The Value of Mock 11+ Exams

May 18, 2023

Obviously, being the director of a private tuition business, I have lots of useful knowledge about the 11+ entrance exam. I thought that some of you parents and guardians might like some help in this area.

What is 11+?

The 11+ exam is an exam used to select appropriate pupils for secondary grammar schools or fee paying schools. It aims to find the more academically capable children who are then offered a place in these preferred/selective schools. Depending on where you live the 11+ may be know by several different names. The Kent Test, The Bexley Test, The Medway Test. Some schools have their own selective test.

Register for a test.

Do not leave it too late to register as most places do not allow late registration.

Kent Test – Registration for the Kent Test for children due to start secondary school in September 2024 will open on Thursday 1 June 2023 and will close at midnight on Monday 3 July 2023. For more information follow this link Kent Test – Kent County Council

The Bexley Test – The Council are currently anticipating that the registration process for the September 2023 Bexley Selection Test will open by 15 May and will close on 30 June.. For more information follow this link Register for the secondary selection test | London Borough of Bexley

The Medway Test – Information about the September 2023 test (September 2024 Year 7 admission) will be published here on 17 May 2023. For more information follow this link Register for the Medway Test | Medway Test: 11+ | Medway Council

St Olaves Grammar School – Registration is open from 12/06/23 to 03/07/23. For more information follow this link Overview – St. Olave’s Grammar School (saintolaves.net)

How to prepare for 11+

Your child will need to pass maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non Verbal Reasoning exams to pass these entrance exams. Sometimes your child could also be invited to complete a piece of creative writing that is marked in school and may be taken into consideration by the headteacher when allocating places. The exams are designed to assess and select the top 20/25% of the children in the year group to go to grammar school. Quite often more children pass the exam then school places available so the competition is tough.

To give your child a good chance I recommend that you consider tutoring for your child starting in year 4 or year 5. Some children start before this and others just prepare a few weeks in advance. As well as a slow and steady approach to honing all the skills required the children then have to perform well under the pressure of the exam and also at quite a speed.

NEGU Tuition Services Home – NEGU Tuition provide high quality 11+ tuition both 1-2-1 and in small groups to help your child reach their full potential. The company now has years of experience and feedback and our experienced / qualified tutors know exactly what is needed to pass the tests.

Also during the some of the school holidays they run 11+ masterclasses and 11+ mock exams.

To book or make enquiries please call Tanya Dady on 07555 798972 or email bookings@negutuition.com

How to book 11+ Mock Exams

Having your child sit our mock exams gives them a chance to experience to practice for the real day. This helps them feel better prepared, more at ease and more likely to perform their best. The exams are all closely linked to the real thing and they are marked by an experienced and fully qualified UK teacher. You also can request a report that gives more insight to where your child needs help and how they are performing compared to their cohorts.

All of this information is extremely valuable when planning future tuition sessions. Helping the child familiarise themselves with the test conditions can ease their anxiety and when they get the results can also be a real boost to their confidence.