The ISEB Pre-Test is a key assessment used by many independent senior schools in the UK. In this in-depth guide, our Pre-Test tutoring experts explore everything from what the test is and what it covers to how to register, how the results work, and how to prepare your child.
What is the ISEB Pre-Test?
The ISEB Pre-Test is an assessment used by a range of independent senior schools in the UK to assess children for entry. It is usually taken in Year 6, when a child is 10 or 11 years old. Some schools use it as the first step in the 13 Plus entry process (for entry into Year 9), while others use it as the main 11 Plus assessment (for entry into Year 7).
The Pre-Test is divided into four modules: English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. It is a computerised, adaptive, and age-standardised test:
- Computerised: children take the test on a computer (though they can use pen and paper for working)
- Adaptive: the questions each child sees will adapt according to how well they are doing on the test. If your child gets more correct answers, then they will see harder questions. The highest scores are reserved for the children who take (and get right) the hardest questions.
- Age-standardised: each child’s scores are adjusted according to their age when they take the test. Children who are very young for their year will have their scores revised upwards relative to children who are old for their year. This is designed to ensure that older children do not have an unfair advantage
It is sometimes called the ISEB Common Pre-Test – the ‘common’ means that it is a shared assessment used by lots of schools. Each child only needs to take the test once and the results are shared with all the schools which require it to which your child is applying.
Which Schools Use the Pre-Test?
Below is a full list of ISEB Common Pre-Test schools for 2026:
- Abbot’s Hill School
- Ampleforth College
- Bedford School
- Benenden School
- Berkhamsted Senior School
- Birkdale School
- Bloxham School
- Bradfield College
- Brentwood School
- Brighton College
- Caterham School
- Charterhouse
- Cranleigh School
- Downe House School
- Eaton Square Upper School
- Eton College
- Fulham Senior School
- Harrodian Senior School
- Harrow School
- Hoe Bridge School
- Holmwood House Senior School
- Hurstpierpoint College
- James Allen’s Girls’ School
- Kew House School
- King Edward’s School Witley
- King’s College Taunton
- King’s School Canterbury
- King’s School Rochester
- Lady Eleanor Holles
- Lancing College
- Maida Vale School
- Marlborough College
- New Hall School
- Oratory School
- Palmers Green High School
- Pangbourne College
- Radley College
- Reed’s School
- Royal Grammar School Guildford
- Royal Hospital School
- Seaford College
- Sevenoaks School
- Sherborne School
- St Albans High School
- St Dunstan’s College
- St Edward’s School
- St John’s Leatherhead
- St Paul’s School
- St Swithun’s School
- Stowe School
- Streatham & Clapham High School
- Sutton Valence School
- Tonbridge School
- Tormead School
- Tranby
- Walthamstow Hall
- Wellington College
- Westminster School
- Winchester College
- Woldingham
- Wycombe Abbey
As mentioned above, these schools may use the Pre-Test in different ways. For instance, Eton and Harrow use it as the first step in their 13 Plus entry processes: children who do well enough in the Pre-Test early in Year 6 are then invited to take a second assessment later in Year 6, while children who perform worse in the Pre-Test will be rejected. Other schools, like JAGS for example, use the ISEB Pre-Test as their main 11 Plus assessment: if a child passes the Pre-Test as well as any other components of the application like the 11 Plus interview, then they will be offered a place to start in Year 7.
You can learn more about how to get into Eton in our dedicated article.
What Does it Test?
The ISEB Pre-Test contains four modules:
- English
- Maths
- Verbal Reasoning
- Non-Verbal Reasoning
In this section, we’ll look at what might be assessed in each of these four areas in more detail.
English
The English section lasts 40 minutes and is based on the national curriculum up to the end of Year 5. It consists of two subsections, Comprehension, and Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar.
