Chelsea Life: Top Tips for getting prepared for the 11+

Take a look at our top tips for preparing for 11+ or Pre-test exams, as featured in Chelsea Life this month.

1. Get started early

When it comes to the 11+, slow and steady wins the race, and putting the right preparation in place is key. Get started early to build core skills and confidence ahead of Year 6 in Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning.

The Spring term and Easter holidays are a great time to begin preparation. This is the time to start visiting and registering for schools and getting to grips with the types of assessments your child will sit. Many families find it helpful to sit an academic assessment at this time of year to identify their child’s strengths and areas for improvement, which they can use to focus their preparation.

2. Encourage curiosity

One of the best ways to get prepared is to encourage children to read and feed their natural curiosity. Reading widely across fiction and non-fiction is the best way to build a strong vocabulary.

It’s also worth introducing children to child-friendly podcasts and news sources to build their understanding of current affairs, and encouraging them to try puzzles, sudokus and wordsearches to stretch their thinking.

If you’d like some inspiration for the best books, resources and podcasts, please get in touch.

3. Inspire confidence

At interview, schools may ask for children’s opinions on their interests or current events and see how well they can defend these. The best way to prepare is to talk to your child about what they’re studying in school or the news, ask their opinions, and challenge these.

4. Foster creativity

Schools want to meet passionate, interesting students. The holidays are a great opportunity to help your child build on their interests and try new things that help them stand out from the crowd!

This could be anything from visiting museums or art galleries together, to taking up a new sport, building a rocket, learning to cook or getting stuck into passion projects.

See our top tips in Chelsea Life here. 

If you’re preparing for the 11+, Pre-test or CAT4, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch to discuss your child’s learning journey and how we can support a happy and positive transition into secondary education.