What is a 7+ Entrance Exam?

The 7+ exam is a selective entrance examination for children who wish to enter one of the top schools in London. If successful, entry will be in September of the child starting in Year 3. Exams vary in dates but can begin as early as October up to January (whist your child is in Year 2). All of our tutors have had exceptional results and continue to provide the highest quality tuition to prepare our youngest students for the 7 plus entrance examination.

During the 7+ examination, your child will be tested in English, mathematics, verbal and non- verbal reasoning. The majority of 7 plus assessments will be in written form but in the past some schools have tested mental arithmetic, spelling and dictation. The schools will also test the children in more creative tasks such as creating a piece of artwork or completing a complex puzzle collaboratively or independently. There are usually two rounds and if your child is successful at the first round, they will be invited back. During the second round, the interview process will be a discussion with the head teacher either on a one-to one or group basis. The schools will also observe how your child interacts with other peers. They will be looking for collaborative children who are able to work well as part of a team. Some schools also interview the parents, so it is important to be prepared.

Some London schools assessing at 7+ include: Thomas Battersea, Kensington Preparatory School, Glendower Preparatory School, North London Collegiate, Falkner House Boys and Girls, Wimbledon High, St. Christopher’s School, Haberdashers’ Askes Boys’ School and Haberdashers Girls School.

The 7 plus entrance exam process is competitive. It is expected that your child performs at levels well above the national average. Several parents have confirmed to us that they find the level to be up to two years above their child’s age. If your child is successful they will be offered a place. They may also be placed on a waiting list. It is normal for parents to apply to a variety of schools so they will then need to make the decision about which school to choose. A simple example of the selections process would be that if a school offers 30 places and they receive 300 applications, 60 will be invited to interview after the first round. The children will be scored based on their exam and on their interview performance. The top 30 will be offered a place. 10 will be placed on a waiting list. This is a very generic example but it gives the idea of the competitive nature of the process.

Most of these schools will make their decisions based on examination results, however they will also be looking at the child as an individual. It is important that your child is well mannered and polite and has the ability to work collaboratively with others. A report from your child’s current school will normally be requested.

When should I start preparing for the 7+ entrance exam?

Of course, this is completely up to you. Personally, I recommend starting the tuition process in September of the Autumn term of Year 1. This would give your child a full year to prepare for their examinations. Some children begin earlier and some begin later. I do believe it is beneficial to start as early as Reception because this would enable your child to build a very strong foundation and make things smoother down the line. I have personally found that if children start later, there is a lot more to cover. However, we have had great success with children starting as late as the Autumn term of Year 2 but the lessons need to be a lot more intensive and the children end up having three to four lessons a week, rather than one lesson a week, if started earlier. Please note that all children learn differently and whilst some children don’t mind doing several hours a week, others prefer fewer. Here at Creative Minds Tutors, we also offer Mock Exams prior to the assessments. These are extremely beneficial to quickly pinpoint any gaps that your child may have and ensure that these gaps are filled prior to their assessments. We have several 7+ exam papers, written exclusively by our programme director. If you would like a FREE sample, please contact our office and we will send you one - office@creativemindstutors.com.

How do I prepare for a 7+ entrance interview?

Each exam is different. Your tutor will be able to guide you into how to prepare your child for their interviews at specific schools. I would advise that children revise the following prior to any 7+ interview:

Answering questions about themselves (eg. What they love about school, their favourite subjects, their hobbies etc)
Maintaining eye contact with the teachers at the interview.
Being polite at all times.
Showing excellent listening skills.
Being a leader in problem solving activities but also having the ability to listen well to the opinions and ideas of others in their group.
Solving quick mental maths questions.
Answering general knowledge questions.

These are just a few elements covered in the 7+ entrance interview process. Book an interview lessons with us to ensure that everything has been covered prior to your child’s interview.

Does my child need tuition in order to be successful in the 7+ entrance exam?

