The beginner’s guide to the 11 Plus (11+)

Step 1: understand what you’re entering

The 11+ is the entrance exam for selective secondary schools, sat at the beginning of Year 6. Two sorts of school set one: England’s 163 state grammar schools, free to attend and selecting on the exam alone, and fee-paying independent senior schools, which usually combine their exam with an interview.

There is no single national test: the paper and the pass mark both vary by area, and whether the exam is even available depends on where you live: Kent, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Trafford and a handful of other areas kept their grammar schools, most of the country has none, and independent 11+ entry exists everywhere. The full background, including who writes the papers, is in our complete guide to what the 11+ is.

Step 2: pick the schools, then learn their tests

Work out which schools you’re aiming at before buying or booking anything, because the schools decide the subjects, the format, the dates and the workload.

• Choose for your child rather than the league table. A results table only shows how last year’s intake performed. Whether your child would be happy there depends on other things: fit, the commute and the realistic odds of a place will matter far more day to day than a few positions in a ranking. Our guide to choosing schools covers this in detail.
• Look up each school’s test. English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning are the usual subjects, but areas combine them differently, and some schools skip reasoning altogether. Multiple choice and written formats need different practice too. Our exam information guides cover what every school tests, and this guide explains the two formats.
• Aim for four to six tests whose formats overlap. A second school on the same format adds almost no extra work; a second format adds a lot.

Step 3: start at the right time, at the right pace

Build the run-up gradually, adding a little each term. The full plan is in when to start preparing; in outline:

• Year 4: an occasional paper, one every few weeks, to get familiar with the format. The real daily effort goes into reading (start with our reading list), ten minutes of vocabulary and quick mental arithmetic.
• Year 5: structured work begins: one paper a week through the autumn, two or three a week by spring, with the reasoning subjects introduced early because they’re the least familiar from school.
• The summer before the exam: build to roughly one practice test a day, marked together, following the summer plan.
• Autumn of Year 6: most grammar tests fall in the first two weeks of September, so for most children the main work ends with the holidays. Where a school tests later in the autumn or in January, keep three or four timed papers a week going.

The total across the run-up is bigger than the weekly numbers suggest; we’ve set out a realistic count here. Built gradually, it stays manageable.

Step 4: practise properly

How your child practises matters as much as how much:

• Mark everything together. Most of the improvement comes from going through the wrong answers together, which is why every pack we publish includes answers, with step-by-step explanations on the maths and reasoning papers.
• Practise the mechanics of the test. Most grammar tests are machine-marked from a separate answer sheet, and filling one in quickly and accurately is a skill in itself: see answer sheet technique, and our exam technique guide for what to do inside the paper.
• Keep the skills going daily. Vocabulary is the biggest single influence on English and verbal reasoning marks: our spelling and vocabulary series (Foundation books 1-6, then Advanced books 1-4) is designed for a ten-minute daily slot, and our Children’s Classics pair each novel with comprehension and vocabulary exercises.
• Consider a mock exam once preparation is under way; our guide weighs up when they’re worth it.

Step 5: the paperwork and the results

The paperwork is easiest to get right if you treat it as two separate jobs, because completing one does not cover the other:

• Test registration: you register with the school, consortium or council itself, normally during the spring or summer term of Year 5, and some windows close as early as June. Without it your child cannot sit the exam.
• The school application goes on your council’s Common Application Form by 31 October of Year 6. Offers arrive on 1 March.

Results come as standardised scores, adjusted for your child’s age. What a score is worth varies: most areas set a qualifying mark and then allocate places by criteria such as distance, while the most competitive schools rank every applicant and offer from the top. There’s a full guide to standardised scores and to the application process.

The final stretch, the day, and afterwards

In the last week or two, nothing new goes in: familiar routines, reasonable bedtimes, a bag packed the evening before. The night before covers the practicalities; what to expect on exam day walks through the room, the invigilator and the breaks so your child knows what’s coming; and if worry has been building for a while, our exam nerves guide has the practical answers.

And if the result is a disappointment, it isn’t the end of the process: your child is still offered a place from one of the other schools on the form, waiting lists keep moving after offer day, and grammar schools take in a large external intake again at sixth form. What to do if your child does not pass covers appeals, waiting lists and the other routes.

Top tips

• The school’s official admissions page answers every format question in this guide for your specific school. Read it first.
• Two dates go in the diary on day one: the test registration deadline and 31 October.
• Keep sessions short and daily, for papers and vocabulary alike.
• Match anything you buy to your school’s format; more of the wrong kind of practice doesn’t help.
• Keep one school on the list that your child likes and is very likely to get into.
• Keep the weekly day off, even in the final month.

How to prepare

One of the most effective ways to prepare for an 11+ entrance exam is to use practice tests written by experts. We publish a full range of 11+ revision resources: area and school-specific practice tests, subject-specific packs, spelling and vocabulary resources, and reading books.

Each of our practice tests:

• is available as a PDF download or in physical format
• familiarises your child with the types of questions they will face in the real exam
• includes answers to every question, with detailed, step-by-step explanations for the maths and reasoning questions
• builds your child’s confidence before the actual exam.

Use the finder below to jump straight to the papers for your child’s school or area.

Find papers for your school or area

Grammar schools and area tests

• Bexley
• Bishop Wordsworth’s
• Buckinghamshire
• CSSE
• Ermysted’s
• Gloucestershire
• Henrietta Barnett
• Kent
• QE Boys
• Redbridge
• Slough Consortium
• St Olave’s
• Sutton
• The Latymer School
• Tiffin School & Tiffin Girls’ School
• Trafford
• West Midlands

Independent schools

• City of London School for Girls
• Hampton
• Latymer Upper
• Merchant Taylors’
• St Paul’s Girls’ School
• St Paul’s Juniors