Welcome to School Entrance Tests‘ FREE 11 plus practice papers.
FREE 11 plus practice papers
We hope you access some of our other FREE independent school practice tests.
Why not try our FREE 11 plus practice papers?
11 Plus English Sample (Emanuel School) 2020
Maths Paper 1 Sample (Emanuel School) 2020
11 Plus Maths Paper2 Sample (Emanuel School) 2020
Maths Sample (Forest School) 2020
11 Plus English Sample (Trinity School) 2021
Maths Sample (Trinity School) 2021
11 Plus Maths Sample (Trinity School) 2021 Answers
Plus Maths Sample (Aldenham School) 2020
11+ English (City of London School for Boys) 2020 Sample
Plus Maths (City of London School for Boys) 2020 Sample
11+ English Sample (Sevenoaks School) 2020
Plus English Sample (Sevenoaks School) 2021
11+ Maths Sample (Sevenoaks School) 2020
Plus Maths Sample (Sevenoaks School) 2021
11+ Maths Sample (Sevenoaks School) 2019
Plus English Sample (Sevenoaks School) 2019
Why are these the best 11+ CEM Select practice exams?
- All of the unusual CEM Select verbal reasoning, maths and non-verbal reasoning question formats are included.Thereby, ensuring your child has exposure to all of the 11 plus question type possibilities that appear in each CEM Select exam paper.
- Hence these CEM Select practice test packs are, in our opinion, the most accurate CEM Select Practice Tests you will find anywhere online.
- Your child will feel more confident about their CEM Select exam day once they know exactly what type of 11 plus questions to expect. Plus, they will have learnt how to approach each of the numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning modules.
- There will be no surprises on exam day which could put a pass into question!
How different is CEM Select 11 exam?
The different types of 11 Plus school entrance exams can be very confusing at first glance. GL Assessment and CEM set most 11+ exams across the UK. Thus, each 11+ provider sets several regional 11 Plus exams.
Check individual grammar school websites so that you can confirm whether your child is to sit the CEM 11 Plus, the GL 11 Plus, or some combination of both 11 Plus test formats
For the full blog on this much-discussed topic, read more at Types of 11 plus tests.
What’s the 11 plus CEM Select pass mark?
In summary, the above premium CEM Select practice tests offer a distinct advantage compared to their peers who have not come across these formats before.
We also recommend aiming for 60-70%+ in each of the CEM Select modules. This will ensure that you are aiming for a ‘safe CEM Select pass’.
That said, the key point is to focus on gaining exposure to as many of the different types of CEM Select verbal reasoning, CEM Select maths and CEM Select non-verbal reasoning questions as possible.
Best CEM Select 11 plus revision
- School Entrance Tests recommends familiarising yourself with the various questions formats for each CEM Select numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning type.
- This is because the first key consideration in any any CEM Select 11 plus exam is time. It is unlike ISEB’s alternative selective school tests in the number of questions you’re expected to answer within the time available. The CEM Select requires you to work as efficiently and accurately as possible. Aim to average approximately 15-20 seconds per CEM Select question.
- The second key consideration is accuracy. Certainly, if your child is not already used to checking their answers, they need to start doing this when practising for their CEM Select exam 2022. Even double checking their answers!
- The best school entry exams to use in your practice school entrance sessions should be close as possible to the challenges of your actual CEM Select exam.
- School Entrance Tests also recommend taking multiple practice tests. Since this CEM Select preparation then incorporates learnings from your previous CEM Select practice papers.
- As with most selective school entry tests, there are a range of different verbal reasoning question formats. Firstly, use our recommended CEM Select practice tests. The following free verbal reasoning papers will also be useful practice. Above all it is your child’s vocabulary which is being tested here. So, also read widely and at as advanced a level as possible.
CEM 11 Plus Key facts
The CEM 11 Plus consists of these six 11 plus papers: Comprehension; Literacy; Verbal Reasoning; Numeracy; Numerical Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
- Firstly, each consists of two papers; divided into separately timed sections.
