When to apply for the 11 Plus (11+) exams: an easy guide

Research first, then set your timeline

Before applying anywhere, check which schools near you use the 11+ and what their admissions process involves. Format, subjects and timing differ from area to area and school to school, so read each school’s official admissions page; your child’s exam may look nothing like a neighbouring area’s.

Grammar and independent schools run separate processes with separate deadlines, and a school within a consortium may share a test with its neighbours yet still set its own registration window. Build one list of every deadline you’re working to, early, and keep it where you’ll see it.

When registration and exams happen

Most grammar and independent schools open registration for the entrance exam in the spring of Year 5, with a closing date that varies school by school; some close by early summer, others later. Registering usually means completing a form on the school’s or consortium’s own website, sometimes with a fee attached.

Most grammar school exams take place in the September of Year 6. Independent school exams are spread more widely, often from November through to February. Both windows are set independently by each school, so the only reliable source is the school’s official website.

Separately, you apply for a Year 7 place through your local authority’s Common Application Form. In England, that application closes on 31 October, regardless of area.

When to start preparing

Ideally, preparation starts well before registration does. Children who do well have usually been building up gradually since the end of Year 4 or the start of Year 5, rather than cramming in the months before the exam.

The build-up runs: occasional papers in Year 4, one a week in the autumn of Year 5, two or three a week by spring, then roughly one practice test a day over the summer once school is out, dropping back to three or four a week in the final term. Our guide to how many practice papers your child needs sets the ladder out in full.

An early start gives you time to spot which subjects need the most attention while there’s still room to act, and it means your child meets the exam format as something familiar rather than something new on the day.

Top tips

• Check each school’s own registration and exam dates directly rather than relying on what a neighbouring school does.
• Keep the exam registration and the local authority application separate in your mind. They’re different processes with different deadlines.
• Book open events as soon as booking opens; good slots go early.
• Start practice papers gradually from Year 4 rather than all at once in Year 6.
• Write every deadline down in one place the moment you find it.

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