Surrey has one of the highest concentrations of independent schools in the country, and most set their own separate 11+ entrance assessment rather than using a shared county test (that's the state-sector grammar route, covered separately for Sutton's SET consortium). Formats vary school to school: some use the ISEB Common Pre-Test, others a bespoke own-paper exam.
Because each school runs its own process, the single most useful thing you can do early is check the specific format, date and registration deadline directly with each school you're applying to — don't assume one school's process applies to another.
Exam boards, formats and test dates can change year to year, and schools sometimes move between consortia. Always confirm the current arrangements directly with the school or admissions authority before relying on any single source, including this page.
The ISEB Common Pre-Test is a standardised, computer-adaptive test (English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning) taken once and shared with every school you apply to that accepts it — it saves sitting multiple separate exams. A bespoke own paper is set and marked entirely by that one school, usually on paper, and often includes a school-specific English or maths style.
Check with each school which route they use this admissions cycle before you start targeted prep, since the two formats reward slightly different practice.
Start with the fundamentals rather than exam tricks: a child who reads widely and has a solid grip on KS2 maths will out-perform one who has only drilled past papers. Build in short, regular sessions (15–25 minutes, most days) rather than long weekend cram sessions — consistency beats intensity for children this age.
Pulled straight from PipPrep's own question bank — not invented for this page.
PipPrep adapts to your child's target school with 100,000+ questions across maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Free to start, no card needed.
Start free →No. Most Surrey independents set their own bespoke entrance exam. A minority, including Reed's School, use the ISEB Common Pre-Test instead. Always confirm the format with each individual school.
Most sit in November of Year 6, ahead of September Year 7 entry, though at least one school in our data (St George's College Weybridge) has used a January window. Confirm the exact date with the school.
No. This page covers independent (private/fee-paying) schools with their own entrance tests. Surrey's selective state grammar route runs through the Sutton area SET consortium (Wilson's, Nonsuch, Sutton Grammar and others), which is a separate shared test.
English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, taken as an adaptive computer-based test. Results are shared with all the schools on your application list that use it, so you typically only sit it once.