How to prepare for the 11+ test.
The most important things children can do includes reading a variety of books, magazines and websites; analysing what they have read and looking up unfamiliar words. They should practice maths and problem solving with a focus on learning to work out strategies for unfamiliar questions. A deep understanding of core maths coupled with undertaking calculations at speed is critical. As NVR is not taught in schools, it is useful to learn NVR concepts and practice a variety of question types.
Popular 11+ preparation material
Two popular online systems helpful for 11+ preparation are
WordBuilder and
CoolCleverKids.
WordBuilder was designed especially for CEM 11+ tests and covers Comprehension, antonyms, synonyms, cloze passages, jumbled sentences, odd-word out plus many other activities.
Click here for a demo.
CoolCleverKids covers 11+ and SATs maths/data-processing and NVR (it also includes KS2 spellings and science tests). There are lesson notes, links to videos, worksheets and tests, all marked online with explanations.
Click here for a demo. Covering all the past maths SATs tests on this site is useful. For those who do not want to pay for a subscription, SATs papers can be downloaded free of charge from
SATsPapers.org.uk (but they have to be printed and marked manually).
Word lists, booklets and mock papers are available from the
shop on this site as well as a 100% money-back guarantee 11+ course.
Free mock tests
It is a good idea to take real 11+ tests in other areas if the test dates are before your test. This is a legal right and schools cannot refuse, so apply before deadlines. Many people sit the Warwickshire 11+ test as a free mock exam.