Haberdashers’ Boys’ School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About Haberdashers’ Boys’ School

Haberdashers’ Boys’ School is an independent day school for boys in Elstree, Hertfordshire, sharing a campus with Haberdashers’ Girls’ School. They are two separate schools with separate admissions, though they now use the same first round 11+ assessment.

Around 160 to 175 boys enter Year 7 each year. About 60 of those move up automatically from the school’s own Prep School, and a small number arrive through the Group Preferential Pathway from Lochinver House School and St Martin’s School, so the majority of places still go to external applicants.

Key information for 2027 entry to Haberdashers’ Boys’ School at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: independent day school for boys
• Entry points: 4+, 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+
• Year 7 intake: approximately 160 to 175, including about 60 from the school’s own Prep School
• Assessment: a paper Quest first round of four papers, then interview for around half of candidates
• Registration deadline: Friday 6 November 2026
• Scholarship application deadline: Friday 6 November 2026
• Bursary application deadline: Thursday 19 November 2026
• First round assessment: Friday 20 November 2026
• Second round assessment: Friday 8 to Friday 15 January 2027
• Offers sent by email: Friday 12 February 2027
• Offer holder event: Thursday 25 February 2027
• Offer acceptance deadline: 9am on Wednesday 3 March 2027
• Scholarships: academic, art, design technology, drama, music and sport
• Contact details: habselstree.org.uk

Admissions information for 2027 entry to Haberdashers’ Boys’ School at 11 Plus (11+)

There are two different 11+ routes at Habs Boys and choosing the wrong one costs you a year. Apply for 11+ entry if your son’s school finishes at Year 6. If he is at a Prep School that runs to Year 8, the school strongly recommends 11+ deferred entry, where he is assessed at 11 but joins in Year 9.

If you apply for 11+ entry instead of the recommended deferred route, Habs asks that you tell your Prep School, because it has standing relationships with those schools.

Means-tested financial support is available at 11+, but a place must be offered first on the assessment criteria. A scholarship and means-tested support can be held at the same time. Sister school: Haberdashers’ Girls’ School.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exams at Haberdashers’ Boys’ School?

1. Visit first if you can, at an Open Day or a School in Action day.
2. Register online by Friday 6 November 2026. Scholarship applications close the same day; bursary applications close later, on Thursday 19 November 2026.
3. Sit the first round Quest assessment on Friday 20 November 2026.
4. If your son is among the roughly half invited back, attend the second round between Friday 8 and Friday 15 January 2027, with a parent interview on the same day.
5. Offers are emailed on Friday 12 February 2027.
6. Accept by 9am on Wednesday 3 March 2027.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for Haberdashers’ Boys’ School?

Habs adapted its 11+ for 2026, and Habs Boys and Habs Girls now use the same Quest first round assessment. It is a paper assessment, not an online one, in four parts:

• Maths and non-verbal reasoning, 45 minutes.
• English and verbal reasoning, 40 minutes.
• Creative comprehension, 20 minutes.
• Creative writing, 20 minutes.

The maths and English questions are multiple choice and cover Key Stage 2 National Curriculum topics. Paper and pencils are provided, so pencil cases are not needed, and dictionaries, calculators and mobile devices are not allowed. Habs publishes a familiarisation test.

On the basis of the results, around half of candidates are invited back for interview in January. One or both parents attend on the same day for an informal meeting with school leaders. For more on this provider, see our Quest Assessments guide.

Haberdashers’ Boys’ School 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Practise on paper, not on screen. The Quest first round at Habs is a paper assessment, which is unusual for Quest and catches out families preparing on a tablet.
• Do not neglect the two 20-minute creative papers. Comprehension and creative writing are half the four papers and are where a strong reader shows through.
• Work multiple-choice maths and English to Key Stage 2 content, since that is the stated syllabus.
• Try the school’s own familiarisation test before buying anything.
• Diarise the two different deadlines: scholarships close with registration on 6 November, bursaries not until 19 November.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) Haberdashers’ Boys’ School exam

Four short papers reward breadth and pace rather than depth in one subject. Multiple-choice maths and English at Key Stage 2 level, plus non-verbal and verbal reasoning, plus regular short creative writing to a prompt. All of it on paper.

For Haberdashers’ Boys’ School 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: