What Is the ISEB Common Pre-Test? Papers, Timings and Results

The ISEB Common Pre-Test is four online, adaptive, multiple-choice assessments used by participating independent senior schools. It covers English (reading comprehension and grammar), mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. The current ISEB guide gives standard timings of 40, 40, 25 and 30 minutes respectively: 2 hours 15 minutes in total. A child normally takes the shared tests once in the academic year, even when applying to several schools.

Who sees the result? The participating senior schools receive it. ISEB does not release scores directly to parents; ask each school what it will tell you and how it uses the result. There is no single ISEB pass mark for every school. Where the school approves it, a pupil may receive 25% extra time.

ISEB says additional preparation is not a requirement. Guardian registration is free. The examples below are original practice, separate from the official test-player walkthrough, and need no sign-up here.

What the ISEB Common Pre-Test is, and what it is not

The ISEB Pre-Tests are, in ISEB's words, "a series of four online, adaptive and shared entrance assessments" used in independent school admissions. The four papers cover Mathematics, English (reading comprehension and grammar), verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. They are "often taken in Year 6 or Year 7", and they feed either entry into Year 7 or deferred entry into Year 9. They "can be taken together on the same day or split into multiple days", with scheduling arranged by the school or invigilation centre (iseb.co.uk).

What the Pre-Test is not: it is not a grammar school 11+ paper of the kind we cover in our guide to the 11 plus exam, it is not the Common Entrance exam that comes later at 13+, and it is not a single national test with a published pass mark. It also is not the whole application. Each senior school decides how the Pre-Test fits its admissions process and may require other steps. Check each school's current admissions information for details. If you are still working out which board and which format applies to your family, our comparison of GL Assessment, CEM and ISEB sets out the landscape, and formats vary considerably by region and by school.

Milestone one: the schools ask for it, and your child sits it once

The first practical thing to understand is that the Pre-Test is a shared assessment. ISEB states that "a child's results can be accessed by all of the senior schools who require them. This means that children only have to take the tests once" (iseb.co.uk).

That shared-result arrangement can simplify applications. If your child is applying to five schools that use the Pre-Test, they sit one set of four tests, not five. ISEB also states that an applicant can take the tests only once in each academic year. Its current guidance says that if a pupil takes the tests more than once in that year, the first result is used. Check with the relevant school about the implications for your applications, and prioritise a manageable routine over last-minute cramming.

Milestone two: registration, and the testing window

Registration is handled through ISEB's parent portal, and it costs nothing. The testing session "runs from the autumn term to the spring term of each academic year"; for the 2026-27 cycle it runs from 1 September 2026 to late May 2027. Your child's actual sitting date is set by the school or by the invigilation centre, not by you.

ISEB says results are age-standardised against a sample of independent-school applicants across the academic year. This adjusts for age and test timing; it does not guarantee identical outcomes for pupils born in different months or sitting on different dates. The school or invigilation centre schedules the sitting around the earliest deadline set by the relevant school or schools.

Milestone three: the four sub-tests and exactly how long each one takes

The four tests are "four multiple-choice, adaptive, online tests" totalling 2 hours 15 minutes. Section by section, per ISEB's preparation toolkit and test framework:

• English: 40 minutes. Assesses "two distinct areas of knowledge: Reading Comprehension and Grammar."
• Mathematics: 40 minutes. Drawn from "mathematics topics from the National Curriculum Programme of Study up until the end of Year 5."
• Non-verbal reasoning: 30 minutes. Two question types: analysing 2D figures for patterns, and manipulating 3D figures for spatial reasoning.
• Verbal reasoning: 25 minutes. Reasoning with words, meanings and relationships rather than curriculum content.

That is 40 + 40 + 30 + 25, which adds to 135 minutes, or 2 hours 15 (iseb.co.uk). The published maths content limit is the end of Year 5.

Why the timings you will see online disagree

Use the current ISEB preparation toolkit linked above for standard timings. An older resource may describe a different test version; check its date before using it to plan practice.

The published standard durations are 40, 40, 30 and 25 minutes. Extra time may be agreed by the senior school, and ISEB says some pupils may finish before the full allowance.

Milestone four: test day, and how the adaptive engine actually works

ISEB publishes a dedicated explainer on adaptive testing, and four facts from it should change how you brief your child (iseb.co.uk).

One: the test gets harder when your child does well. "Pupils who answer questions correctly are gradually tracked to harder questions. Those who consistently answer incorrectly are tracked to easier content." The consequence is counter-intuitive but important: a child who is doing well may meet questions they find difficult. A child’s impression of difficulty cannot establish their score. Encourage steady, accurate answers rather than using harder questions as a performance target.

Two: children see different numbers of questions. "Pupils may be presented with different numbers of questions than other children, but this ensures the test remains the right length for each child." Comparing question counts with a classmate in the car park tells you nothing at all.

Three: it is not a speed test. "Scores are based on the difficulty of the questions the applicant sees and whether they answered correctly", and "high scores can be achieved without answering the maximum number of questions." ISEB puts it plainly: "The ISEB Pre-Tests are not speed tests; accuracy and consistency are far more important than the number of questions answered." For that reason, the article should not encourage rushing to complete more questions.

Four: an early wobble is recoverable. If a child makes an early mistake and then answers consistently accurately, "the adaptive algorithm will gradually overwrite their earlier mistake." A shaky first two minutes does not decide the outcome.