- The mixed paper format combines two of these into one test. Thus, the CEM English and the CEM verbal reasoning tests are combined. Secondly, the CEM maths test and the CEM non-verbal reasoning test are combined.
- CEM 11 plus timings are given per section.
- Never leave a question blank.
- Try to eliminate one or two answer options even if you don’t know the actual correct answer. When you guess it’s better to have a 1 in 3 than a 1 in 4 or a 1 in 5 chance.
What’s the difference between the CEM Select and the CEM 11 plus exams?
The first CEM 11 plus exams were in the traditional paper and pencil format.
Whereas the later CEM Select is an online 11 plus exam.
So, which schools use CEM Select?
The initial intent was for this to be a replacement grammar school 11 plus entry assessment. However it’s popularity has meant that an increasing number of private schools, from around the U.K., have also adopted the CEM Select 11 plus.
Check individual school websites to check if your child will take either of the CEM school entry exams:
the offline CEM or the online CEM SELECT. Or the more recent ISEB pre-tests item bank.
1. The CEM Select online assessment battery is Primarily used for entry into independent schools (both private and grammar schools at:
- 11+ which is Year 7 entry,
- 12+ which is Year 8 entry) and
- 13+ which is Year 9 entry.Cambridge Assessment’s 11+ assessment of maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.
2. CEM Select assesses the three skills of Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning skills.
There are 5-6 short CEM Select modules
3. A CEM Select assessment takes approx. 60 mins.
- Three or four of the modules will cover Verbal Ability is assessed by 3-4 modules in the CEM Select assessment battery of tests.
- Numerical reasoning skills are assessed by 3-4 CEM Select modules.
- Non-Verbal Ability is assessed by a single non-verbal reasoning module in the CEM Select assessment battery of tests.
4. CEM Selects core Verbal Reasoning modules are Comprehension and Missing Words
Other possible CEM Select verbal reasoning modules are known by CEM Select as:
- Shuffled Sentences,
- Anagrams,
- Multiple Meanings,
- Selected Letters,
- Letter Connections and
- Related
4. CEM Selects Numerical Reasoning modules can consist of either 1 or 2 numerical reasoning modulesmodules.
So, when it’s one, then this is called General Maths by CEM Select.
If it’s two numerical reasoning modules in your particular CEM Select bespoke assessment then these are split into an Arithmetic module and a Data Problems module.
5. The Non-Verbal Ability section has one module called Pictures.
In previous years, this has focused exclusively on Matrices questions in the CEM style.
6. The CEM Select exam is extremely time pressured.
For example, the Pictures section could have 25 questions to answer in 7 minutes. This is just 16.8 seconds per question!
However, it’s really important you let your child know that, according to CEM, they are not expected to complete the sections and you can skip plenty of questions and still do very well.
Once your child understands this, they can approach the test with confidence and won’t get stressed out if they run out of time.
7. You can skip questions and come back to them later.
However, in reality, since the test is so time pressured, it’s unlikely they will have time to come back to questions.
8. there is no negative CEM Select marking.
so, we recommend advising your child to make an intelligent guess for every question rather than skipping it. There’s no downside to this approach and significant potential upside in terms of extra marks gained.
The key to doing well in CEM Select is to pick up as many marks as possible. Therefore, you never want to spend too long on any one question.
This is especially important if your child is a perfectionist and wants to work through every question.
Even if they know they can get to the correct answer, if it’s going to take too long, it’s better to make an intelligent guess and move on as the opportunity cost is too great.
The questions don’t get harder as you progress through the test so picking up one mark but taking two minutes to do so is an ill advised approach if it means you miss out on many more marks on easier questions down the line.
This approach is counterintuitive to what children are often taught
8. The online CEM Select test, is quite differs considerably from the paper and pencil CEM 11+ which many grammar schools also use.
CEM Select contains unusual question formats that cannot be found elsewhere. These include drag and drop and word auto completes, where you only need to type the first two letters of a word.
