Maths
About 50 minutes
Number and place value, the four operations, fractions, decimals and percentages, ratio, algebra and sequences, shape, measures, data and probability, and multi-step problems.
Independent schools
The ISEB Common Pre-Test
A plain-English guide to the online entrance test many independent senior schools use: who sits it, what's in it, how the adaptive questions work and how to prepare, plus timed, adaptive practice that feels like the real thing.
What is it, and who sits it?
The Common Pre-Test is set by the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB). Many independent senior schools use it as one part of choosing pupils, usually for entry at 11+ or for 13+ places offered in advance. Children usually sit it in Year 6 or Year 7, on a computer, at their current school or at one of the senior schools. One sitting can usually be shared with each school that uses it.
There's no single pass mark. Schools look at the results alongside interviews, school reports and their own tests, so the aim is for your child to show what they can really do, calmly and without surprises on the day.
- Online, on screen
- Adaptive: questions change with each answer
- Multiple choice throughout
- No going back to earlier questions
- English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning
The four subjects and timings
Each subject is a separate timed section. These are the timings our practice uses; ISEB doesn't publish question counts, and because the test adapts, the number of questions can vary.
English
About 25 minutes
Reading comprehension on fiction, non-fiction and poetry (finding information, inference, vocabulary and the writer's choices), plus spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Verbal Reasoning
About 36 minutes
Word meanings and opposites, analogies, letter and number codes, letter and number series, hidden and compound words, and logic problems.
Non-Verbal Reasoning
About 32 minutes
Shape series, odd one out, matrices, analogies, rotations and reflections: spotting the pattern in shapes rather than words.
How an adaptive test works
An adaptive test starts in the middle. Get questions right and they become harder; get one wrong and the next is a little easier. The test homes in on the level where your child is working, so a strong candidate will find it challenging: that's the test doing its job, not a sign that things are going badly.
Because each question depends on the last, there's no going back. Pacing matters too: leaving questions unanswered when time runs out usually costs more than a careful best guess.
Starts in the middle
The first questions are pitched at a typical level.
Steps up
Answer well and the questions get harder.
Steps back
A wrong answer brings a slightly easier one.
Settles on a level
The result reflects where your child is working.
How to prepare
Secure the basics
Times tables, spelling and punctuation rules, and wide reading build the foundations every section draws on.
Practise on screen
Reading a passage and answering on a computer feels different from paper. Practise the format so it's familiar.
Work on pace
Practise under time, learn when to move on, and make a sensible guess rather than leaving a question blank.
Fix the gaps
Use results to find the topics that need work, practise those, then test again a few weeks later.
Part of Academy11+ Premium
ISEB-style practice that feels like the real test
- Timed sections for all four subjects
- Adaptive: harder or easier as your child answers
- One question at a time, no going back
- English passages shown beside the questions
- A level, score, time used and topic breakdown
- Every answer explained afterwards, with practice for weak topics
The estimated standardised score is a rough guide from our own questions, not a real Pre-Test result. Academy11+ is independent and not affiliated with ISEB.
Questions parents ask
What is the ISEB Common Pre-Test?
It is an online assessment set by the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB) and used by many independent senior schools as part of their entry process. It covers English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, and every question is multiple choice.
When do children sit the Pre-Test?
Usually in Year 6 or Year 7, depending on the schools you are applying to. The schools arrange it, and many children take it at their current school or at one of the senior schools. Check the dates with each school on your list.
Is the Pre-Test adaptive?
Yes. The questions change with each answer: a right answer tends to lead to a harder question and a wrong one to an easier question. That means two children can see different questions, and the number of questions can vary.
Can my child go back and change an answer?
No. Because each question depends on the answers before it, children can't go back once they've moved on. It's worth practising reading carefully, answering, and moving on without worrying about earlier questions.
Is there a pass mark?
No single pass mark applies. Results are shared with the schools a child is registered with, and each school decides how to use them, often alongside interviews, school reports and their own assessments.
Does my child sit the test separately for each school?
Usually not: the results from one sitting can be shared with each school that uses the Pre-Test. Each school will tell you how they would like it arranged, so ask them.
How is Academy11+ practice different from a paper?
Our ISEB practice works like the real test: it's on screen, timed per subject, adaptive, one question at a time and with no going back. At the end you see a level, the score, the time used, how each topic went and an estimated standardised score, which is a rough guide rather than a real Pre-Test result.
Is Academy11+ connected with ISEB?
No. Academy11+ is independent and not affiliated with ISEB. Our practice questions are our own, written in the style of the Pre-Test to help children feel ready.
Other entrance tests: compare the exam boards.