Entrance School Exam Prep

The time has come round quickly and your child is now ready for that transition to secondary school. You want the best for your child’s education and you are considering an independent school. Here is My School Tutors in depth guide to Entrance School Exam Prep.

Application

As soon as your child starts Year 6, make sure you contact the Independent School(s) you and your child are interested in applying to and find out when the entrance exams are taking place and when you need to make your application by. Request and complete all the necessary forms whether they are online or paper format and submit before any deadline, this will ensure you are in touch with the school on dates etc. All Independent Schools have different dates for exams and interview but they generally seem to be early January/February. This can sometimes be different for example this year due to the pandemic Schools may need to change things around slightly.

Fees/bursaries

Independent Schools are usually on the high side of the price and can charge on average £4566 per term. In recent years many of the Independent Schools are able to offer generous amounts of bursaries so don’t let the price put you off. Depending on your child’s ability and your household income you child may be qualify for a significant contribution. If you are applying for a bursary, usually you will need to complete further forms, do contact the School concerned for further details and what they offer.

Exam

The exam usually takes place in January but can vary depending on the School you apply to. Although the exams are designed to measure innate ability, you can alway practise the papers at home using any number of 11+ resources both paid and available online for free. This will allow your child to see what sort of questions will come up and how to answer in the allotted time. Usually there are four component to the exams; verbal reasoning, non verbal reasoning, English and Maths. 

Interview

Once the entrance exams are complete your child will be invited for an interview with the School. Usually parents and children are nervous about the interview, just remember the key to a successful interview is preparation so make sure you do your research and practice some questions. Depending on how popular the School is, they may even invite your child for second interview – be prepared!

Some Interview questions that may come up, remember it could be anything so always keep an open mind.

• Tell me about your family?
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• What are you most proud of?
• What sports/activities are you most interested in?
• What’s your favourite subject?
• What’s your least favourite subject?
• Why do you want to come to this school?
• What skills can you bring to this school?
• What book are you currently reading?
• What’s your favourite book/character?
• Can you recommend a book to me and why?

Interview tips*

Answer the question with a “because…” or “why…” so you’re always expanding on your answer and providing an adequate answer to the question.