Comprehension
Your child will be presented with several passages from a range of genres (fiction, non-fiction, and poetry) and time periods. Each passage will be around 300-500 words long. They will be asked multiple-choice questions about the passages which assess:
- Information retrieval
- Deduction
- Inference
- Vocabulary, explaining the meaning of words in context
- Summarising the main ideas in the passage
- How literary devices (personification, alliteration, similes, metaphors) enhance meaning
- Making comparisons (across the text, between characters, between formality)
Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar
There are three types of question in this subsection:
- Cloze sentences (fill in the blank in a sentence)
- Jumbled sentences (rearrange a sentence into the correct order)
- ‘Spot the mistake’ questions
The content assessed will include vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation, as well as the following grammar rules:
“Knowledge of what is grammatically correct, rather than complex terminology (pupils will be expected to be able to identify nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions); clauses; formal and informal language; verb agreement; sentence structure. In most questions, pupils will be asked ‘What is grammatically correct?’ rather than having to recall the names of specific tenses.”
Maths
The ISEB Pre-Test Maths section lasts 40 minutes. Questions are based on the national curriculum up to the end of Year 5, and topics include:
- Number and place value
- Calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
- Fractions, decimals and percentages
- Measurement
- Geometry
- Statistics
Verbal Reasoning
The ISEB Pre-Test Verbal Reasoning lasts 25 minutes and tests logic and comprehension. The topics covered are:
- Problem solving techniques
- Trial and error skills
- Working logically
- Recognising suitable solutions
- Knowledge of vocabulary and definitions
Non-Verbal Reasoning
The Non-Verbal Reasoning sections lasts 30 minutes. It includes traditional non-verbal reasoning as well as spatial reasoning questions.
There are broadly two question types:
- Analyse 2D figures and diagrams to look for patterns (similarities and differences, completing the diagram, code matching)
- Manipulate 3D figures and diagrams to visualise them in a different way
Format
The ISEB is an online, multiple-choice assessment taken on a computer. It has a few distinctive features that both you and your child should understand in advance:
- No back button: As the test is adaptive, students cannot return to previous questions to review or change their answers. They need to feel confident in their choice before moving on, as there’s no opportunity to check answers at the end – unlike in many school exams.
- Answer required to continue: The ‘next’ button only appears once an answer has been selected. This may feel unusual at first, but it prevents students from accidentally skipping questions.
- Progress bar: A progress indicator shows how much of the test has been completed and how much remains, helping students keep track of their progress.
- Timer: A countdown timer is displayed in the top-right corner. If it feels distracting or increases anxiety, students can choose to hide it.
As mentioned earlier, though the test is computerised, your child may use pen and paper to make notes and work out their answers. These are not marked.
The test lasts 2 hours 15 minutes in total:
- Maths – 40 minutes
- English – 40 minutes
- Verbal Reasoning – 25 minutes
- Non-Verbal Reasoning – 30 minutes
Taking the Test
Registration
Parents now need to register their children for the ISEB Pre-Test themselves. This is a free, online process and should be done on the ISEB Guardian Portal here.
Registration usually opens in early to mid-June of the academic year before testing (i.e. if your child is taking the test in the autumn term of 2026, you can register them from June 2026). Testing runs up to the summer term, but the schools to which you are applying will usually set their own deadline for taking the Pre-Test.
Finding a Test Centre
Your child will need to sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test at an approved test centre. For many children, this will be their prep school. If your child’s school cannot run the test on-site, then many senior schools will host applicants for the test themselves on specific dates.
For children currently outside the UK, there are approved test centres in many countries around the world, including British Council offices. You can find your nearest centre on the ISEB website.
Results
Once your child has taken the test, the results are made available to all applicable senior schools for which they have registered. This means your child only needs to sit the test once. Parents and children do not see their results.
How do ISEB Pre-Test scores work?
Children are given a standardised age score (SAS). This is a calculation based on:
- Number of correct and incorrect answers
- Question difficulty: because the Pre-Test is adaptive, children who get more questions right will see harder questions. The highest scores are reserved for those who correctly answer the hardest questions.
- Child’s date of birth: because the Pre-Test is age-standardised, children who were born later or take the test earlier in the year will see their score revised upwards compared to those who were born earlier or took the test later in the year. This is designed to prevent children who were younger when they took the test from being at a disadvantage.
Children are scored on a scale where 100 is the average and 142 is the maximum score.
What is the ISEB Pre-Test pass mark?
