What is Common Entrance at 13+?

The thirteen plus process is made up of the Common Pre-test, taken in either Year 6 or Year , and the Common Entrance exams taken in Year 8. Not all schools require students to take the Common Pre-test, however if they do, students are offered provisional places based on the pre-test, further dependent on the student’s Common Entrance exams in Year 8.

Common Pre-Tests

• The Common Pre-Tests are taken when a pupil is in Year 6 or Year 7. They are commissioned from GL Assessment and cover verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English and mathematics. Preparations for the verbal and non-verbal reasoning elements are similar to those for the 11+.

Key features of the Common Entrance Pre-tests:

• They are online and adaptive, in a multiple choice format

• They take about two-and-a-half hours to complete (English 25 minutes, mathematics 50 minutes, non-verbal reasoning 32 minutes, verbal reasoning 36 minutes)

• The four tests can be taken together or at separate times; in the candidate’s own school, at the senior school for which he or she is entered or at an independent testing centre.

• Results are available to all senior schools which register the same candidate and therefore a candidate need only sit the test once for a range of senior schools

• The tests are unique to ISEB and are standardised for the independent sector

Independent secondary schools will offer provisional places to promising candidates, but they will still need to be tested at 13+ level through a series of exams in each of the academic subjects studied.

Common Entrance Exam

Pupils sit the Common Entrance examination at 13+ when they are in Year 8. There are three examination sessions each year, in November, January and May/June.

The common entrance exam varies greatly between schools. Some schools still use the ISEB common entrance papers which have 3 levels of difficulty. Others require Common Entrance exams in the core subjects – English, Maths and Science, plus a modern language – alongside their own papers in other subjects. Some schools write all their own papers and they will usually have a specimen paper on their website.

ISEB provide a mark scheme for common entrance papers, but schools are free to mark the papers however they see fit, depending on their entrance criteria and required pass mark.

We guide students in what to prepare for each school they apply for and provide the appropriate teaching and resources. It is very important to know which schools the student will be sitting early, so that the correct preparation takes place.

Interviews

If a student is successful in their pre-tests and/or their CE exam, they will be invited to an interview with the schools that are interested in their application.

Once the exams have shown what the candidate knows and can do, the school will be interested in assessing their potential. We can help with individual interview preparation.

We have helped many children in the past with an impressive success rate.

13 plus Common Entrance Exams Tutoring