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ISEB Pre-Test practice

Timed, adaptive practice for the ISEB Common Pre-Test in all four subjects. Your child answers one question at a time on screen, with no going back, exactly the way the real test works. Afterwards they see the level they reached, how each topic went and every answer explained, and you see it all from your dashboard.

Create a free accountWhat is the ISEB Pre-Test?

What it is

Many independent senior schools ask children to sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test, an online, multiple-choice test that adapts as it goes. It feels quite different from a paper: there's a clock for each subject, the questions get harder or easier with every answer, and you can't go back. Our practice recreates that, so the format holds no surprises on the day.

There are four separate tests, one per subject, adding up to about 143minutes if your child does them all. They don't need to be done on the same day. New to the Pre-Test? Read our guide to what it is and who sits it.

  • Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning
  • Timed per subject, like the real test
  • Adaptive: harder or easier with each answer
  • One question at a time, no going back
  • A level, topic breakdown and every answer explained
  • Results for you on your parent dashboard

The four tests

Each subject is its own timed sitting

These are the timings the real Pre-Test uses. ISEB doesn't publish question counts and its test varies them, so ours are a typical pace for each subject.

  • Maths

    50 minutes28 questions

    Number, fractions, ratio, algebra, shape, measures and data, with multi-step problems.

  • English

    25 minutes25 questions

    Two reading passages with questions, then spelling, punctuation and grammar.

  • Verbal Reasoning

    36 minutes30 questions

    Word meanings, codes, letter and number series, hidden words and logic.

  • Non-Verbal Reasoning

    32 minutes26 questions

    Shape series, odd one out, matrices, analogies, rotations and reflections.

English has 2 reading passages with 6 questions each, chosen to suit the level your child has reached, with spelling, punctuation and grammar questions in between and after. On a wide screen the passage sits beside the questions so your child can look back at it.

Who it's for

Families applying to independent senior schools

  • Sitting the Pre-Test soon

    Children in Year 6 or Year 7 whose schools use the ISEB Common Pre-Test for entry.

  • New to on-screen tests

    Children used to paper who need to get comfortable with a clock, a screen and no going back.

  • Also sitting the 11+

    Families applying to grammar and independent schools: the four subjects overlap with 11+ practice.

  • Tutors and parents

    Anyone who wants a clear picture of the level a child is working at, topic by topic.

How it works

From Start to results in one sitting

  1. Step 1: Choose a subject

    Your child opens ISEB Pre-Test from their menu and picks Maths, English, Verbal or Non-Verbal Reasoning.

  2. Step 2: Press Start

    The clock starts and keeps going even if they leave the page, just like a real exam.

  3. Step 3: Answer one question at a time

    Two right in a row moves them up a level; a wrong answer moves them down. They can skip a question that's taking too long, but can't go back.

  4. Step 4: Finish or run out of time

    The test ends after the last question or when time's up. Anything not reached counts as not done.

  5. Step 5: See the result

    The level reached, right answers, time used, how each topic went and an estimated standardised score shown as a range.

  6. Step 6: Learn and try again

    Every answer explained, links to practise the weakest topics, and the subject can be sat again whenever they're ready.

What your child sees

Calm, clear screens

Illustrations of the main screens. The question and figures are examples, not real test content.

One question at a time, with the clock and progress always in view.

Four levels: Working towards, Expected, Above and Well above. The estimate is always shown as a range.

Weakest topics come first, with a link straight to practice on each one.

What parents get

A clear picture of each child, subject by subject

  • Latest result per subject

    For each child: the level reached, right answers and the estimated score, side by side for all four subjects.

  • How each topic went

    The topics behind the result, so you know whether it's fractions or codes that need the work.

  • Every finished test

    A list of every test with the date, level, score and time used, so you can see progress over the weeks.

  • Answers explained

    Your child can open every question afterwards to see the right answer and why, with the reading passages for English.

Free or Premium?

ISEB Pre-Test practice is part of Academy11+ Premium. One Premium subscription covers every child on your account, and you can cancel at any time.

With a free account

  • Read our free guide to the ISEB Pre-Test
  • The free starting assessment and free practice across the 11+ subjects
  • Any ISEB results your child already has stay visible

With Premium

  • All four timed, adaptive ISEB practice tests
  • Sit each subject again as often as you like
  • Results, topic breakdown and every answer explained
  • Your parent view of each child's ISEB results
We add each subject once its questions have been through our checks. If a subject isn't ready yet, its card says so, and it opens for every Premium family as soon as it is.

See everything that's free and what's in Premium

Questions parents ask

Is this the real ISEB Pre-Test?

No. It's practice written in the style of the Pre-Test to help children feel ready for it. Academy11+ is independent and not affiliated with ISEB, and the questions are our own.

How does the adaptive part work?

Each test starts at a middle level. Two right answers in a row move your child up a level, and a wrong answer moves them down one, across four levels. The test ends with the level your child settled at, which is what the result is based on.

Can my child go back and change an answer?

No, just like the real test. Each question depends on the answers before it, so once your child moves on the answer is kept. If a question is taking too long they can skip it and keep going.

What happens if the time runs out, or my child leaves the page?

The clock starts when your child presses Start and keeps running even if they leave the page, as it would in an exam. When time is up the test finishes and any questions not reached count as not done, which is why pacing matters.

How accurate is the estimated standardised score?

It's a rough guide only. The real Pre-Test compares a child with others of the same age; ours is worked out from the level our practice questions reached, so we show it as a range and never as a prediction of the real result.

Can my child take the tests more than once?

Yes. With Premium they can sit each subject again whenever they like, and questions they've seen in recent tests are used last, so a retake isn't just the same paper again. Every finished test is kept so you can see progress.

Do I need Premium?

Yes, ISEB Pre-Test practice is part of Academy11+ Premium, which covers every child on your account. Without Premium your child can still see any past results, but can't start a new test.

Which subject should my child start with?

Any order works, as each subject is its own timed test. Many families start with the subject their child feels most confident in, so the format feels familiar before the harder ones. Each sitting is a single block of time, so pick a quiet moment.

Related features

Get ready for the Pre-Test, calmly

Create a free account and add your child, then add Premium when you're ready to start the ISEB practice tests.
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