11+ exam types, explained
"The 11+" is not a single exam. Which test a child sits depends on the type of school — an independent senior school, a state grammar, or a selective-state school — and on the exam provider that school uses. This guide explains the main exam families in plain English, what each one tests, and how they differ, so you can prepare for the right thing.
What the 11+ tests
Across almost every format, the 11+ assesses some combination of four skill areas. The weighting varies by school, but these are what your child is really being tested on.
English
Comprehension of an unseen passage, plus writing — usually a short composition or continuation. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are assessed throughout.
Maths
Arithmetic, the Key Stage 2 curriculum and applied problem-solving, often under time pressure. Some schools push beyond the national curriculum.
Verbal reasoning
Logic with words and language — analogies, codes, letter sequences and vocabulary. It rewards reading widely as much as technique.
Non-verbal reasoning
Logic with shapes and patterns — sequences, rotations and matrices. It is less dependent on prior knowledge and more on spotting rules.
The exam families
Behind the scenes, a handful of providers set most 11+ assessments. Knowing which one a school uses tells you what the papers will look like and how to prepare.
Where you'll meet it
Most grammar schools and many selective-state consortia
Subject-based papers (English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning) drawn from a defined question bank. The format is consistent year to year and GL publishes familiarisation material, so children can be shown exactly what each question type looks like.
Where you'll meet it
Historically common; largely replaced in recent years
Developed to be harder to coach: broad, mixed-topic papers that blend comprehension, numeracy and reasoning into timed sections, with less predictable question types. Many areas that once used CEM have since moved to GL or other providers, so always check what a school uses for the current cycle.
Where you'll meet it
Many academic independent senior schools
An online, adaptive, multiple-choice test in English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, usually sat in Year 6 (sometimes Year 7 for 13+). It is taken once and the result can be shared with several schools, which often use it to decide who to invite to their own assessments.
Where you'll meet it
Independent schools, frequently alongside the pre-test
Many independents set their own written English and maths papers and an interview, either instead of or in addition to the ISEB pre-test. These reward depth of thinking and clear written working rather than multiple-choice speed.
Where you'll meet it
Some schools, for baselining rather than pass/fail
The Cognitive Abilities Test (GL) measures verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning. Schools more often use it to understand a child’s potential and set targets than as a strict entry gate, though a few weigh it in admissions.
CEM vs GL — the difference parents ask about
For years the two big names in grammar-school testing were GL Assessment and CEM, and the distinction shaped how families prepared. GL is modular and predictable: separate papers per subject, drawn from a known bank of question types, with official familiarisation material. You can show a child precisely what each question looks like.
CEM was designed to do the opposite — to be harder to coach. Its papers mixed comprehension, numeracy and reasoning into broad, timed sections with less predictable content, on the theory that this rewarded genuine ability over drilling. In practice, many regions have moved away from CEM in recent years towards GL and other providers, so the practical advice is simple: confirm which test each school uses for the current admissions cycle before you build a preparation plan around it.
And what about SATs?
Key Stage 2 SATs, sat at the end of Year 6, are not an entrance exam — they are national curriculum tests for primary schools, taken after most 11+ assessments are already over. They matter here only because the maths and English knowledge they cover overlaps heavily with what the 11+ assumes. Solid KS2 foundations help; but preparing for the 11+ means going beyond SATs into reasoning, exam technique and timed practice.
By type of school
Independent schools
Academic independents typically use the ISEB Common Pre-Test to create a first shortlist, then invite candidates to sit the school's own written papers and an interview. Dulwich College, Trinity School and Whitgift School all set their own assessments at 11+; the balance of pre-test, papers and interview differs between them. Common Entrance and ISEB assessments also appear at 13+ for senior-school entry.
State grammar schools
Grammar schools are state-funded and academically selective, admitting on a test result (most commonly GL, historically CEM in some areas). A standardised score, age-adjusted, is set against a pass mark or used to rank applicants — alongside catchment, sibling and other admissions rules that vary by school.
Selective-state schools
Super-selective and partially-selective state schools admit some or all of their intake on a competitive test — frequently GL-based, sometimes a consortium's own assessment — and rank candidates by score. Because places are awarded by rank rather than a simple pass, the standard required is often higher than for a local grammar.
How to prepare well
- Find out which exam each target school uses this cycle — it is published on the school's admissions page, and shown on our school pages.
- Build the four skill areas steadily from Year 5 rather than cramming; reading widely underpins both English and verbal reasoning.
- Use official familiarisation material and past papers so the format holds no surprises on the day.
- Practise under timed conditions — pace is often what separates capable children, especially in reasoning papers.
Every school page shows the assessment that school uses. Browse the schools directory, or find an 11+ tutor who prepares children for the exams your target schools set.
A note on accuracy
Exam arrangements change between admissions cycles — providers, formats and weightings are all revised from time to time. Treat this guide as an orientation, and confirm the current details for each school on its official admissions page before you rely on them.