6 things you need to know if your child is taking the ISEB Pre-Test

In recent years many senior schools have moved from paper based entrance exams to online tests. Over 50 schools use the ISEB Common Pre-Test for their entrance exam. This means many parents are having to prepare their child for an exam they may know very little about. Fear not though, we've created a list of all the important information you need if your child is taking the ISEB Pre-Test exam this year.

1. Subject knowledge

The Pre-Test covers four subjects: Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning (VR) and Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR). These are the same as those covered in most senior school entrance exams. Children will need to be confident with the Maths and English national curriculum syllabus up to the end of Year 5 if sitting the exam in Year 6, or up to the end of Year 6 if they are sitting the exam in Year 7. They may need extra support with Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning as these subjects are not always taught in schools. Introducing VR and NVR at home so that your child is familiar with the types of question they will face is critical so they are not put off by unfamiliar question types during the ISEB exam.

2. A unique format

Although the subjects used in the ISEB Pre-Test are similar to other entrance exams, the Pre-Test format is unique and often challenging for children who are not familiar with it. As well as being confident with the exam's content, for Pre-Test success children will need to understand how best to approach the exam's unusual structure.
Using a mock exam product such as BOFA^® ISEB Pre-Test Mock Tests will prepare children for the unique format and help prevent panic in the exam.

3. Adaptive Testing

The Pre-Test is adaptive, meaning it will become easier or harder depending on whether a pupil is answering questions correctly. This can be tricky for children as it will be hard for them to gauge how well they are doing. Children are not able to leave a question blank, so they must get used to triaging questions as they appear. It is vital they do not waste time on questions they are unlikely to answer correctly, instead ensuring they do not make silly mistakes on those they are able to answer. There are no question numbers on screen, only a progress bar to indicate how much of the test has been completed.

4. Timing

As a timed exam, children have approximately a minute per question. Pupils need to be able to remain calm and not stress if they see a difficult question. Questions are normally multiple choice. If a pupil does not think they will be able to answer a question correctly, it's best to make a quick educated guess and move on so they have more time to spend on those they can.

5. Comprehension

For the English section of the Pre-Test exam, children are required to answer comprehension questions based on an extract. They are not given any extra reading time and so must learn to quickly scan the text for the answer having read the question first. This in itself is a skill that most children will not be used to.

6. Where is it taken?

Pupils may be asked to sit the Pre-Test exam in their current school, or in one of their prospective schools. Pupils can only sit the Pre-Test once a year and their result can be accessed by the any of the schools they apply to. The exam is taken on a computer.

BOFA^® ISEB Pre-Test Mock Tests were first released in 2018 after several prep-schools requested a resource that would give their pupils insight into what the ISEB Pre-Test exam would be like. Many prep schools and parents have since used and continue to use BOFA^® ISEB Pre-Test Mock Tests to help their children prepare for the ISEB exam. The Mock Tests mirror the content and format of the ISEB exam. They are highly effective in developing a child's exam technique, building their confidence and identifying and improving any weak areas.

You can buy a pack of BOFA^® ISEB Pre-Test Mock Tests at pre-test.co.uk/shop

Take a BOFA^® ISEB Pre-Test Mock Test demo here

Learn more about the ISEB Pre-Test here.

Find out which schools use the ISEB Pre-Test here.

Read our other ISEB Pre-Test blog posts

Last review: July 2025