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School-style maths papers, verbal reasoning mocks, and NVR practice in one clear 11+ hub.
The definitive free guide to understanding the 11+ and the best ways to help your child prepare.
Many grammar school exams test up to four different disciplines:
Information about selective schools in each region, admissions criteria, places and the testing process.
Families often want to move in two directions at once. Sometimes the right starting point is a subject such as maths or verbal reasoning. Sometimes it is a board route such as GL or CEM. These dedicated pages make that navigation much clearer.
11+ mock exams are practice tests designed to simulate the actual 11+ exam. They help pupils become familiar with the format and content of the test.
Create an account to keep progress in one place and make it easy to reattempt the questions that caused mistakes.
Regular practice on our site is all you need.
Aisha used to freeze when she saw a long run of mixed questions. Her family switched to short daily practice, then one mock paper each weekend. Within a few weeks she was no longer staring at the timer, and she started recognising which questions to move on from quickly rather than getting stuck.
Ben was doing plenty of papers, but he was not learning much from them. The biggest change came when he began redoing only the question types he had missed. Instead of repeating whole papers at random, he built confidence by fixing one weak area at a time and then returning to the full mock with a clearer method.
There is no perfect single month, because schools, subjects and children differ. In practice, many families begin with lighter familiarity work in Year 4 or early Year 5, then increase structure gradually. The right starting point is usually the one that leaves enough time for calm repetition without turning preparation into constant pressure.
Most families do best with a balanced pattern. One subject may need extra attention for a few weeks, but the full 11+ route is usually more stable when maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning all stay visible. That reduces the risk of one strength hiding another weakness for too long.
Full mocks are most useful when they answer a clear question: pacing, stamina, exam rhythm or a school format. They are rarely the best everyday tool. Short topic practice and selective review usually create the learning, while full mocks show how that learning holds together under timed conditions.
GL preparation often feels more section-based, with recognisable verbal task families and repeated instruction changes. CEM verbal work often places more pressure on pace, vocabulary and fast switching between shorter tasks. Strong preparation usually borrows from both, even when a school is thought to lean toward one style.
