What You Need to Know About The 7+
The 7+ exam is an assessment that your child will take in Year 2 for entry into an independent prep school for Year 3. Admissions exams for British private schools are extremely competitive and require a lot of preparation and guidance in order to be successful. The 7+ exam is typically administered in January. However, it is sometimes distributed at other times throughout the year as well. The exam consists mostly of testing students’ mathematical and English skills, and sometimes there is a reasoning exam depending on the school. It is usually a written format exam. However, it could also be computer-based or observed activities. Sometimes, there are more creative tasks on the test that may consist of something manual such as drawing. If your child does well on the exam, they will be asked back for an interview that consists of meeting the Headmaster and completing group tasks with peers.
Competition
Typically, admissions exams are highly competitive due to the high number of applicants and a limited number of spaces available for admissions. Depending on the school, the 7+ can be a very competitive exam for placement. In some cases, there will be many more applicants than spaces available. Typically, around two students are invited to interview for everyone’s open place. Based on their exam scores and interview performance, the top students will receive an offer for a place, and the others may be placed on a waitlist.
The schools are typically looking for well-rounded students who do well on the exam. Along with a good score, they look for children who are well-behaved and have good social skills, hence the group activities required at the interview stage. Furthermore, you will most likely need to provide your child’s current school report as well.
Preparation
Due to the high volume of competition for a place in these prep schools, a high amount of preparation and studying is required to do well on the exam. Pre-prep schools often offer extra classes for students taking the 7+ exam, so it is a good idea to enrol your child in those if they are offered. If your child is not enrolled in a pre-prep school that is focused on the 7+ exam, it will be necessary to hire a tutor that can properly prepare them.
English
In order to prepare for the English section of the exam, focus on strengthening your child’s comprehension and writing skills. The exam will consist of many comprehension questions that must be answered in several complete sentences. These questions will be mostly fact-based. However, some of the questions may be more abstract. Ideally, your child will be reading at a level that is above the national average. Practice reading books and stories that are a level above the national average to accustom them to this level of challenge.
Along with the comprehension questions, your child will also have to write a story that might be based on one of the readings in the exam or on a prompt they provide. This section is important because it is also testing their spelling, grammar, and dictation, along with their creativity and vocabulary. The essay will test your child on how well they can present their ideas and form logical thoughts. One way to prepare is by having your child practice writing every day. Writing something short, even just ten lines daily, can be good practice for creative writing and forming cohesive thoughts.
Your child must have an astute vocabulary in order to do well on this portion of the exam. Some questions might ask your child what a word means or why the author chose it. Their vocabulary can be improved through the use of tutors and through intentional lessons in daily life. There are a few activities that can be done at home to improve your child’s vocabulary. For instance, you can pick out words online that have similar subjects, such as weight or volume, and have your child rank them in a certain order. In this case, you could use words such as ruckus, silent, and inaudible, and have your child rank them from noisiest to least noisy. Practice other games similar to this one to build their vocabulary and increase usage of more complex words.
Math
Similar to the English portion, your child is expected to be above the national average for math as well. The mathematics section could consist of both written and verbal problem solving, word problems that require several steps to complete, and more abstract questions. Your child will be tested on the fundamentals of math, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Just like for the English section, it is important to get a tutor as well as practice math above the national average in their daily life in order to do well on the exam.
Timed Exams
The 7+ exam is often a child’s first experience taking a timed test, so it is possible they will need to prepare for that aspect of the assessment. They can gain confidence in their ability to complete a timed test by taking practice tests before the exam date. This practice can help them become more comfortable with the pressure of a time constraint and give them an idea of what to expect at the actual exam.
Competition
Typically, admissions exams are highly competitive due to the high number of applicants and a limited number of spaces available for admissions. Depending on the school, the 7+ can be a very competitive exam for placement. In some cases, there will be many more applicants than spaces available. Typically, around two students are invited to interview for everyone's open place. Based on their exam scores and interview performance, the top students will receive an offer for a place and the others may be placed on a waitlist.
