If you have an overseas child looking for entry into a British school, you may be wondering about the UKiset. The UKiset exam is a test assigned by competitive British schools as part of the application process. The exam allows British schools to make informed decisions when selecting potential overseas students to join their institution and decreases the number of entrance exams for students. Due to the high competition at these schools among British students alone, it is a difficult process that requires dedicated preparation in order to be successful. Here is all you need to know to be successful on the UKiset.

What is the UKiset?

The UKiset is an online entry test taken for admission into highly competitive British schools. It is an English test that can be taken in a test centre in the student’s country, a London test centre, or at select schools. The test aims to gauge potential students’ academic potential as well as their English language skills, which allows overseas students to be compared to British students of the same age.

The UKiset costs £295, a fee which covers the costs of registration, proctor fees, results sent to the student, and sending the student’s UKiset profile to up to five schools. The schools to which the results are sent may be chosen before or after the exam is completed. The exam is designed for students of all nationalities aged 9.5 to 18 and takes about two hours to complete. Unlike other admissions tests, the UKiset can be retaken every six months. To register for the Ukiset, the student must register directly on the Ukiset website, where they will be asked to provide personal details along with a picture.

What does it cover?

The UKiset test consists of three parts: reasoning, reading and listening, and essay writing.

Reasoning

The reasoning part of the test takes approximately 45 minutes to complete and evaluates a student’s verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and mathematical reasoning. The verbal reasoning will consist of questions regarding language and problem solving with words, while the non-verbal will cover problem-solving using shapes, pictures and logic. Questions involving numbers and values, quantities, and sequences will test students’ mathematical reasoning skills. This portion of the UKiset is adaptive and will provide more difficult questions as the student answers questions correctly.

Reading and Listening

The reading and listening part of the UKiset is based on the Cambridge English Test, which is an online multiple-choice exam. This test will determine the student’s English CEFR level, an internationally recognized language level of English. The reading and listening part of the Ukiset takes 30 minutes to complete.

Essay Writing

The essay portion is the opportunity for students to demonstrate their expressive language skills, in which they are required to handwrite a short essay. There is only one prompt provided on the day of the exam, and each prompt is age-appropriate for the student taking the exam. Each topic is typically open-ended, with room for debate and reasoning behind the student’s response. For example, a student may be asked to compare or contrast something or describe something, such as a feeling or emotion.

Preparation

The average score on the UKiset is 100, and the average score for UK students in independent schools is 111. However, top schools usually require a score of over 125 for admissions. In order to be a successful candidate, here is how your student can prepare for the UKiset.

Reasoning

As the reasoning portion of the exam tests students’ logic and cognitive ability, it is more difficult to prepare for. The best way to study for this portion is to familiarize the student with the format of reasoning questions. Along with format familiarization, it is a good idea to become comfortable with answering questions at high speed. There is added pressure due to the time constraint, which can be difficult if not prepared for. Another thing to note is that students are unable to go back and revise their answers to previous questions, so while they must work quickly, they must also work accurately.

Reading and Listening

This portion of the exam is based on the Cambridge English Test, which students can study with online resources. Cambridge provides free online practice tests which can be used to prepare for the reading and listening section. Aside from practice tests, students should be reading a variety of materials at their reading level to expand their vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Writing

There are a few elements that are particularly important for the essay portion, including the paper’s structure, content, spelling and grammar, and handwriting. The student should prepare the structure of the paper by spending about five minutes planning each paragraph of the essay. The content should be based on keywords given in the prompt in order to have relevant ideas. Practice writing clear, logical arguments that contain well-formed ideas. It is important to remember to use a vast vocabulary and to include detailed descriptions, as well. The quickest way to lose marks on the essay portion of the exam is for spelling and grammar mistakes. Be sure to read through the work at the end to proofread for any spelling or grammar errors. Finally, because the essay is handwritten, it is imperative that the student’s handwriting is legible and neat.