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ISEB Pre-Test guide for parents

The official ISEB Common Pre-Tests explained: what children face, how they differ from Common Entrance, what schools decide and how to prepare without unnecessary pressure.

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What is the ISEB Pre-Test?

The official name is the ISEB Common Pre-Tests. Families often use ISEB Pre-Test as shorthand. It is a set of four online admissions assessments covering English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Many independent senior schools use the results as one part of admissions, most commonly when children are in Year 6 for Year 7 entry; some schools use the tests earlier in a deferred Year 9 admissions pathway.

“online, adaptive and shared” — ISEB

“Adaptive” means the difficulty changes in response to the child’s answers. “Shared” means a child can usually sit the assessment once and make the result available to more than one senior school that requires it. The Pre-Tests are separate from Common Entrance, which has a different format, subject structure and usual place in admissions.

ISEB Pre-Test key facts

The essentials below apply to the ISEB Common Pre-Tests generally. A senior school may add its own deadlines or further assessments.

What is assessed

English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.

Format

Four online, multiple-choice, adaptive tests. Children may see different questions because the system responds to their answers.

Usual total time

ISEB says the four tests take 2 hours 15 minutes in total. They may be completed together or split across more than one day.

Typical stage

Most commonly Year 6 for Year 7 entry, although some schools use them as an earlier step towards deferred Year 9 entry.

Shared result

A child normally sits the assessment once, then the result can be accessed by the senior schools that require it after the Applicant ID is shared.

Registration

A parent or guardian creates one Guardian Portal applicant profile and receives one Applicant ID to share with each relevant senior school.

Scores

Results are age-standardised. Do not assume that one pass mark applies to every school: each school decides how it uses the result.

ISEB Pre-Test vs Common Entrance

The two assessments are related to independent-school admissions, but they are not interchangeable.

A side-by-side comparison of the ISEB Common Pre-Tests and Common Entrance.

FeatureISEB Common Pre-TestsCommon Entrance

Typical place in admissions

An earlier selection assessment used by many schools, often before reports, interviews or later school-specific stages.

Usually a later subject examination. ISEB says candidates are normally entered after a place has been offered subject to passing.

Delivery

Online, multiple-choice, adaptive and shared.

Paper-based examinations.

Subjects

English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.

At 11+: English, mathematics and science. At 13+: core papers plus a wider choice of subjects.

Usual age or stage

Most commonly taken in Year 6 for Year 7 entry; also used by some schools in deferred Year 9 admissions.

Used at 11+ and more commonly at 13+, when pupils are usually in Year 8.

Who normally registers

The parent or guardian creates the Guardian Portal profile.

Usually the child’s prep or junior school; parents may register directly in some circumstances.

How schools may use it

As one element of selection, sometimes alongside reports, interviews, school papers or scholarship assessments.

As the entrance examination expected by the senior school, often linked to a conditional place.

Preparation emphasis

Online-player familiarisation, steady core skills and understanding adaptive testing.

Subject preparation, with official past papers and guides available.

How to prepare sensibly for the ISEB Pre-Test

ISEB says the tests are based on the national curriculum and that “additional preparation is not a requirement.” — ISEB The most useful preparation is calm, specific and proportionate.

  • Begin with the official Walkthrough

    Let your child explore the online player, question styles and available display settings before the live assessment. The goal is familiarity, not a score.

  • Keep core skills steady

    Continue regular reading, vocabulary, arithmetic and problem-solving work. Address a clear gap rather than replacing normal learning with an intensive revision programme.

  • Practise careful decision-making

    Remind your child that there is no skip or back button. They should read each question properly, choose the best answer and move on without trying to guess how the adaptive system is responding.

  • Use short, purposeful sessions

    A small amount of focused familiarisation is more useful than repetitive practice that increases tiredness or anxiety. Pause when confidence is falling rather than improving.

  • Keep the day before ordinary

    Avoid last-minute cramming. Prepare practical details, protect sleep and speak about the assessment in a calm, matter-of-fact way.

  • Treat tutoring as optional support

    Extra help may be useful for an identified English, maths or reasoning need, but it is not an ISEB requirement and cannot guarantee a score or school place.

What parents need to do

This sequence covers the common tasks. Each senior school still controls its own application deadlines and any later admissions stages.

  • 1. Confirm each school’s assessment requirements

    Establish whether the school uses the ISEB Common Pre-Tests, Common Entrance, its own papers or a combination.

  • 2. Record every deadline

    Note the school’s application, registration, testing and later-stage dates. Do not rely only on the overall ISEB testing window.

  • 3. Raise access needs before registration

    Discuss SEND or access arrangements with the child’s current school and prospective senior school, and establish what evidence they require.

  • 4. Create one Guardian Portal profile

    A parent or guardian creates one applicant profile. When it is complete, the portal generates an Applicant ID.

  • 5. Confirm the test location and evidence

    Agree the invigilation centre and upload any requested access-arrangement documents before final submission.

  • 6. Share the Applicant ID

    Send the ID to each senior school to which the child has already applied, using the method that school requests.

  • 7. Prepare for the format and later stages

    Use official familiarisation materials, then follow each school’s instructions about reports, interviews, internal papers or scholarship assessments.

Questions to send the admissions team

Suggested wording for the senior school

When this applies

Copy and adapt this message when the school’s assessment requirements or deadlines are not clear. Use before Guardian Portal registration, or whenever you need the school to confirm its assessment stages or access-arrangement process.

Suggested wording

Hello, we are considering [child’s name] for [year group and entry year]. Could you confirm whether your admissions process uses the ISEB Common Pre-Tests, Common Entrance, your own papers or a combination? Please also confirm your application and testing deadlines, where the test should be taken, how you use the results, any later stages, and who we should contact about access arrangements. Thank you.

Why this helps

It gives the admissions team a clear list of school-specific questions and reduces the risk of relying on a general timetable or another school’s process.

Official sources and further reading

These official pages support the assessment facts, preparation guidance, registration steps and access-arrangement information in this guide.

  • ISEB Common Pre-Tests

    Official overview, current session dates and administration.

    Open source

  • Pre-Tests information for families

    Subjects, duration, usual timing, shared use and age-standardisation.

    Open source

  • Pre-Tests Admissions Toolkit

    Official family support and preparation resources.

    Open source

  • Preparing for the Pre-Tests

    ISEB’s position on balanced preparation and the free Walkthrough.

    Open source

  • Familiarisation guidance

    Why learning the online format can help.

    Open source

  • How adaptive testing works

    Question pathways, scoring principles and the no-speed-test explanation.

    Open source

  • Guardian Portal registration guide

    Applicant profile and Applicant ID steps.

    Open source

  • ISEB SEND Guidance 2026–27

    Current principles and examples for access arrangements.

    Open source

  • Pre-Tests SEND step-by-step guide

    Operational steps for families, schools and invigilation centres.

    Open source

  • Common Entrance information for families

    Official explanation of the separate paper-based assessments.

    Open source

  • Registering for Common Entrance and CASE

    Who normally registers and how the senior school determines the expected assessment.

    Open source

Related guidance

More guidance from this section

More guidance from this part of the Ed Centre that may help with the same decision, stage or next step.

Related guidance

When Should 11 Plus Preparation Start?

Start school and deadline research in Year 4 or early Year 5. In many English selective areas, Year 5 is the key administrative period; targeted practice should follow only once the test and your child’s needs are clear.

Related guidance

Do 11 Plus Mock Exams Really Help?

Yes — when the mock matches the target assessment, answers a clear question and leads to targeted changes. More mocks are not automatically better.

Support and clarity

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers to the questions people ask most often.

What is the ISEB Pre-Test?

The official name is the ISEB Common Pre-Tests: four online, adaptive, shared assessments in English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Many, but not all, independent senior schools use them as part of admissions.

When do children take the ISEB Pre-Test, and how long does it take?

Most children take the tests in Year 6 for Year 7 entry, although some schools use them earlier in a deferred Year 9 admissions pathway. ISEB says the four tests take 2 hours 15 minutes in total and may be completed together or split across more than one day.

Is the ISEB Pre-Test the same as Common Entrance?

No. The Pre-Tests are online, adaptive and shared, and are usually used earlier in selection. Common Entrance is paper-based, used at 11+ and more commonly 13+, and has a broader subject structure at 13+. A school may use either assessment, its own papers or a combination.

How should my child prepare for the ISEB Pre-Test?

Start with the official ISEB Walkthrough so the online player feels familiar. Keep English, maths and reasoning skills in steady use, practise careful rather than rushed answering, and avoid intensive last-minute cramming. ISEB says additional preparation is not a requirement.

Who registers a child for the ISEB Pre-Test?

A parent or guardian creates one applicant profile in the Guardian Portal. The portal generates an Applicant ID, which must be shared with each senior school to which the child has already applied, using the method that school requests.

What access arrangements may be available?

Raise needs with the child’s current school and prospective senior school before Guardian Portal registration; the portal should not be the first place the need is raised. Arrangements should reflect evidence of need and the child’s normal way of working. Current ISEB examples include extra time, a reader, supervised rest breaks and a separate room; they are not automatic entitlements.

Do parents receive ISEB Pre-Test scores, and is there a pass mark?

ISEB’s public guidance says senior schools that require the tests can access results, but it does not promise that parents will automatically receive the same numerical report. Do not assume one pass mark applies to every school; each school decides how the result contributes to admissions.

Do all independent schools use the ISEB Pre-Test?

No. Schools may use the ISEB Common Pre-Tests, Common Entrance, their own assessments or a combination. Use each target school’s current admissions information for its exact requirements and deadlines.

Sources and references

Sources and references