UK 11+ 13+ INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS EXAMINATION BOARD PRE-TESTS
What are PRE-TESTS?
Preparatory schools or “prep” schools, prepare students to sit Common Entrance or Scholarship examinations in order to win places in selective independent school. They are built on the promise for high levels of independent school placements in top academic private and grammar schools.
Pre-tests have recently increased as the demand and competition for places in top private schools has grown. More and more applications for independent schools are occurring across the UK, and various pre-tests are used from ages 10 to 11 (Year 5, 6 and 7), rather than at age 12 to 13 to assess whether a child matches the teaching style and culture of a particular school. This is a strategy utilised to attain the very best academically performing pupils before they are snapped up by competing schools.
Children who are assessed as achieving a higher level are offered a place on condition of them passing the Common Entrance Examination sat in Year 6 and Year 8. Pretesting is and indicator of academic achievement and does not replace Common Entrance, nor Scholarship exams, which must be sat.
Pretesting includes academic performance in maths, English and verbal and non-verbal reasoning. It is often inclusive of a mix of online and written testing, plus an individual or group interview. A child’s personality is just as important as the academic assessment itself.
Some students who don’t pass the pre-test, but interview well are put on a reserve waiting list to replace those who do not accept a position at the school when offers are finally made.
Components of pre-testing
The ISEB Common Pre-test is the most commonly used and presents as an online, multiple-choice test in maths, English, Verbal and Non- Verbal Reasoning. There are typically 4 sections run over two and a half hours. This test often occurs in the student’s current school. The sections can be taken separately or as one long test. This is decided by the prep school running the test.
The ISEB Common Pre-test results are shared with all of the independent schools applied for by the parents or school and considers how young the applicant is and how early the test is taken.
Some schools create their own tests as a pre-test which are mostly printed papers rather than online. Other schools will also use a known assessment provider like Cambridge CEM Assessment or GL CAT4 cognitive assessments.
Online ISEB assessments are adaptive in the questions they present. Each new question presented is adapted to the student’s response to the question they have just answered.
As a teacher or tutor, it’s important to develop the following areas when preparing children for pre-tests and common entrance:
1. Speed: To complete the test within the required timeframes
2. Concentration and Stamina: To improve the student’s ability to sit through long examination
3. Familiarity and Resilience: Exposure to the content and style of tests will improve your student’s chances of success in a competitive examination. As dull as it may seem, it is the only way to prepare the student as a successful candidate. They are being prepared for a competition to win a place against dozens of others.
4. Interview: The results from the ISEB pre-test decide who is called back for interview and this often takes place with a Senior Leader in the school in a small group or in an individual interview,
Each school varies its approach, but all are seeking the right students for their school, their academic ability and their personality. It’s absolutely essential to check each school’s ethos and methods so a child is prepared properly to match that school’s average student-type. If you can’t find the information on the website, contact admissions, and ask. Request an email of their tour and exam dates and how they conduct their examination.
Maths and English questions often reflect the basic logical reasoning and inference skills found in UK Key Stage 2 National Curriculum and will test skills and knowledge for this age group at a Level 4 or 5. However, academic schools expect a higher performance and tend to use more traditional mathematical questions and methods, and also classical texts from stories and poems written with deeper and more challenging vocabulary.
Typically, a Year 6 child will be expected to work at a level expected in Year 7 and 8. Students will typically read at an age and use vocabulary eighteen months to two years above their current age.
The interview
A high score needs to be achieved in the tests to ensure a call-back for interview. If the student is lucky enough to be called back for interview, this is the point when they need to shine and stand out from the others. The right attitude to education and life, the desire to learn and the student’s personality needs to fit the school and the peers who attend.
The school will ask the potential student to meet a senior member of staff.
Interviews typically focus on a student’s interests and the extra-curricular activities and hobbies they participate in. Asking about life experiences may also be brought up in interview. Other interviews might be focused on academic pursuits. Typically, all areas of the student’s life are asked about to see how fluently your child converses, how they solve problems, and the vocabulary they use to express their thoughts. Thoughtfulness is typically the strongest of traits as it reflects deeper thinking.
Interviews can be with the student only or the student may participate as part of a group. How the student performs and conducts themselves as part of a group is what the interviewer is observing.
Typically, questions will be asked that provoke a student response. A student must be able to back up their thoughts with a logical argument. There is no right or wrong, unless the mistake glaringly reflects a fault in the students thinking or understanding.
To prepare for such an interview, our tutors can help by staging open discussions to help build the student’s confidence and encourage the skills found in a logical debate:
· Demonstrating knowledge on a chosen topic
· Staying on topic and not being distracted
· Speaking clearly, fluently, and charismatically (not necessarily loudly)
· Being confident in their opinions
· Making a point and backing it up with evidence
· Using confident and positive body language
· Using a fact or anecdote to support a point of view
· Asking for clarification when unsure
· Never lying when they don’t know something.
Students are often asked about what they’re reading, and the student should be able to freely describe and discuss a book, its character, it’s theme, setting and language devices used.
Reports and References
The headteacher of the student’s school is often required for a reference from the independent school that the student is applying for. It is confidential and the parent will not be able to view it.
Headteachers at preparatory schools will work hard to produce a quality reference and compose it to suit the school that the student is applying for. They will highlight the student’s strengths and honestly report any academic and other achievements, plus any welfare concerns. A headteacher will quickly gain a poor reputation with selective schools if their references do not accurately match the students they are referring.
A list of ISEB pretest UK schools (This can change, check individual schools):
Bedford School, Bradfield College, Brighton College, Caterham School, Charterhouse, Cheltenham College, City of London School, Dauntsey’s School, Easton Square Upper School, Eton College, Harrow School, Headington School, Hurstpierpoint College, Marlborough College, Monkton Combe School, Mount Kelly College, Palmers Green High School, Northfields International High School, Radley College, Reddam House School, Stowe School, St Paul’s School, St Swithun’s School, University College School, Wellington College, Westminster School, Wetherby Senior School, Worth School.
11+ London Consortium test schools. A singular test taken that feeds into all the following schools (Subject to annual change):
Channing School, Francis Holland School, Francis Holland School Sloane Square, Godolphin and Latymer, More House School, Northwood College for Girls, Notting Hill and Ealing High School, Queen’s College London, Regent’s Park, South Hampstead High School, St Helen’s School London, St James Senior Girls’ School.
School specific pretests (These are current examples and may change):
Alleyn’s School, Ampleforth College, Charterhouse, City of London School for Boys, Downside School, Dulwich College, Emanuel School, Eton, Hampton, Harrodian, Harrow, King’s College School, Marlborough, Merchant Taylor’s School, Radley College, Sevenoaks School, St Paul’s, Stowe, The King’s School, Canterbury, Tonbridge School, UCS Hampstead, Wellington, Westminster, Wetherby Senior School, Wimbledon, Winchester College.
Written by A-J Paterson
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