insideKENT Magazine Issue 90 - September 2019 | Page 121

IN ASSOCIATION WITH
EDUCATION
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR CHILD FOR
DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENTRANCE EXAMS
IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO MORE THAN ONE INDEPENDENT SECONDARY SCHOOL, IT IS LIKELY
YOUR CHILD WILL ENCOUNTER DIFFERENT KINDS OF ENGLISH, MATHS, VERBAL AND NON-
VERBAL REASONING TESTS. THESE MAY INCLUDE PRE-TESTS, WHICH ARE DELIVERED ON-
SCREEN, OR 11+ ENTRANCE EXAMS SET BY EITHER THE CENTRE FOR EVALUATION AND
MONITORING (CEM), GRANADA LEARNING (GL) OR THE SPECIFIC SCHOOL TO WHICH YOU ARE
APPLYING. TESTS ARE DESIGNED TO VARY FROM YEAR TO YEAR. THIS MEANS THAT IS IT VERY
DIFFICULT TO PREDICT THE QUESTIONS AND STRUCTURE THAT WILL COME UP, MAKING THE
TESTS HARDER TO REVISE FOR.
This can feel a little overwhelming at first but it’s
worth remembering that a great many of the
questions require similar skills, and it is knowing
these skills that can lay the foundation for succeeding
across each exam type. To give you the best chance
of success in these assessments, Galore Park has
worked with 11+ tutors, independent school teachers,
writers and specialist authors to create a three
step learning journey to help both you and your
children feel prepared and confident going into every
type of exam.
1. Study and Revision Guides
Learn the skills and understand the question types
for all pre-tests and 11+ entrance exams in English,
maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Learning
these core skills enables children to adapt to the wide
variety of formats these increasingly unpredictable
tests include. 3. Practice Papers and Practice Online
Perfect exam technique by practising under pressure
with a variety of exam paper styles that replicate the
different pre-test and 11+ exams you may encounter.
Practice papers include realistic test timings and fully
explained answers. You can also practise online
adaptive mock tests with AtomLearning.co.uk.
2. Workbooks
Apply knowledge learned in the Study and Revision
Guide by practising different types of questions. To
prepare you for these exams, these books include
even more question variations, all of which you may
encounter. The more you do, the better equipped
for the tests you will be. To find out more and view Galore Park’s
full 11+ and pre-test revision range, go to
www.galorepark.co.uk/kent11plus.
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