Your child has the knowledge needed to pass the 11 plus exam. They have done the study. In practice papers at the kitchen table their percentages are high. They should pass the test. But, many high performers underperform in the 11 plus because they are not exam ready.

So how can your child become exam ready? We have listed the key ways below.

Get used to working in real exam conditions. There is a difference between general practice at home, or with a tutor, and real exam experience. It is very common for children to make mistakes in a real exam that they would not make in their usual practice.

Be ready for anything! The 11 Plus can be an unpredictable exam. New types of question can be included, that your child may not be familiar with. This might be a new type of verbal reasoning or non verbal reasoning question. Time limits and the number of questions for each section can also change. Your child needs to be ready for whatever is put in the exam. They need to learn to handle unexpected changes to exam content.    

Exam nerves are completely normal. Most children will experience nerves when they sit their 11 plus. For some children the nerves are visible. For others they are hidden. The best answer to overcome nerves is experience. There is one result when a child has become familiar with sitting exams in a room full of children. Fear is turned into confidence.

Sitting one exam offers the following benefits:

• A snapshot of how they are doing compared to other year 5 students.

• Highlight strengths and weaknesses across all 11 plus subjects.

• Find out if timing is an issue.

• Discover problems with exam techniques.

• Experience real exam conditions.

Sitting a package of exams offers all of the benefits above and…..

• Regular performance monitoring to make sure your child stays on track

• Find trends in strengths and weaknesses. These can often change in the run up to the 11 plus.

• Improve timing to make sure your child doesn’t miss out on marks.

• Develop exam techniques so that your child gets the most marks possible.

• Become comfortable working in an exam environment. This will reduce nerves and help your child achieve the best performance.

• Build consistency. Make sure that your child gets top marks every time.