There is no official pass mark as each school will have different standards and may use the test differently within their admissions process. For instance, some schools might place a lot of weight on the Pre-Test while others may only take it into consideration alongside interview performance or recommendations from their prep school.
That said, if your child is applying to academically selective schools, then aiming for a score of 120 or above is advisable. However, given that parents and children never see their scores, this information is of limited use in preparation. The cliché that your child should simply do their best is nonetheless true.
How to Prepare for the ISEB Pre-Test
The ISEB claim that the Pre-Test provides an objective measure of academic potential and many schools will state that children cannot prepare for it. This is deeply misleading: as with any test, a careful programme of consistent, well planned preparation will make a big difference to your child’s performance.
Encouraging strong reading habits and regular exposure to language is one of the most effective ways to prepare for the ISEB Pre-Test.
English and Verbal Reasoning
Read regularly
There is absolutely no substitute for encouraging a habit of regular reading of good quality texts in a range of genres (fiction, non-fiction, and poetry). Ideally you would develop this habit over several years before the test, but if your child is not a big reader and the test is coming up, you can still make significant improvements in the 6-12 months before the test.
Read to your child and encourage them to read aloud to you. Show genuine interest in what they are reading – regardless of the text – and take time to discuss their ideas, questions, and interpretations.
Use books as a tool for vocabulary development. For example, ask your child to identify compound words or words containing specific letter strings (e.g. -ight, -ment). This helps develop pattern recognition, which is key for verbal reasoning.
The holy grail is a mix of reading together and ensuring your child is reading independently.
Supplement with audiobooks
Listening to audiobooks at bedtime or during car journeys can reinforce vocabulary and comprehension in a low-pressure way.
However, we don’t recommend substituting ‘real’ reading with audiobooks as a) the test does not include a listening component, and b) reading requires greater cognitive effort than listening. This should be a supplement, not a replacement.
Encourage conversation
Create opportunities for discussion at home, such as during dinner. Topics could be as straightforward as something interesting they have learned at school or where they would like to go on their next holiday and why.
Encouraging children to articulate their thoughts clearly can strengthen both verbal and written communication skills.
Reinforce new vocabulary
Repetition is essential for learning new words. Using tools such as flashcards and post-it notes placed around the house can help children revisit and retain new vocabulary. Research suggests it may take many repetitions for a word to become familiar.
Make learning interactive
Introduce simple reward systems (e.g. points for using new vocabulary) to keep learning engaging and motivating.
Games and Activities
Incorporating word-based activities into family time can make preparation more enjoyable:
- Board games such as Boggle, Scrabble, Bananagrams, and Articulate are excellent for developing vocabulary and quick thinking.
- Word puzzles: encourage your child to complete – or even create – word searches and crossword puzzles to deepen their understanding of spelling and vocabulary.
- Online resources such as BBC Bitesize (e.g. Small Town Superheroes) provide engaging activities focused on spelling and punctuation.
- Educational apps like Vocab Victor and Endless Alphabet can support vocabulary development in an interactive way.
Maths
Exam Technique
A common source of mistakes in maths tests is misreading the question or choosing the wrong operation. Encourage your child to slow down and read each question carefully before answering. In our years of tutoring experience for the ISEB Common Pre-Test, we often see that exam technique can make the difference between an offer from your target school and a rejection.
Practise key fundamentals
Strong recall of times tables is particularly important, as it underpins many areas of the test and helps improve speed and accuracy.
Maths Practice Resources
- BBC Bitesize offers a wide range of engaging maths games and activities.
- Apps such as DoodleMaths and Prodigy provide interactive ways to practise key skills, while Times Table Rock Stars is particularly effective for building fluency in multiplication.
- Resources from The Happy Puzzle Company can help develop logical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR)
Non-verbal reasoning focuses on recognising patterns, relationships, and visual sequences. This section is often particularly unfamiliar for children as it is not always covered at school.
Preparation should centre on developing spatial awareness and pattern recognition.
Encourage explanation
Ask your child to explain how they arrived at an answer. Being able to articulate their reasoning helps reinforce understanding and reduces guesswork.