A lot of preparation is necessary to support your child to be fully ready to sit the 7+ entrance exam. Your child will need to be well prepared. This can be done by parents, the school or a tutor. Best results occur when there is a combination of all three of these. Your child will need to be prepared to dedicate themselves to their studies. Of course, at such a young age, this may seem rather daunting to parents. However, we have found that children really rise to this challenge and enjoy the process. As long as it is done in an organised way and in a way that is engaging and motivating, it will be an enjoyable experience for your child. At such a young age, the last thing we want is for your child to experience any form of worry. Our advice is to start early (12-18 months before the examination would be ideal). However, this will of course vary as all children are different. We have seen exceptional results in children who have received preparation two years prior to the examination and others who have had 5-6 months of intensive preparation. Again, all children are different and respond differently.

If your child attends a prep school, they will most certainly be prepared for the examination by their school. State schools will not offer prep for the 7+ examinations (although some may to a certain extent if you ask for some support) therefore it will be up to the parents to guide their children in terms of preparation. Many children from state schools have been successful at gaining a place at 7+, it is just worth bearing in mind that preparation will need to be done (either with a tutor or with parents or a combination of both). Ultimately, it will come down to examination results and how they perform on the day. The more prepared your child can be, the higher the chances of them being successful in the exam.

What the examination consists of:

English

A big focus will be around comprehension. Being a fluent reader is very important because it will be vital to read the text with speed and with accuracy in order to complete it in the time frame allocated. We will build vocabulary by creating a glossary of new words and understanding their meaning. The reading age of your child should be at least two years above their actual age and well above the national average.

The next element that will be tested will be a written task. Usually this will be a story writing task but it could be any genre of writing. In the past there have been diary entries and letter writing. It would be helpful to be prepared to write in any style asked for. This will involve lots of practice. Schools will be looking for children who can write in a creative and imaginative manner. It will be very obvious if a child has simply memorised content and if a child can write freely and in their own personal style. Of course at such a young age, this is a difficult task. However, we have read many beautifully descriptive and imaginative stories written by 6 and 7 year olds. Read our blog to learn more about how story writing is assessed in the 7 plus here.

Being an avid reader will of course help. Reading is the only way to be exposed to a world of imaginative ideas. By reading, children will also be exposed to well-structured sentences that they can themselves use in their own stories. Stories that children read also include a variety of adjectives and adverbs that they can use in their own writing. Varied sentence openers, use of similes and personification are all writing techniques that will be observed during the examination. Spelling will also be an important element. In our opinion your child should be able to spell all of the year 3 and 4 spelling words before sitting the examination, as well as all of the 200 high frequency words.

There is a lot of helpful material that you can use to help to support your child’s learning at home. Having a tutor can help to provide a structured revision routine that can give your child all of the tools that they will need in order to be successful with the examination.

At your first lesson, we will assess your child’s reading and spelling age.

Mathematics

Your child’s mathematics level will need to be well beyond the national average expected at year 2. They will need to be prepared to answer more complex worded problems (two and three step) in which they will be able to show their understanding and reasoning. Mental arithmetic will be tested and this can be in either written or verbal form. The most important element when preparing for these examinations is to do a small amount every day. This consistent approach will allow your child to retain what they have learnt. There is a lot to cover so it’s also equally important to re-visit elements already previously covered frequently.

Verbal and non-verbal reasoning

During tutoring for 7+ entrance exam we will always revise verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Most children engage very quickly and enjoy this part of the preparation for the 7+.

Allocating time in the 7+ Entrance Exam

The 7+ entrance examination will be under timed conditions. As the children are very young, it is important that they are given the opportunity to practice completing assessment papers under timed conditions. Try to make it as fun as possible so as not to overwhelm or worry your child. Have incentives or something fun if they are able to complete a task within the time. If they don’t, it’s not a problem, just keep practicing. The earlier this is practiced, the less worrying it will be. Some children love to be timed, whilst others don’t. This is why it is of vital importance that we, as tutors get to know each and every one of our pupils very well and discuss with parents which strategies work best. IF a child doesn’t particularly like to be timed or if it causes any sort of worry, we will try to find other strategies. We want all children to sit these exams with a calm and relaxed state of mind. Especially at this young age. This is very important to all involved.

Download our free 7 plus entrance exam papers. The more familiar they are with the papers and the more practice they get, the more they can show their true potential in the exams.