Why your child cannot skip or go back

There is one more mechanical rule with real consequences: "There is no 'skip' or 'back button' option when taking the Pre-Tests because the test assesses how consistently your child can accurately answer questions."

"Leave the hard ones and come back to them" cannot be done. "Check your answers at the end" cannot be done either, even if the child completes the questions before the time allowance ends. For a child used to paper tests, that is a useful change to rehearse.

The workable version of test technique here is: read the question properly the first time, commit to your best answer, then let it go and move on. If your child has practised only on printed papers, use ISEB’s official walkthrough to practise the on-screen controls. Smart Cub Learning’s mock tests offer separate general practice; they do not reproduce ISEB’s adaptive system.

Sample questions for all four sub-tests, no sign-up needed

These are original, text-based practice examples written for this guide. They are not ISEB items or calibrated difficulty levels, and they do not reproduce its adaptive algorithm. Use the official walkthrough to explore ISEB’s test player and question styles.

Mathematics. A shop sells pens in packs of 6 for £2.40. Rana buys 4 packs and pays with a £10 note. How much change does she get? (A) £0.40 (B) £0.60 (C) £1.60 (D) £2.40. Answer: A. Four packs cost 4 × £2.40 = £9.60. Subtract that from £10 to find £0.40 change. The six pens in each pack do not change the price per pack.

English, grammar. Choose the correct option: "The younger twin ____ finished the puzzle." (A) have (B) has (C) having (D) were. Answer: B. The subject names one person. Use “has” with that singular subject to form “has finished”.

Verbal reasoning. Harbour is to ship as hangar is to: (A) runway (B) pilot (C) aircraft (D) engine. Answer: C. The relationship is a place where a vehicle is kept: ships in a harbour and aircraft in a hangar. The other options are associated with airports, but do not complete that relationship. Our guide to verbal reasoning question families covers the recurring shapes.

Non-verbal reasoning. A shape shows a small filled triangle in the top-left corner of a square and a hollow circle in the bottom-right. In the next figure, the whole square has been rotated 90 degrees clockwise. Where is the filled triangle now? (A) top-left (B) top-right (C) bottom-right (D) bottom-left. Answer: B. Rotation with position tracking rather than pattern completion. The 3D strand pushes further into spatial manipulation, which we unpack in our non-verbal reasoning guide.

For other practice sources, our free 11 plus practice papers guide links to official materials. Check each source’s access conditions and whether its format fits the target school; a generic paper does not reproduce ISEB’s adaptive test.

Milestone five: scoring and who receives the results

Results access is restricted. ISEB's own support portal states it directly: "Unfortunately, ISEB does not release Pre-Tests' results to parents." Invigilation centres, guardians and agents cannot see them either. Only the senior school can (ISEB support).

According to ISEB's school guidance, what the school receives through its Senior School Portal is a Standardised Age Score adjusted for the pupil's age, plus individual stanine, percentile rank and group rank scores, together with mean SAS. ISEB says the standardisation sample is drawn from the independent-schools sector and the average of the scale is 100. Do not treat that figure as a pass mark or a comparison with all pupils nationally.

ISEB does not set one pass mark for all schools. Each participating school decides how to use the result alongside its other admissions evidence. Ask the schools you are applying to whether they publish a threshold, how they weigh the Pre-Test, and what they share with families. A target number from another school's admissions process may not help with yours.

How to prepare without over-preparing

Given all of the above, sensible preparation is narrower than the market suggests.

1. Familiarise, do not cram. The content ceiling is Year 5 Maths and national curriculum English. Confidence with what school has already taught beats racing ahead.
2. Familiarise yourself with the screen controls. The test has no skip or back button. ISEB says pupils may use pen and paper for rough working; follow the instructions given at the test centre.
3. Rehearse the forward-only rule. Decide, commit, move on. Explicitly retire "check your work at the end" for this test.
4. Reset the definition of hard. Explain that some questions may feel difficult and that this alone does not establish their result.
5. Use familiarisation if it helps. ISEB says additional preparation is not required. Its walkthrough can help a child understand the test player and the kinds of question they may see.
6. Protect the week itself. One sitting per academic year makes rest a genuine strategy.

If you are planning a sitting, follow the relevant school's instructions and use ISEB's official walkthrough to become familiar with the test player.

ISEB Common Pre-Test: frequently asked questions

What is the ISEB Common Pre-Test?

Four online, adaptive, multiple-choice tests used in UK independent school admissions, covering Mathematics, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, taking 2 hours 15 minutes in total. Results are shared with participating senior schools that require them. ISEB says the tests may be taken once per academic year; if taken more than once in that year, its guidance says the first result is used.

Is the ISEB test hard?

ISEB tailors questions to in-test performance, so pupils may see different questions and question counts. Encourage steady, accurate answers. How hard the test felt does not establish the result or admission outcome.

What is a good ISEB score?

There is no published pass mark. Schools receive a Standardised Age Score where the average is 100, based on an independent-school-sector standardisation sample, plus stanine and percentile rank. Schools decide how to use the result, and a common pass mark does not apply. Ask the senior school what it looks for rather than targeting a number.

How do you prepare for an ISEB pre-test?

ISEB states that "additional preparation is not a requirement". Familiarisation with the test player may help a child understand the controls. Pen and paper are permitted for rough working; follow the instructions at the test centre.

Can I see my child's Pre-Test results?

No. ISEB does not release Pre-Test results to parents, guardians, agents or invigilation centres. Only the senior school can view them, and it decides what, if anything, to share with you.