Top photo: Rossall School, Lancashire.
What is the ISEB?
The ISEB stands for the Independent Schools Examination Board. This is the examining body that sets the Common Entrance exams for 11+ in Year 6, 13+ in Year 8 and the ISEB Common Pre-Test in Year 6/7 which are used by the independent school sector.
What are ISEB Common Pre-Tests?
The Common Pre-Test are online age-standardised tests taken in Years 6 or 7 (when a child is aged between 10 and 12) and are used to assess pupils’ potential and attainment before they take the Common Entrance exam in Year 8.
Children mature at different ages and the Pre-Test is designed to account for your child’s age and to assess their potential as well as current ability. This means that if a child is young for their academic year, the results will be adjusted to give an age-adapted score and the child will not be disadvantaged when compared with an older child.
What does the ISEB Pre-Test involve?
The Pre-Tests include four tests in a multiple-choice format: English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The maths and English tests are based on key stage 2 of the National Curriculum.
The assessment is adaptive, meaning that the questions increase in difficulty after each correct answer to find a student’s current academic level.
How long is the ISEB Pre-Test?
The tests together take about two and a half hours to complete. The results are available to all the senior schools that the pupil is registered for and so the tests only need to be sat once. More information is available on the ISEB website.
Where and when does the ISEB Pre-Test take place?
Pupils will usually sit the ISEB Pre-Test on a computer at their current prep school, their prospective senior school or at an independent invigilation centre. The ISEB Common Pre-Test can be taken throughout the academic year (October – June). However, most schools will set a date for applicants to take the pre-test to fit in with their admissions process which is usually in the autumn term of year six.
What is the pass mark for ISEB Common Pre-Test?
There is no ‘pass mark’ and each school will interpret the results differently depending on what they are looking for. They will use the score along with a reference from the pupil’s current school as an initial cut off point. This helps the schools deal with the high level of applications they receive. Invitations to attend a school specific assessment day which may include activities and some additional school tests and interview (often referred to as the ‘second round’) are usually sent in the following month following the pre-test but this will vary from school to school.
If the candidate is successful, they will usually be offered a place, conditional on them passing the Year 8 Common Entrance exam or scholarship exams which the pupil will still be required to take.
Can you retake the ISEB Pre-Test?
The Pre-Tests can only be sat once per academic year and cannot be re-taken in that academic year. The results will be shared with all schools registering that candidate. If a child has not performed well some schools will place a child on a waiting list or ask them to re-sit the test the following year but some may reject a child at this point.
Which schools use the ISEB Common Pre-Test?
Currently around 79 schools use the ISEB Common Pre-Test including some of the most selective schools in the country. See a list of schools currently using the ISEB-Test here ISEB Schools.
What is UK Independent Schools’ Entrance Test (UKiset)?
This an online assessment similar in format to the ISEB pre-test but is designed for international students who wish to gain entry to UK independent schools. It is a requirement of many UK independent schools’ admission processes, and the purpose of the assessment is to identify academic potential, strengths, weaknesses and English language skills. The results compare candidates against British students of the same age and each school will decide on what level of UKiset it will accept.
How to prepare for the ISEB Common Pre-Test?
The Pre-Tests have been designed to include content from the national curriculum and therefore your child should learn everything required as part of their schooling. However, many parents are keen for their children to be well-prepared with what to expect and reduce any pressure on the day.
To help children familiarise themselves with the tests online platforms such as Atom Learning and Century are extremely useful resources which allow children to practice ISEB Common Pre-Test style assessments.
For those children who need a bit of targeted support to maximise their potential or who struggle with independent learning, we can recommend some fantastic specialist tutors who can support your child’s learning and help to increase their confidence, so they are ready and prepared for exam day.
In Summary
Not all independent schools take the pre-test, some design their own and some don’t use it at all. Many highly selective schools are now using a two-stage pre-test where you sit the ISEB pre-test in Year 6, followed by a school specific pre-test if you are successful. Some over-subscribed schools use the pre-test to cut down their list of potential candidates before the Common Entrance exam, others run a reserve list. Every school does it slightly differently, so it is worth discussing potential schools with us so we can assist you in finding the right school.
The ISEB Common Pre-Test has alleviated the pressure of Common Entrance to a point as many schools now offer confirmed places and Common Entrance is used for setting purposes only. However, this does also mean that there is more pressure during Year 6 & 7 to gain a place at senior school even if it is subject to Common Entrance results.
Get in touch
If you would like some guidance on UK boarding schools or preparing for the ISEB Common Pre-test, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
