What is the 11+? A practical parent guide to tests, subjects and applications

The 11+ is a selective entrance test used by grammar schools and some other selective schools. The important first fact is that it is not one national exam. The authority, consortium or school responsible for admissions decides the local test format, registration process, dates and admission rules.

That local variation changes how a family should prepare. Before buying books or starting timed papers, identify the schools you may apply to and read their current admissions information. An excellent score in practice is not useful if the practice does not resemble the local test, and passing a selection test does not always guarantee a school place.

The quick answer

• Children normally take a selection test near the beginning of Year 6, but registration often happens during Year 5.
• Tests may include English, Maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, but the combination and weighting vary.
• Some tests are divided into timed multiple-choice sections. Other schools or consortia use different formats.
• Registering for a test and applying for a secondary-school place are usually separate actions.
• Admission also depends on the published rules for each school, which may include distance, catchment, pupil-premium priority or other oversubscription criteria.

Why the format varies

Local examples show why generic advice can mislead. Warwickshire says its shared West Midlands test contains English, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and Mathematics in multiple-choice sections. Bexley describes verbal ability and English comprehension, numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Buckinghamshire explains that a qualifying result makes a child eligible for consideration, but a higher score does not automatically provide greater priority once the child has qualified.

These examples should not be treated as templates for another area. Check the current local-authority page and the admission policy of every target school. Dates, suppliers and rules can change between admission years.

The four common subject areas

English

English tasks can draw on reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar. A useful foundation is regular reading followed by a short conversation about meaning, inference, unfamiliar words and the evidence for an answer. The exact balance depends on the local paper.

Maths

Maths preparation commonly builds from the primary curriculum: number, arithmetic, fractions, measurement, geometry, statistics and multi-step problems. Secure methods matter, but children also need to read questions carefully and decide which information is relevant.

Verbal reasoning

Verbal reasoning uses words, letters and logical relationships. Common families include analogies, classifications, codes, sequences and vocabulary relationships. These question styles are not taught as a single National Curriculum subject, so familiarisation can reduce the amount of mental effort spent simply decoding the instructions. Read our verbal reasoning guide for a practical method.

Non-verbal reasoning

Non-verbal reasoning uses shapes and diagrams to test pattern recognition and spatial relationships. Tasks can involve sequences, matrices, rotations, reflections, odd-one-out decisions and folded shapes. Our non-verbal reasoning guide explains how to turn a visual puzzle into a series of smaller checks.

Testing and applying are different steps

A common and costly mistake is to register for the test but forget the coordinated secondary-school application, or to assume that a qualifying result guarantees a place. Warwickshire explicitly says that taking its 11+ is not the same as making a school application. Buckinghamshire similarly explains that qualified children are then considered under each school's admission rules.

1. Make a realistic list of possible schools.
2. Read each school's current admission policy.
3. Find the official test registration window and access-arrangement deadline.
4. Register with the correct authority or test provider.
5. Submit the secondary-school application through your home local authority by its deadline.

Keep confirmation emails and note which organisation owns each step. If your family lives outside the authority where the school is located, the testing registration and school application may still be handled by different bodies.

A sensible preparation sequence

1. Confirm the test. Record the subjects, sections, response method, timing and official familiarisation material.
2. Build foundations. Work on reading, vocabulary, arithmetic and reasoning habits before chasing speed.
3. Introduce question formats. Teach one unfamiliar format at a time and discuss why each answer is right or wrong.
4. Use a baseline carefully. A diagnostic can identify topics for further practice, but it cannot promise admission or predict every local test.
5. Add timed rehearsal later. Use short timed sections before full papers, then review errors rather than recording only the score.

Trace Learn covers Maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Families can start with one free diagnostic and review the progress-tracking approach. Always compare any online preparation with the official information for your target schools.

Access arrangements and wellbeing

If your child normally receives support in school assessments, check the test authority's access-arrangement process early. Evidence requirements and deadlines can fall well before the test. Do not assume that arrangements transfer automatically from school.

Preparation should also remain proportionate. Persistent anxiety, sleep disruption or avoidance is a reason to reduce the load and talk with the child and their school. A selection test is one part of a much larger decision about the environment in which a child is likely to thrive.

Parent checklist

• Target schools and current admission policies saved
• Test registration and access-arrangement deadlines recorded
• Subjects, format and response method confirmed from an official source
• Official familiarisation materials reviewed
• Secondary-school application deadline recorded separately
• Preparation plan matched to the child, not to a promised pass score

Official sources

• GL Assessment free familiarisation materials, including its warning that local timings and question counts may differ.
• Warwickshire County Council: the 11+ test.
• Warwickshire County Council: applying to a grammar school.
• London Borough of Bexley: about the selection test.
• Buckinghamshire Council: applying for a grammar-school place.