How to Prepare for the 11+: A Complete Parent’s Guide

The 11+ can feel daunting, but good preparation is less about cramming and more about steady, well-planned practice. Here’s a clear roadmap you can follow, whatever stage you’re starting from.

1. Understand what your region’s 11+ involves

The 11+ isn’t one national exam — each area sets its own format and exam board. Most cover four areas: Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, Maths and English. Start by checking exactly what your target schools test, since this shapes everything else. Our 11+ by region guides break this down area by area.

2. Start early, and keep it little and often

Short, regular sessions beat long, occasional ones every time. Twenty focused minutes a day builds far more than a three-hour weekend marathon — and it keeps your child fresh rather than fearful. Many families begin light practice in Year 4 or early Year 5.

3. Cover all four subjects, not just the comfortable ones

It’s tempting to keep practising what your child is already good at. Resist it. Borderline results are usually decided by the weakest area, so give reasoning — especially non-verbal — the same attention as maths and English.

4. Build exam technique and pace

The 11+ is tightly timed, and knowing the content isn’t enough if a child runs out of time. Practise under the clock, teach sensible skipping of hard questions, and make multiple-choice answer sheets familiar so test day holds no surprises.

5. Protect confidence and wellbeing

A relaxed, confident child performs better. Celebrate effort rather than only scores, keep perspective (a grammar place is one path, not the only one), and build in plenty of downtime. Pressure is the enemy of performance.

6. Use quality practice that never runs out

Recycled papers get memorised, which flatters scores without building skill. Fresh, varied questions — and quick feedback that explains mistakes — are what genuinely move the needle. That’s exactly what Treenwich is built around: unlimited questions, an AI tutor that explains every error, and rewards that keep children coming back.

Ready to see where your child stands? Try our free 11+ practice test — ten questions with instant answers and explanations.