Berkhamsted 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About Berkhamsted

Berkhamsted is run as two separate single-sex senior schools under one group: Berkhamsted Boys and Berkhamsted Girls are taught apart from Year 7 to Year 11, then join together for a co-educational Sixth Form.

Berkhamsted Boys sits on the Castle Campus in the town centre; Berkhamsted Girls is a short walk away on the Kings Campus. Both use the same two-stage assessment, though their 2027-entry timetables aren’t identical.

Key information for 2027 entry to Berkhamsted at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: two single-sex senior schools, Berkhamsted Boys and Berkhamsted Girls, under the Berkhamsted Schools Group, joining together for a co-ed Sixth Form
• Berkhamsted Boys runs Years 7-11 only, then pupils move into the shared Sixth Form. Berkhamsted Girls runs straight through, Years 7-13
• Assessment: Stage 1 is the ISEB Common Pre-Test, sat at your child’s own school; Stage 2 is a full-day ‘Holistic Assessment Day’ with an interview, a leadership exercise, academic discussion, problem-solving, sport, drama and creative writing
• Berkhamsted Boys, 2027 entry: register by 5pm, Monday 21 September 2026 (fee £224); ISEB Pre-Test window 5-9 October 2026; results Wednesday 9 December 2026; accept by 5pm, Monday 1 March 2027
• Berkhamsted Girls’ 2027-entry dates were not published when we checked. On the most recent published cycle (2026 entry), registration closed Monday 22 September 2025 at 5pm and results followed on 10 December 2025
• Contact details: [email protected], 01442 358001 (Boys); berkhamsted.com/girls/ (Girls)

Admissions information for 2027 entry to Berkhamsted at 11 Plus (11+)

The thing to get straight first is the structure. ‘Berkhamsted’ isn’t one mixed school: Berkhamsted Boys and Berkhamsted Girls are taught on separate campuses right through Years 7 to 11, and only combine once pupils reach the Sixth Form. If you’re picturing a fully co-ed school from Year 7, this isn’t quite that.

Both campuses run the same two-part process, but the second stage goes well beyond a normal assessment day. The Holistic Assessment Day mixes an interview and academic discussion with a leadership exercise, sport, drama and a piece of creative writing, so a child drilled only on comprehension and maths papers will meet plenty they haven’t specifically practised.

Two things worth flagging plainly. Berkhamsted Boys stops at 16, and pupils then join the shared Sixth Form rather than staying at a single-sex school through to 18. And at the time we checked, Berkhamsted Girls hadn’t yet published its 2027-entry registration dates or fee, only the 2026-entry figures shown above as a guide to the pattern. If you’re applying to the Girls’ school, confirm the live 2027 dates with admissions closer to the time.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exams at Berkhamsted?

1. Decide which campus you’re applying to. Berkhamsted Boys and Berkhamsted Girls run separate registration processes, sometimes with different deadlines.
2. Register by 5pm, Monday 21 September 2026 for Berkhamsted Boys (fee £224). For Berkhamsted Girls, check the school’s current page for the confirmed 2027-entry deadline, since it wasn’t live at the time of writing.
3. Your child sits the ISEB Common Pre-Test at their own school; for Berkhamsted Boys this falls in the window 5-9 October 2026.
4. Assessment Day invitations follow (Boys’ invitations were sent 19 October 2026), then the Holistic Assessment Day itself: interview, leadership exercise, academic discussion, problem-solving, sport, drama and creative writing.
5. Results follow; for Berkhamsted Boys this is Wednesday 9 December 2026. Accept by 5pm, Monday 1 March 2027.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for Berkhamsted?

Every candidate sits the same two stages, whichever campus they’re applying to:

• Stage 1: the ISEB Common Pre-Test, an online, multiple-choice, age-standardised test, sat at your child’s own current school.
• Stage 2: the Holistic Assessment Day, a full day mixing an interview, a leadership exercise, academic discussion, problem-solving, sport, drama and a piece of creative writing.

Berkhamsted Boys’ 2027-entry dates and £224 fee are confirmed on the school’s own page. Berkhamsted Girls’ 2027-entry dates and fee weren’t published on any page we could find at the time of writing; only the 2026-entry cycle’s figures were live, shown above as a guide rather than a promise. If exact dates matter to your planning for Berkhamsted Girls, ask admissions to confirm before you rely on them.

Berkhamsted 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Practise ISEB-style multiple-choice questions across English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning for Stage 1.
• Don’t stop at academic prep. The Holistic Assessment Day rewards a child who can also handle a leadership exercise, group problem-solving and even a bit of sport and drama in the same day.
• Keep creative writing skills warm through the autumn, since it’s part of the assessment day rather than a separate paper.
• If you’re applying to Berkhamsted Girls for 2027 entry, confirm the exact registration deadline and fee with admissions before finalising your plan; the school hadn’t published them at the time of writing.
• Remember Berkhamsted Boys ends at 16. If single-sex education through to 18 matters to you, check how the shared Sixth Form works for your son.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) Berkhamsted exam

Preparation for Berkhamsted has two tracks: ISEB-style multiple-choice practice for the Pre-Test, and a broader kind of readiness for the Holistic Assessment Day, where sport, drama, discussion and creative writing all count alongside the academic elements. Because the Pre-Test window opens in early October, the summer and early autumn of Year 6 is the working period.

For Berkhamsted 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: