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The Exam Coach's Guide to the ISEB Common Pre-Test

What Is The ISEB Common Pre-Test?

The ISEB Common Pre-Test is an entrance examination designed for UK independent senior schools. The pre-test is taken in Years 6 or 7 (when a child is aged between 10 and 12) and measures a child’s potential and attainment before they take the common entrance exam in Year 8.

The ISEB Common Pre-Test is taken online and can be taken in any location with an internet connection. However, the test is usually sat at the child’s current prep school. All questions are multiple choice, with five possible answers for each question.

Candidates are registered by the independent senior school(s) they have applied for. Results of the ISEB Pre-Test are available to all independent schools the candidate is registered for. Therefore, students only have to sit the test once. If the pre-test is sat more than once, only the first result will be counted.

ISEB stands for the Independent Schools Examination Board. ISEB prides itself in producing high quality examinations that are set by highly qualified and experienced teachers from the country’s leading schools. They are widely regarded as the ‘gold standard’ for assessment at 11+ and 13+.

Please use the guide below to learn more about ISEB’s Common Pre-Test.

Why Do Independent Schools Use Pre-Tests?

Independent schools use pre-tests to establish how each child is progressing a few years before they transfer schools. If a child does well in the pre-test, they will often be offered a place at their chosen senior school, dependent on their passing of the common entrance exam in Year 8.

However, it is up to each school how they use the pre-test results. Some oversubscribed schools only use them to cut down their list of potential candidates before the common entrance exam.

Which Subjects Are Covered?

The ISEB Common Pre-Test is made up of four exams:

  • English — tests comprehension, missing words in sentences, spelling and punctuation.

  • Maths — tests maths skills in line with the national curriculum.

  • Verbal reasoning — tests thinking and problem-solving with words

  • Non-verbal reasoning — tests thinking and problem-solving with shapes, diagrams and pictures.

How Long Are The Tests?

All four of the ISEB Common Pre-Test exams take two and a half hours to complete.

  • The English test takes 25 minutes.

  • The maths test takes 50 minutes.

  • The verbal reasoning test takes 36 minutes.

  • The non-verbal reasoning test takes 32 minutes.

The four tests can be taken together or separately, but once a section is started it must be completed in one go. The tests can be completed in any order.

Each test has a timer which counts down the time remaining for that section.

How Are The Tests Laid Out?

The four ISEB Pre-Test exams are taken online, however they are still treated like an exam. Silence is expected at all times and no outside help is allowed. A pen/pencil and paper can be used to help with working out answers.

Before each test, students are given a set of instructions to read carefully. These instructions explain to candidates how to navigate through the test, as well as how to answer each type of question. Each type of question is explained individually.

For every question, students click on their chosen answer from a choice of five and then press ‘next’ to submit their answer. Please note: Your child cannot go back to a question once they have submitted an answer and pressed the ‘next’ button.

The tests are all adaptive, meaning the questions each student faces in the exam might not be the same. The next question is given depending on previous answers submitted.

For the English test, the passage of writing will be visible on screen for each question page that refers to it. Students can use a set of arrow buttons under the text to navigate through it at any time.

For the verbal reasoning test, some question types will require more than one answer per question. If two answers are chosen and your child wishes to change one of their answers, they must first deselect a chosen answer before clicking on a new one.

A progress bar can be seen at the bottom of the screen at all times. The timer at the top of the screen shows students how much time they have remaining.

Which Schools Use The ISEB Common Pre-Test?

Not all independent schools take the ISEB Common Pre-Test. Some design their own pre-test and others do not use a pre-test at all.

A list of schools which use the ISEB Common Pre-Test can be found below. Please click the link of your chosen school for more information.

Abbot's Hill School

Alleyn's School

Ampleforth College

Ardingly College

Bedford School

Benenden School

Berkhamsted School

Bloxham School

Bradfield College

Brentwood School

Brighton College

Bryanston School

Canford School

Caterham School

Channing School

Charterhouse

City of London Freemen's School

City of London School

Cranleigh School

Culford School

Dauntsey's School

Downe House School

Downside School

Dulwich College

Eaton Square Senior School

Epsom College

Eton College

Felsted School

Francis Holland School Regent's Park

Francis Holland School Sloane Square

Fulham School

Gateways School

Godolphin and Latymer School

Haberdashers' Monmouth Schools

Haileybury School

Hampton School

Harrow School

Headington School

Holmwood House School

Hull Collegiate School

Hurstpierpoint College

James Allen's Girls' School

Kew House School

King's College School Wimbledon

King's College Taunton

King's School Rochester

King Edward's School Witley

Knightsbridge Senior School

Lancing College

Latymer Upper School

Leeds Grammar School

Leys School

Lord Wandsworth College

Maida Vale School

Marlborough College

Mayfield School

Merchant Taylors' Boys' School

Mill Hill School

More House School

New Hall School

Northwood College

Northwood Senior School

Notting Hill and Ealing School

Oratory School

Palmers Green High School

Pangbourne College

Putney High School

Queen's College London

Queen's Gate School

Radley College

Reed's School

Roedean School

Royal Grammar School Guildford

Royal Hospital School

Royal Russell School

Seaford College

Sherborne School

South Hampstead High School

St Albans High School for Girls

St Augustine's Priory School

St Benedict's School

St Dunstan's College

St Edward's School

St Helen's School

St James Senior Girls' School

St Margaret's School

St Paul's School

St Swithun's School

Stowe School

Streatham & Clapham High School

Sutton Valence School

The Harrodian School

Thomas's Battersea Senior School

Tonbridge School

Tormead School

Trinity School

University College School

Uppingham School

Wellington College

Westminster School

Wetherby Senior School

Whitgift School

Wimbledon High School

Winchester College

Woldingham School

Worth School

How To Prepare For The ISEB Common Pre-Test.

11+ 5-Day Courses

Our full 5-day 11+ courses focus on teaching the key concepts and exam techniques for each of the 11+ disciplines we specialise in:

  • 11+ Comprehension (Multiple Choice and Written Answer)

  • 11+ Creative Writing

  • 11+ Persuasive and Informative Writing

  • 11+ Verbal Reasoning

All of our courses are designed to help students develop the critical foundation needed for each of their 11 Plus exams — for example, understanding effective exam technique and the mark scheme. We provide clear explanations, give students easy-to-remember exam techniques and show worked examples. Our courses are designed to ensure that students master the skills they need in order to achieve their full potential in their 11 Plus.

For the ISEB Common Pre-Test, we’d recommend our ISEB English Comprehension/Multiple Choice Comprehension and Verbal Reasoning courses.

Weekly Workshops

The Exam Coach runs two 45-minute 11+ tuition sessions every week. Weekly workshops are designed to be attended weekly (or whenever you can) to ensure continuous, steady progression. Workshops provide a good way to consistently practise the important 11 Plus skills each week. These sessions also give students an idea of what the learning experience on a full 5-day course would be like.

In our 11 Plus weekly workshops, your tutor will share some background information about themselves and our workshops with new students. This is followed by 40 minutes of teaching time. Weekly workshops usually run twice a week, usually on weekday evenings. The dates and times of these workshops change each week to ensure everyone can benefit from them.

The content within each workshop varies between 11+ creative writing, comprehension, verbal reasoning or English vocabulary. These classes are a great way to experience our tuition and let your child learn something new before booking one of our courses. Weekly tuition allows us to regularly top up your child’s knowledge during the year prior to their exams.

Practice Papers

ISEB provide no practice materials for their ISEB Common Pre-Test apart from their familiarisation test. The familiarisation test allows students to get used to the layout and questions types they will find in the exam. However, these tests are not marked or timed.

You can find the ISEB familiarisation test below:

ISEB FAMILIARISATION WALKTHROUGH

Familiarisation Test

The best way to prepare for the ISEB Common Pre-Test is to practice the common question types that appear in the exam. Our ISEB Common Pre-Test practice papers below have been designed to aid students’ knowledge and understanding of the types of questions they may find in their pre-test exams. Answers and optional answering booklets are also provided.

ISEB COMMON PRE-TEST ENGLISH PAPER 1

Test Paper

Answering Booklet

Answers

ISEB COMMON PRE-TEST MATHEMATICS PAPER 1

Test Paper

Answering Booklet

Answers

ISEB COMMON PRE-TEST VERBAL REASONING PAPER 1

Test Paper

Answering Booklet

Answers

We would also recommend setting up a visual timer for your child whilst they use these papers. This will give them a greater understanding of how much time they will have in the exam and how they can use the timer to keep track of time whilst working.

Finally, as the ISEB Common Pre-Test is created by GL, the questions and question types found in this exam are very similar to those which appear in the 11+ GL exams. You can find some free 11+ GL practice papers below:

GL ENGLISH PAPER 1

Test Paper

Answers

GL MATHEMATICS PAPER 1

Test Paper

Answers

More 11+ GL papers can be found here and a free 11+ paper is sent out weekly via our email newsletter. You can sign up below.

How To Prepare For 11 Plus (11+) Verbal Reasoning — A Complete Guide

Verbal reasoning is a skill that all children possess, often without realising it. It is a subject that most students will have never specifically studied before reaching the 11+ and as a result, this can be a daunting prospect. For students in England, mastering verbal reasoning is especially important, as it is tested by most grammar and independent schools as part of their admissions process.

This blog post explains how to effectively prepare your child for an 11+ verbal reasoning exam. We’ll dive into what this involves, common question types and how we can help prepare your child.

The Exam Coach delivers the best online learning experience for children studying to sit the 11+ in the UK. If you have a child about to take the 11 Plus, please read on to discover more about how we can work with you to ensure your child’s success.

Contents 

  1. What is Verbal Reasoning?

  2. How is Verbal Reasoning Tested in the 11 Plus Exams?

  3. What Does Your Child Need to Succeed in 11 Plus Verbal Reasoning?

  4. How Can You Prepare Your Child?

  5. How Can We Prepare Your Child?

  6. Verbal Reasoning Courses - What We Cover?

  7. Bonus Resources

What is Verbal Reasoning?

If your child is preparing for the 11+ exams, you’ve probably heard the term ‘verbal reasoning’ before. However, you might not know its exact meaning. Verbal reasoning tests a student's ability to understand, analyse and use the English language in order to problem-solve. It tests a student's understanding of language concepts such as synonyms, antonyms, analogies and word meanings. It is, essentially, just problem-solving using words.

Verbal reasoning skills are tested by most major 11 Plus exam boards as part of their entry exams, including:

  • GL Assessment

  • CEM and CEM Select

  • CAT4

  • CSSE

  • ISEB Common Pre-Test

  • The Kent Test

  • The Sutton SET

How is Verbal Reasoning Tested in the 11 Plus Exams?

In the 11 Plus exams, verbal reasoning is tested through a series of multiple choice questions. Students are presented with various types of question that ask them to demonstrate their problem-solving skills using words and language. Each exam board uses its own question types, and this can vary year by year. However, the 20 most common question types are:

1. Closest meanings/synonyms

  • Asks students to pick out a word closest in meaning to a given word.

  • E.G - Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word DELIGHTED?

    • Unbothered

    • Satisfied

    • Disgusted

    • Ecstatic

    • Answer - Ecstatic

  • Check out the video below, where super-tutor Mason talks students through a synonyms style exam question.

2. Opposite meanings/antonyms

  • Asks students to pick out a word most opposite in meaning to a given word.

  • E.G - Which of the following is most opposite in meaning to the word CURVED?

    • Bent

    • Straight

    • Arched

    • Twisted

    • Answer - Straight

3. Multiple meanings

  • Asks students to pick out a word closest in meaning to two different sets of words.

  • E.G - Which of the following is closest in meaning to the words in both of the following categories? (Dance, Party) (Sphere, Globe).

    • Festival

    • Ball

    • Orb

    • Prom

    • Answer - Ball

4. Odd one out

  • Asks students to find the word (or words) which do not fit the rest of the set.

  • E.G - Which of the following is the odd one out?

    • Blue

    • Pink

    • Red

    • Bright

    • Answer - Bright

5. Word connections

  • Asks students to complete a given sentence in the most sensible way.

  • E.G - Thin is to (wide space think) as dark is to (dim alight light).

    • Answer - Wide + Light

6. Compound words

  • Ask students to combine two words to make a new word.

  • E.G - (Ear, Shoulder, Foot) (Bat, Ring, Bracelet)

    • Answer - EARRING

7. Forming new words

  • Asks students to find a word which, when put at the start or end of three given words, makes three new words.

  • E.G - PORT, CRAFT, BAG

    • Answer - AIR (AIRport, AIRcraft, AIRbag)

8. Complete a word pair

  • Asks students to find the word that completes the final pair of words so that it follows the same pattern as the first two pairs.

  • E.G - site sit cute cut pipe ???

    • Answer - PIP (takes the first 3 letters of the word to make a new one)

9. Anagram in a sentence

  • Asks students to rearrange the letters to spell out a new word that completes the sentence in a sensible way.

  • E.G - He seemed annoyed for no good NERSOA.

    • Answer - REASON

  • In the clip below, super-tutor James explains a simple method for solving an anagram in a sentence.

10. Word ladders

  • Asks students to change one letter at a time to make the first word into the final word.

  • The two answers must be real words.

  • E.G - (BURN) (????) (????) (TORE)

    • Answer - TURN TORN OR BORN TORN

11. Insert a letter

  • Asks students to find the letter that will finish the first word and start the second word of each pair, making two real words.

  • There are two pairs per question.

  • The same letter must be used for both pairs.

  • E.G - GE (?) IE and TA (?) IME

    • Answer - T (GET, TIE, TAT, TIME)

12. Move a letter

  • Asks students to remove one letter from the first word and add it to the second word to make two new words.

  • The order of the other letters must not be changed.

  • E.G - TRAP DONE

    • Answer - R (TAP DRONE)

13. Hidden word

  • In a sentence, a four-letter word is hidden at the end of one word and the start of the next. Asks students to find the hidden word.

  • E.G - One day later, my purse was found.

    • Answer - TERM (One day later, my purse was found.)

14. Missing word

  • Asks students to find the three-letter word that completes the incomplete word and finishes the sentence in a sensible way.

  • E.G - He WED his car every week.

    • Answer - ASH (washed)

15. Using rules to make a word

  • The words in the second set follow the same pattern as the words in the first set.

  • Asks students to find the missing word to complete the second set.

  • E.G - pour (pod) bud leaf (???) sit

    • Answer - LET (First 2 letters of the 1st word, followed by the 3rd letter of the 2nd word.)

16. Explore the facts

  • Asks students to use the information they are given to answer the given problem.

  • Questions are usually wordy and purposefully complicated.

  • E.G - Jennie has the least books in her bag. Lucy has twice as many as Guy, who has three fewer than Ahmed. Ahmed has one more than Carrie, who has seven books in her bag. How many books does Guy have?

    • Answer - 5 (Carrie has 7, Ahmed has 8, Guy has 5, Lucy has 10, Jennie has less than 6)

17. Solve the riddle

  • Asks students to use the information given, to solve the riddle that follows. Again questions are usually wordy and purposefully complicated.

  • E.G - Tasha, Richard, Saskia, Josh and Cameron are competing in a running race. Richard didn’t finish last. Cameron finished before Tasha. Saskia finished just after Josh. Tasha came second. If these statements are true, only one of the sentences below can be true. Which one?

    • Tasha came third.

    • Richard came fourth.

    • Cameron came second.

    • Saskia finished last.

    • Answer - Saskia finished last (Cameron came 1st, Tasha came 2nd, Richard came 3rd, Josh finished 4th, Saskia finished 5th)

18. Reordering words in a sentence

  • Asks students to find the two words that should be swapped in order for the sentence to make sense.

  • E.G - At 10am, I noticed I was school for late.

    • Answer School + late (At 10am, I noticed I was late for school.)

19. Letter word codes

  • Asks students to use the alphabet to help you work out the answer to each question.

  • Each question uses a different code.

  • You will usually be given an alphabet line to help you.

  • E.G - If the code for BAT is CBU, what is the code for TOW?

    • Answer - UPX (Moves right +1 along the alphabet each time.)

20. Number word codes

  • Each question gives students four words and three number codes in a random order.

  • Students then need to work out the code.

  • E.G - SOUR ROOT SURE TORE

    5332 2356 4156

    Find the code for the word SORT.

    • Answer - 4352 (S=4 O=3 R=5 T=2)

  • Super-tutor Mason explains how to fully solve this question in the video below.

While it is possible other types of question could come up in an 11+ verbal reasoning exam, these are the most common.

Some 11+ verbal reasoning exams are taken on paper, others online. Make sure you know the format your child’s test will be in before exam day, as well as whether they’ll be given some extra paper to make notes. Some VR questions are a lot easier if you can use paper for your workings out!

What Does Your Child Need to Succeed in 11 Plus Verbal Reasoning?

To succeed at an 11 Plus verbal reasoning exam, students need a range of skills, including:

1. Reading fluency

  • The ability to read questions quickly and accurately is essential for completing any verbal reasoning, exam. While reading quickly is key, students also must be able to process and understand what they are reading. Sometimes, the questions are purposefully worded in a tricky way.

2. Vocabulary knowledge

  • A wide vocabulary allows students to understand the meaning of any words and phrases in their exam in context. This is critical for verbal reasoning, as it specifically tests vocabulary knowledge and word meanings. The more words your child knows and understands, the more chances they’ll know the words they are presented with in their exam.

3. Logic and problem-solving

  • Verbal reasoning questions often require students to use logical thinking and problem-solving skills. They should be able to identify patterns, sequences, and relationships between different words and concepts.

4. Memory

  • Students need to have a good memory to remember the various rules, formulas, and definitions that they might need in their exam.

5. Speed

  • All 11+ verbal reasoning exams are timed, and your child will need to work quickly and efficiently to answer as many questions as possible within the time limit. They will need to know how to pace themselves and work through both the easier and more difficult questions in a timed and well-thought-out way.

6. Attention to detail

  • Verbal reasoning questions often use subtle differences and definitions to try and trick students out. They could be presented with similar answer choices or a complicated and wordy question. Either way, your child needs to know how to stay focused and pay close attention to detail when answering any VR question.

7. Process of elimination

  • Students should use the process of elimination to help them answer each question, keeping an eye out for red herrings and double-checking their answers. Sometimes working out which answers are definitely not the answer can help you solve tricky VR question.

8. Following instructions

  • All types of verbal reasoning question require students to follow the specific instructions given in the question. These instructions will lead them to the answer. Many verbal reasoning questions have specific instructions that must be followed, and if your child does not read and understand these instructions correctly, they may end up answering the wrong question or making mistakes. Close reading of the question is key.

By developing all of these skills, students can approach the 11+ verbal reasoning test with confidence and increase their chances of success. Not sure how to improve your child’s skills in these areas? Read on…

How Can You Prepare Your Child?

Preparing for an 11+ verbal reasoning exam can be a challenge for both you and your child. Parents can play a crucial role in supporting their child's education and helping them develop the skills they need to succeed, but sometimes it’s difficult to know where to start…

Firstly, parents should encourage their child to use as many practice papers as they can to develop their verbal reasoning skills. Practice papers can help students familiarize themselves with the format and style of the exam, as well as the many possible question types. Practice papers give students experience working through exam style questions, meaning they won’t be surprised by anything on exam day.

Working through practice papers with your child can also be beneficial, as this allows you to identify areas of weakness and provide targeted feedback and guidance. Practice, after all, does make perfect!

Parents can also help their child develop their reasoning skills by encouraging them to read. Reading widely and regularly exposes children to a variety of words and scenarios, helping them build their vocabulary and critical thinking skills. Parents can support their child's reading by providing them with a range of age-appropriate books, magazines, and newspapers, and encouraging them to read for pleasure as well as education. Make sure your child is reading daily in order to develop these skills.

Finally, parents can help their child expand their vocabulary by exposing them to a range of words in daily life. Try to encourage your child to be inquisitive (meaning having or showing an interest in learning things) and to always ask you or other adults if they ever use words your child does not understand. Hearing and learning new words will allow your child to eventually use them in their speech and writing.

Playing word games, using flashcards, and creative a vocabulary list/book can all be effective strategies for developing a child’s vocabulary. By creating a language-rich environment at home, parents can help their child develop the linguistic skills they need to succeed in an 11+ verbal reasoning exam and beyond.

How Can We Prepare Your Child?

At The Exam Coach, we are 11 Plus exam experts, focusing on our specialisms:

  • 11+ Verbal Reasoning

  • 11+ Comprehension

  • 11+ Creative Writing

  • 11+ Persuasive Writing

To help students master these subjects, we offer the following services:

  1. 5-Day Courses

  2. Weekly Workshops

  3. Practice Papers

  4. Our Vocabulary Podcast

👨‍💻 5-Day courses 👩‍💻

Our full 5-day 11+ courses focus on teaching the key concepts and exam techniques for each of the 11+ disciplines we specialise in:

  • 11+ Verbal Reasoning

  • 11+ Comprehension

  • 11+ Creative Writing

  • 11+ Persuasive Writing

These courses help students develop the critical foundation needed for each of their 11 Plus exams — for example, understanding effective exam techniques and how to successfully approach each question type. We provide clear explanations, give students easy-to-remember exam techniques and show worked examples. Our courses are designed to ensure that students master the skills they need in order to achieve their full potential in their 11 Plus.

Types of courses currently offered:

  • 🤔 Verbal Reasoning

    • Suitable for the following exam boards: GL Assessment, CEM, CAT4, ISEB Common Pre-Test, Kent Test and Sutton SET.

  • 📚 English Comprehension (Multiple Choice Style)

    • Suitable for the following exam boards: GL Assessment, CEM, ISEB Common Pre-Test, Kent Test and Sutton SET.

  • 📚 English Comprehension (Written Answer Style)

    • Suitable for the following exam boards: Independent or school written exams.

  • 📝 Creative Writing

    • Suitable for the following exam boards: Kent Test, Sutton Stage 2 and independent/school written exams.

  • 📝 Persuasive Writing

    • Suitable for the following exam boards: Kent Test, Sutton Stage 2 and independent/school written exams.

Details:

  • 5x 90-minutes of expert 11+ tuition by an experienced tutor/teacher over 5 days.

  • Interactive video and microphone access via Zoom.

  • Detailed class notes, worksheets and other resources for each session.

  • Key concept explanations and demonstrations.

  • Exam style question practice and walkthrough.

  • Competitive class tests.

  • Self-assessed and marked testing.

  • Full walkthroughs of answers.

  • Fun examples and stories.

  • Detailed and effective exam preparation in chosen 11+ area.

  • Exam and memory technique explanations.

  • Model answer explanations (where applicable).

  • Homework set after each session.

  • Detailed essay/homework marking and feedback after each session.

When they take place:

  • Weekends during school term time.

  • School holidays.

How to register:

📚 Weekly Workshops 📚

In our 11 Plus weekly workshops, your tutor will share some background information about themselves and our workshops with new students. This is followed by 40 minutes of teaching time. Weekly workshops usually run twice a week, usually on weekday evenings. The dates and times of these workshops change each week to ensure everyone can benefit from them.

The content within each workshop varies between 11+ creative writing, comprehension, verbal reasoning or English vocabulary. These classes are a great way to experience our tuition and let your child learn something new before booking one of our courses. Weekly tuition allows us to regularly top up your child’s knowledge during the year prior to their exams.

Each weekly tuition workshop is standalone, meaning your child does not need to have attended any previous sessions to join one. Class notes are sent out 24 hours after each workshop to help students recap what they have learnt.

Types of taster workshop:

  • Tricky Vocabulary Workout

  • Verbal Reasoning Synonyms/Antonyms

  • Comprehension

  • Creative Writing

Details:

  • 45 minutes.

  • Introduction to The Exam Coach.

  • Competitive class testing.

  • Self-assessed testing.

  • Walkthrough answers.

  • Class notes.

When they take place:

  • At least once a week (date and time announced on Mondays via our email newsletter).

How to register:

📝 11 Plus Practice Papers 📝

We have plenty of practice papers available for various 11+ exam boards to help your child prepare. We provide papers for CEM, GL, ISEB, Kent, Sutton, and Independent School exams.

We send out one free English or maths paper every Friday via our email newsletter. These papers are free in order to help support your child’s 11 Plus preparation consistently throughout the year.

🎙️ Our Vocabulary Podcast 🎙️

Our 11+ Daily Vocab Show podcast is available on our website and all major streaming platforms. In each episode, we teach children a new word, expanding their vocabulary one word at a time.

Every podcast episode focuses on one tricky piece of vocabulary, ensuring that your child’s vocabulary is built up slowly and that they fully understand each word they learn.

All podcast episodes can be found using the links below:

Listen to the first episode, featuring the word ‘siege’, by clicking the image below.

Verbal Reasoning Courses - What We Cover?

In our verbal reasoning course, we will review all the common verbal reasoning question types, providing students with our exam techniques and recommended approaches to complete any verbal reasoning exercise quickly and accurately. With verbal reasoning, knowing and understanding the technique required to find each answer is key. Students will also broaden and deepen their vocabulary throughout this course. They will have plenty of opportunities to practise implementing the techniques we recommend on practice exam questions.

In the five sessions, we focus on the 20 most common verbal reasoning question types. We explain to students how to best approach and work through each question type, recommending techniques that have worked well for our students in the past. Our tutors explain how students can complete all questions in a methodical way, which gives them the best chance possible of arriving at the correct answer in the shortest amount of time. Not only this, they’ll also explain why other possible methods can lead to mistakes.

Tutors

All our courses are delivered by The Exam Coach’s team of tutors. All of our tutors have:

  1. Passed competitive exams such as the 11 Plus.

  2. Attended a Russell Group University within the last 5-10 years.

  3. Received training to deliver expertly within our online workshop format.

  4. Taught our 11 Plus exam preparation curriculum on a regular basis within the last two years.

Verbal Reasoning Question Types COVERED

  1. Closest meanings/synonyms

  2. Opposite meanings/antonyms

  3. Multiple meanings

  4. Odd one out

  5. Word connections

  6. Compound words

  7. Forming new words

  8. Complete a word pair

  9. Anagram in a sentence

  10. Word ladders

  11. Insert a letter

  12. Move a letter

  13. Hidden word

  14. Missing word

  15. Using rules to make a word

  16. Explore the facts

  17. Solve the riddle

  18. Reordering words in a sentence

  19. Letter word codes

  20. Number word codes

COURSE RESOURCES

Worksheets, homework and class notes are sent out before the start of the course. These can either be printed or viewed digitally. For all workshops, students receive:

  1. A worksheet to complete in the workshop.

  2. Class notes to help consolidate learning and give students an opportunity to recap some of what was covered in the workshop.

  3. A homework task.

HOMEWORK AND MARKING

Ten verbal reasoning questions are set as a homework task after each workshop. These are marked by our tutors and then returned, with personalised verbal feedback on each assignment, focusing on specific corrections and general areas for improvement. Importantly, the tutor will not just say what the correct answer is, but they will explain to the student how they could have found the answer.

For each submission, your child will receive:

  1. An annotated copy of the homework, marking correct and incorrect answers.

  2. A 5-minute-long voice note from the tutor to your child, celebrating good answers, correcting any mistakes and highlighting areas for improvement. Importantly, our tutors will show your child the process required to arrive at correct answers, as opposed to simply telling them what the correct answer is.

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