced for 2023 entry onwards.
Your next step
Familiarise first — then target genuine skill gaps
Start with the official Consortium familiarisation test. Diagnose Maths,
English, VR, NVR, problem-solving and Creative Comprehension separately,
strengthen underlying weaknesses, and only then use realistic online
simulations.
Updated for September 2027 entry. Assessment details, member-school
procedures, access arrangements and interview processes can change.
Always verify the current position with the London 11+ Consortium and each
individual school to which your daughter is applying.