Top Tips for the 11+ Exam
Posted 31st January 2019
Following on from the first KSOL 11+ Mock Exam of 2019, we thought it would be helpful to share with you some of our most effective 11+ exam techniques!
With over ten years of experience in preparing children for the 11+ entrance exam, KSOL are aware of not only the skills required to succeed, but also how to implement theses skills under exam conditions.
As the majority of Year 5 children may not have experienced a formal exam before, it is important that they know what to expect, so that they enter the exam relaxed, ready to show their knowledge in the best possible way!
With this in mind, our expert tutors share four top techniques and tips to prepare your child for the 11+ entrance exam.
1) Practice, Practice, Practice!
No matter what the topic, preparation is essential to improving confidence and benchmarking progress. A child who has practised the unique format of the 11+ exam and is familiar with the content, should feel much more reassured and confident on the entrance exam day. Children will need to listen carefully to audio instructions, manage their time effectively and stay focused for quite a lengthy amount of time. This can prove challenging for some children and therefore it is worth practising as much as possible!
Tip: Attempt 11+ mock exam practice papers at home once a week! Practice papers are the closest, most accurate reflection of the real life entrance exam conditions and therefore will best identify your child’s performance. For a sample of 11+ exam questions in Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, complete our FREE 11+ Practice Papers, produced by our expert tutors in accordance with current 11 plus testing criteria.
2) Re-read the question
Something as simple as reading a question twice before answering, can significantly help to avoid silly mistakes in the 11+ exam. Under the time constraint of exams, many children skim over questions in an effort to answer as quickly as possible. Although speed is important, it is essential that accuracy is not jeopardised.
Tip: Encourage your child to identify and underline the ‘hooks’ within each question before answering. The hooks are generally attention-grabbing elements that clearly require further analysis, e.g. names, dates and numbers. This shouldn’t take more than a few seconds, but will help to reduce silly errors.
KSOL’s pioneering interactive video lessons with corresponding worksheets are a fun and engaging way for Year 5 children to learn and retain the key skills necessary for the 11+ exam.
3) Don’t waste time on one question
With the rising competition for grammar school places, it’s becoming increasingly important for children to not only demonstrate high level academic ability, but excellent speed and accuracy skills too. Spending too much time on difficult questions can result in your child missing easy marks elsewhere.
Time management is an essential element of 11plus success and it is vital that this skill is prioritised alongside revision. Our Year 5 Graduate Online Course includes personalised timed tests that allow children to monitor their speed and accuracy skills, enabling them to answer more questions correctly in less time. Combined with direct support from a KSOL tutor, we provide the most complete form of 11plus preparation at home.
Tip: Encourage your child to answer the easier questions first and circle any questions which they are unsure of on the question paper. They can then come back to these at the end of the section if there is time. Remind your child that it is perfectly okay to not know the answer to everything and that moving on is simply a tactic to maximising their score!
4) Always put a guess if unsure
In the last minute or so before the end of each section, ask your child to put an educated guess for each question they couldn’t answer. As the 11+ entrance exam consists of multiple choice questions, the answer is already available as one of the options. Therefore, guessing the answer could still result in your child gaining valuable marks that they would have otherwise missed if left blank.
Tip: We often see children sat doing nothing at the end of sections, even with time to spare. This is a perfect opportunity to check back over each question, even the easier ones, for silly mistakes. Always put a guess if unsure!
If your child has not yet sat a KSOL 11+ Mock Exam, see our website for more information regarding dates, times and location. Alternatively, call our head office on 0121 733 6558. We’re always happy to help!