Most school entrance exams test what your child knows. The ISEB Common Pre-Test does that too – but it does something else that catches families off guard if they haven't thought about it in advance: it adapts.
The questions get harder as your child gets things right, and easier when they don't. The difficulty of each question affects the final score. There's no going back to change an answer. And because the test has a fixed question count rather than a fixed time limit – once your child has answered everything, it ends, whether or not there are minutes left on the clock.
None of that is how a normal school test works. This guide covers everything parents need to know – what the ISEB is, how it's scored, what each section tests, and how to approach preparation in a way that's actually useful.
What is the ISEB Common Pre-Test?
The ISEB Common Pre-Test is an online, multiple-choice exam used by selective independent senior schools as the first stage of their admissions process, typically for Year 7 entry. It's run by the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB) and covers four subjects: English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
It's called "common" because one set of results is shared across all the senior schools your child has applied to. Your child sits it once – and every school on their list sees the same scores.
The whole test takes around 2 hours 15 minutes.
Which schools use it?
Over 100 selective independent schools use the ISEB as part of their admissions process, including Eton, Harrow, Westminster, Winchester, St Paul's and Charterhouse. The full up-to-date list is on the ISEB website.
Not all independent schools use the ISEB – some run their own bespoke assessments instead. Always check with your target school to confirm which process they use.
If your child is applying to multiple schools that use the ISEB, there's no need to sit it more than once. Results go directly from ISEB to the schools – parents don't typically receive them.
Registration
Registration is done by parents, not schools, via the ISEB Guardian Portal. It's free, and you only need to register once no matter how many schools you're applying to.
For the 2025–26 cycle, the test window runs until late May 2026 – so if you haven't registered yet, do it now. When you register, you'll create an Applicant Profile and receive a unique Applicant ID to share with your target schools.
You still need to apply separately to each school through their own admissions process, alongside registering with ISEB.
Your child's exam date is set by the school they're applying to. Most UK children sit it at their current school; if that's not possible, the target school will usually help arrange it. Overseas applicants can sit it at a registered testing centre, such as a British Council office.
The test can only be taken once per academic year. If a child sits it again, the first result stands.
The four sections
Maths – 40 minutes
The Maths section covers the KS2 national curriculum up to the end of Year 5. Questions range from straightforward arithmetic to multi-step problem solving, and some questions draw on more than one topic at once.
Topics covered:
- Number and place value
- Calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
- Fractions, decimals and percentages
- Measurement
- Geometry
- Statistics
Number questions come up most frequently. Your child can use pencil and paper for rough working throughout – it's not marked, but it's there.
English – 40 minutes
The English section is split into two parts, each with a separate score.
Comprehension. Your child reads several shorter passages – fiction, non-fiction or poetry from different time periods – and answers multiple-choice questions on each. The passages can be scrolled rather than paginated. Questions test:
- Literal retrieval (finding information directly in the text)
- Deduction and inference
- Vocabulary (meaning of words in context)
- Summarising
- Literary devices (similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration)
- Making comparisons across texts or between characters
SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar). This section tests knowledge of how English works rather than recall of specific terminology. Topics include:
- Vocabulary – word meaning, word families, prefixes and suffixes
- Punctuation – how it should be used in context
- Grammar – identifying nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions; clauses; formal and informal language; verb agreement and sentence structure. The focus is on what is grammatically correct, not on naming specific tenses
- Spelling – patterns and common exception words
Question formats in SPaG include cloze sentences (fill in the blank), jumbled sentences (rearrange into the correct order) and "spot the mistake" questions.
Non-Verbal Reasoning – 30 minutes
Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR) tests logic, critical thinking and spatial awareness using figures and diagrams rather than words. It's not on the school curriculum, so most children won't have encountered it before.
There are two main types of question:
- 2D figures – recognising patterns, completing diagrams, spotting similarities and differences, code matching
- 3D spatial reasoning – manipulating and visualising 3D figures in a different orientation
Question types added in 2022 include "how many cubes?" and "silhouettes". There are also instructions before each question type explaining how to answer, so your child won't be thrown by an unfamiliar format without any guidance.
Because ISEB periodically updates the question bank, the best preparation is broad familiarity with all NVR question types rather than drilling a narrow set.
That's why families use HeyKitsu – it covers all ISEB Pre-Test questions across English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Verbal Reasoning – 25 minutes
Verbal Reasoning uses language-based questions to test logical thinking, comprehension and vocabulary knowledge. Like NVR, it's not taught on the school curriculum.
Topics include:
- Synonyms and antonyms
- Word analogies
- Word patterns and sequences
- Logic and reasoning with language
- Finding letters that complete words
Some verbal reasoning questions require two answers to be selected rather than one – worth knowing so it doesn't catch your child off guard.
Pencil and paper are available here too.
How the adaptive format works
This is the part that sets the ISEB apart from other entrance exams, and the part most worth understanding before exam day.
Each section is adaptive, meaning the system adjusts question difficulty in real time based on your child's answers. Get a question right and the next one is likely to be harder. Get one wrong and it adjusts back. Every pupil gets a unique path through the question bank.
The score reflects the difficulty of the questions answered correctly – not just how many were correct. Reaching harder questions and getting them right is worth more than answering a larger number of easier ones.
Because of this, there is no back button. Once your child selects an answer and moves on, that's final. The next button doesn't appear until an answer is selected, which prevents skipping – but it also means there's no opportunity to check work at the end of a section.
The practical upshot: accuracy matters more than speed. If your child is unsure of an answer, the right approach is to slow down, work through the options methodically and make the best possible choice – not to rush forward. There's no benefit to racing through a section and every reason to think carefully before submitting.
A progress bar is visible throughout, and there's a timer in the corner that can be hidden if it causes anxiety.
Scores and what they mean
There's no pass mark. Every school sets its own threshold, and they rarely tell parents what it is.
Your child receives a standardised age score (SAS), which adjusts for their date of birth so that summer-born children aren't disadvantaged. The scale works as follows:
- 100 – average
- 120+ – considered strong for the most competitive schools
- 142 – maximum possible score
- Below 82 – considered low
Because the test is adaptive, the score reflects the difficulty of questions reached rather than raw marks. A child who answers fewer questions but at a consistently high difficulty level can outscore one who answered more questions at an easier level.
Results are sent directly to the schools. Parents typically don't see them, though a small number of schools may offer brief feedback after decisions are made.
Accessibility
The ISEB has built several accessibility features into the test platform:
- The timer can be hidden
- Font size can be adjusted
- A colour overlay can be applied to improve reading comfort for children with visual disturbance
Children with SEND can request 25% extra time for each section, subject to school approval and supporting documentation. Other access arrangements may include a reader, supervised rest breaks or a separate exam room. These are requested at the point of registration via the Guardian Portal – speak to your target school first, as they need to approve arrangements before the test.
Children for whom English is an additional language (EAL) may be able to request extra time or a bilingual dictionary. Discuss this with your chosen school.
How to prepare
ISEB themselves say no specific preparation is required – and in one sense they're right. The test is designed to assess potential, not drilled recall. But that's not quite the same as saying preparation doesn't help.
Here's the practical reality.
Get the curriculum right first. English and Maths both cover the KS2 curriculum up to the end of Year 5. Any gaps in that foundation will show. Your child should be comfortable with fractions, decimals and percentages, multi-step word problems, grammar terminology and reading comprehension before they start practising exam technique.
Start reasoning early. Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning aren't on the national curriculum. Many children haven't encountered these question types at all before they start preparing. The first time your child sees a code-matching or number-analogy question shouldn't be under timed exam conditions. The earlier you introduce these, the more relaxed they'll feel on the day – and the more they can focus on problem-solving rather than deciphering what the question is even asking.
Get familiar with the format. The no-back-button format is genuinely different to anything most children experience at school. ISEB provides a free test walkthrough on their website. Do it together. It won't replicate the difficulty of the actual test, but it will make the interface and the question style feel less alien.
Prioritise accuracy, not speed. Many parents assume that getting through more questions is the goal. It isn't. Answering harder questions correctly is more valuable than rushing through easier ones. Help your child practise checking their reasoning before committing to an answer.
Balance it. Prep schools typically begin structured ISEB preparation around two years before the test. That doesn't mean drilling past papers every evening – it means gradual, consistent exposure to the subjects and question types, alongside everything else your child is learning. Children who are anxious and burnt-out going into the exam don't perform better than children who've prepared calmly and steadily.
At HeyKitsu, we cover all four ISEB subjects – English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning – with an adaptive platform that adjusts to your child's level as they go. The first three levels in every collection are permanently free, no sign-up required.
FAQs
Will my child be allowed pencil and paper? Yes, throughout all sections. Working is not marked.
Can my child skip a difficult question? No. The next button won't appear until an answer has been selected. If your child is stuck, they should use the process of elimination and make the best choice they can.
Should my child rush to answer as many questions as possible? No – and this is probably the most important thing to understand about the ISEB. Answering harder questions correctly is worth more than answering more questions at an easier level. Accuracy is the priority, not speed.
Will my child be penalised for not finishing? There's a small penalty, but it's minimal. Because the test is adaptive, the difficulty level your child reaches matters more than completing every question.
Why might my child score higher despite getting more questions wrong? Because questions get harder as your child progresses correctly. Harder questions are worth more. A child who reaches difficult questions and gets some wrong may still score higher than one who stays at an easier level and gets everything right.
Can the test be retaken? No – only once per academic year. If a child sits it more than once, the first result stands.
Do parents receive the results? Not usually. Scores are sent directly to the schools. Some may offer verbal feedback after the admissions process has concluded.
What happens after the test? Schools use the ISEB score alongside other information – typically an interview, a reference from your child's current school, and sometimes a school-specific written assessment in a second round. The ISEB is the initial filter, not the final word.
What's a good score? There's no universal answer because every school sets its own threshold. A score of 100 is average; 120 or above is considered strong for the most selective schools. The maximum possible score is 142.
Written by
HeyKitsu Team