11 plus CEM practice papers
Differences between CEM and GL tests
CEM exams group the Verbal Reasoning 11+ and the English 11+ tests together. CEM exams are also divided into separately timed sections. It’s therefore important that children learn how to manage their time correctly as it’s not possible to return to sections once completed. Nevertheless, the CEM entrance tests cover the same subject areas (Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning) as the GL Assessment tests. They also have the same standardized pass-mark (121).
See our useful guides called Where is my local grammar school?
Where’s my local London Grammar Schools?
GL assessment 11 plus test publishers
How to pass the CEM 11+ Test
At such a young age, children should not, in an ideal world, ever feel stressed about things like exams, and as such the more relaxed your child feels about his or her 11 plus tuition, the better. A sad reality of the 11 plus is that every year over-stressed children come out of the exam in floods of tears, and nothing will make your child more panicky on the day than a stressful couple of weeks leading up to the test.
We would recommend that you begin light preparations for your child while they are in year 4.
No more than a couple of hours a week should be necessary in the early days, and no more than four or five hours each week even as it gets closer to the actual test. Burdening your child with too much work too soon will simply put them off the process all together. If you are finding that you need to spend huge amounts of time tutoring your child, perhaps it would be wise to question if grammar school is the best environment for them.
Background Reading for the 11+
Reading allows your child to expand his or her vocabulary beyond the typical range of topics; as the old adage goes, reading truly does broaden the mind.
11 plus Maths Tips
It is always best to ensure that your child is confident with everything on the KS2 maths syllabus. Reports from your child’s school should give an indication of whether your child has any major gaps in his/her knowledge. Use Key Stage 2 maths revision resources to fill any of these gaps, and be sure to revisit material that your child struggles on regularly.
Schools often take a modular approach to maths, which means that, if they cover fractions in September of Year 4, they may not cover them again until September of Year 5, by which time they’ve completely forgotten how to do them! Try to resist the temptation to ‘overrule’ your child when examining different methods with which to tackle the basic operations in maths.
The most important thing is to ensure that your child is confident with the basics in the following areas:
The 11 plus exam topic-by-topic
Maths 11+ intro
Place value, square and cube numbers and roots, prime numbers, factors. Fractions – finding fractions of amounts, equivalent fractions, simplifying fractions, proper fractions, improper fractions, mixed numbers, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions.
- Time: Analogue, digital, 12 hour, 24 hour, world time zones.
- Decimals, fractions and percentages. Rounding to a given number of decimal places.
- Money, our coinage system, currency conversion.
- Measurement, metric units of length, mass and capacity.
- Area and perimeter including compound shapes. Surface area and volume.
- Mean, median, mode and range.
- Percentages.
- Ratio and probability, scale.
- Angles, shapes, compass points, symmetry
11+ English Comprehension
- Cloze passages with missing words, again make up your own on subjects that you know will interest your child. You know best what interests your child!
- Lots of practice at shuffled sentences is the key to success at this particular element of the CEM test.
- I find that children improve dramatically with lots of exposure to these question types.
Pre-test Non-Verbal Reasoning exam paper
- Be sure to test your child’s ability in the Non-Verbal Reasoning (NVR) component as early as possible.
- Many girls perform very well in this section, and equally some boys will struggle.
- The best way to improve at NVR is simply practice, practice and more practice.
11+ Mock Exam Practice
Talk to the mock providers – the best ones are the tuition companies that are completely transparent and allow you as parents to see the papers and give a relative score for the cohort.
Other School Entrance Tests independent School test practice guides
Firstly, independent school practice tests (ISEB, CEM and GL).
Secondly, independent school entry 16+ test practice papers.
Thirdly, top CEM test practice papers.
And then next free private school schemes.
Plus, the best ISEB test practice for independent schools.
Finally, London independent schools Guide.
Top FREE PRACTICE 11 plus past papers
We are very proud of School Entrance Tests’ popular City Kids magazine 11 Plus non-verbal reasoning tips article.
11+ Test practice
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