The schools are typically looking for well-rounded students who do well on the exam. Along with a good score, they look for children who are well-behaved and have good social skills, hence the group activities required at the interview stage. Furthermore, you will most likely need to provide your child’s current school report as well.
Preparation
Due to the high volume of competition for a place in these prep schools, a high amount of preparation and studying is required to do well on the exam. Pre-prep schools often offer extra classes for students taking the 7+ exam, so it is a good idea to enroll your child in those if they are offered. If your child is not enrolled in a pre-prep school that is focused on the 7+ exam, it will be necessary to hire a tutor that can properly prepare them.
English
In order to prepare for the English section of the exam, focus on strengthening your child’s comprehension and writing skills. The exam will consist of many comprehension questions that must be answered in several complete sentences. These questions will be mostly fact-based, however, some of the questions may be more abstract. Ideally, your child will be reading at a level that is above the national average. Practice reading books and stories that are a level above the national average to accustom them to this level of challenge.
Along with the comprehension questions, your child will also have to write a story that might be based on one of the readings in the exam, or on a prompt they provide. This section is important because it is also testing their spelling, grammar, and dictation, along with their creativity and vocabulary. The essay will test your child on how well they can present their ideas and form logical thoughts. One way to prepare is by having your child practice writing every day. Writing something short, even just 10 lines daily, can be good practice for creative writing and forming cohesive thoughts.
Your child must have an astute vocabulary in order to do well on this portion of the exam. Some questions might ask your child what a word means or why the author chose it. Their vocabulary can be improved through the use of tutors and through intentional lessons in daily life. There are a few activities that can be done at home to improve your child’s vocabulary. For instance, you can pick out words online that have similar subjects, such as weight or volume, and have your child rank them in a certain order. In this case, you could use words such as ruckus, silent, and inaudible, and have your child rank them from noisiest to least noisy. Practice other games similar to this one to build their vocabulary and increase usage of more complex words.
Math
Similar to the English portion, your child is expected to be above the national average for math as well. The mathematics section could consist of both written and verbal problem solving, word problems that require several steps to complete, and more abstract questions. Your child will be tested on the fundamentals of math, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Just like for the English section, it is important to get a tutor as well as practice math above the national average in their daily life in order to do well on the exam.
Timed Exams
The 7+ exam is often a child’s first experience taking a timed test, so it is possible they will need to prepare for that aspect of the assessment. They can gain confidence in their ability to complete a timed test by taking practice tests before the exam date. This practice can help them become more comfortable with the pressure of a time constraint and give them an idea of what to expect at the actual exam.
Reasoning
Testing reasoning has become more and more common in recent years, so it is good to be prepared for this section as well. The reasoning exam could consist of both verbal and non-verbal reasoning. However, these areas are not usually covered in class, meaning it will be necessary to work and practice your child’s reasoning skills outside of the classroom. Students can work for the reasoning exams by completing challenging puzzles, riddles, and word games.
Interviewing
An interview is conducted to evaluate your child’s behaviour and interactive skills. Your child will interview with the headmaster, who will consist of an informal conversation that does not require much preparation. Your child will most likely be asked about themselves and their hobbies and interests, which will guide the conversation. As mentioned before, they may be asked to complete some group activities with their peers in order to evaluate their communication and cooperation skills.
Other Considerations
Many schools will consider your child’s age and birthdate when applying for a place in their school. Children who were born in September tend to have an advantage over those born later in the following year due to the significant role of age and maturity in children at this age. Some schools might weigh the reasoning scores by age, and others will take your child’s birthday into consideration when making selections.
As stated before, it is nearly impossible to do well on the 7+ examination without extra help and study. Even if your child is enrolled in a pre-prep school, it is encouraged to source additional help from professionals and tutors. The Veda Group is an unmatched group of private education and wellness specialists who are unparalleled in the field. With a 100% acceptance rate at first-choice schools, there is no one better suited to help your child succeed. To learn more about school placement and tutoring services or to book a free consultation, please visit www.thevedagroup.com.