Is your son or daughter sitting an entrance exam this year? Whether you’re applying to a local Weybridge or Surrey independent, or your child is sitting a pre-test exam in a West Sussex school, it can be a challenging time.
Throughout the year, worried parents often get in touch with us to find out what the 11+ or 13+ exam involves and how they can support their child through it. The pressure and expectation can be tough to handle for both parents and children.
Initially, we always say: don’t panic! Much like any other exam, it’s important to do your homework. Here are some of our top tips:
- Break down the exam. Find out what you are up against. Some schools set their own test, while others follow standard exams set by CEM or GL. Find out what the entrance exam covers: Verbal reasoning? Non verbal reasoning? Comprehension? Is the comprehension multi-choice, or a written response? Is there a Maths and writing component?
- Familiarise yourself. Look online for a familiarisation test for the exam – if possible. Since many of these tests are not published, the boards do release useful booklets to help steer you in the right direction.
- Learn new concepts. Within each exam element, there are different concepts to negotiate. Many of these are not taught in school – especially verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Unfortunately what happens is that if a child tackles an exam test before learning concepts, they often end up very confused. And scared. Instead, why don’t you draw up a list of what’s covered in each paper – and work through them in a methodical yet fun way.
- Book a private tutor.If your Maths, English and reasoning skills are rusty, it can help to work with a tutor who knows these exams inside out. One-to-one tuition can save you time and stress – plus teach your child all the revision techniques they need to pass any entrance exam with flying colours.
In our next post, we’ve some fun Eleven Plus revision tips to inspire your child. Keep an eye out for them! In the meantime, if you need a specialist Entrance exam tutor in Surrey or West Sussex near Chichester to help you get back on track, just get in touch! Our door is always open…