NVR Activities and Games
- Games such as Q-bitz are excellent for developing visualisation, rotation, and symmetry skills. You can also explore puzzle games from The Happy Puzzle Company.
- Activities like Spot the Difference help children identify visual changes in shape, size, and position – key skills for NVR.
- Playing SET as a family encourages children to recognise patterns across multiple variables, such as colour, shape, and number.
- Building with LEGO, Meccano, or Laser Pegs can significantly improve spatial reasoning and visualisation skills.
- Apps such as Learning Patterns and other pattern-recognition tools can provide additional structured practice.
Past Papers and Practice Tests
As a minimum, your child should complete the free Pre-Test walkthrough here as this will familiarise them with the exam format and testing software.
We also recommend that you complete a few past papers covering all four sections. ISEB Pre-Test past papers are available in the official preparation pack from the ISEB along with other prep resources.
Tutors
For the highest level of preparation, consider working with an experienced ISEB Pre-Test tutor. A good tutor will be extremely familiar with the question types for all sections of the Pre-Test and common slip-ups which children make. They can understand your child’s strengths and areas for improvement, and target their tuition accordingly. This enables children to make rapid progress, cover any knowledge gaps, and consolidate their strengths.
Tutors are also experts at developing the good exam technique which frequently makes a significant difference to children’s final scores.
At Dukes Tutoring, we’ve been preparing students for the ISEB Pre-Test for years with a proven track record of children receiving offers from their chosen senior schools, including JAGS, Eton, Harrow, Harrodian, and many more. Our tutors are highly experienced, hand-picked, and thoroughly vetted.
You can explore our 11 Plus tutors and 13 Plus tutors, or contact us to discuss your child and get matched with the best-fit tutor for their ambitions.
FAQs
What is the ISEB Pre-Test?
The ISEB Pre-Test is an online entrance assessment used by many independent senior schools in the UK. Children usually take it in Year 6 (age 10–11), either as part of the 11 Plus admissions process for Year 7 entry or as an initial stage in 13 Plus applications for Year 9 entry.
The test is taken on a computer and is adaptive, meaning the difficulty of the questions changes depending on how well a child is performing. It is also age-standardised, so scores are adjusted to account for a child’s age. The assessment covers four areas: English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
How do I register for the Pre-Test?
Parents are responsible for registering their child through the online ISEB Guardian Portal. Registration is free and usually opens in June in the academic year before the test is taken.
Your child only needs to sit the test once, and the results are automatically shared with all the schools they are applying to. It is important to check individual school deadlines, as these can vary.
Which schools use it?
A large number of independent schools use the ISEB Pre-Test, including highly selective schools such as Eton College, Harrow School, Westminster School, and Sevenoaks School.
Schools use the test in different ways. Some use it as an initial screening stage for 13 Plus entry, inviting stronger candidates to sit further assessments later in the year. Others, such as James Allen’s Girls’ School, use it as their main 11 Plus assessment alongside interviews or other application components.
When do children take the Pre-Test?
Most children take the ISEB Pre-Test in the autumn term of Year 6. In some cases, testing can continue into later terms, depending on the requirements and deadlines of the schools applied to.
What is the ISEB Pre-Test pass mark?
There is no official pass mark, as each school sets its own criteria and may weigh the test differently within its admissions process. For more selective schools, a score of around 120 or above is often considered competitive.
However, parents and children do not receive the results directly, so the best advice is to prepare your child carefully to do as well as possible in each section, without worrying about how exactly their performance will translate into their final score.
How should I prepare my child?
Preparation is most effective when it is steady and consistent rather than intensive at the last minute. For English and Verbal Reasoning, developing strong reading habits is key, alongside regular discussion to build vocabulary and comprehension.
In Maths, confidence comes from a secure grasp of the Year 5 curriculum, particularly times tables, as well as careful reading of questions to avoid simple errors. Non-Verbal Reasoning tends to be less familiar, so practising pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, and visual problem-solving can be particularly helpful.
Alongside this, it is important that children become comfortable with the format of the test, especially its adaptive nature and the fact that they cannot return to previous questions. Practice tests and support from an experienced tutor can make a big difference to your child’s result.
