What subjects are in the 7+ entrance exam?
What subjects are in the 7+ entrance exam is one of the questions we are asked the most and so in this post we’ll provide an outline of what your child may be required to prepare for.
We say ‘may’ because each school can set their own papers and personalise both the way they deliver the questions (eg spoken or written) along with the way they expect answers to be given (eg multiple choice or open-format).
Nevertheless, there are certain broad subject areas that it would do well for your child to develop, since those are usually found in most 7+ entrance exams.
Significant oversubscription
Entry to private schools at age 7 is very competitive. There are significantly more parents applying for entry and therefore putting their children in for the entrance exams than there are places available.
Recent stats suggest that for many schools there are between seven and fifteen times as many children taking the entrance tests than there are places on offer.
That being so it’s important that your child is best prepared for the task at hand.
It’s important to remember that the 7+ test can cover everything your child ‘might’ encounter by the end of their year 7, however, they will be tested in January, so it’s important to prepare them as thoroughly as possible.
What subjects are tested at 7+?
The range of subjects can be seen as a slimmed-down version of what’s covered in the 11+ entrance exams, which means any of the following might be included in your target school’s assessment routine:
- Maths
- English
- Verbal Reasoning
- Non-Verbal Reasoning
- Handwriting
- General Knowledge
- Interview/conversational/social skills
Maths
Your child will need to have confidence with their times tables, along with division too. There’s insufficient time in the exam to work out answers long-hand and so speed is of the essence.
Calculating the time and understanding how the hours of the day relate to each other may be covered.
Maths problems which require some interpretation rather than just number-crunching are to be expected from the top schools, so your child will need to know how to ‘convert’ ‘wordy’ questions into numbers and then come up with an answer.
English – Reading
It’s important they are already reading well and have developed a strong, age-appropriate vocabulary. Some schools may require your child reads a piece of writing out aloud.
For others, their might be the requirement to not only read an excerpt but to talk about it and comment where necessary too.
This can be developed by having them read regularly at home and by guiding their reading choice with a good quality reading list.
Reading out loud will also highlight what words they might be unsure about, and those should then fall into their ‘revision list’ so they can look them up in a dictionary.
English – Comprehension
Most schools will set a comprehension test where your child will be asked to answer questions on a particular piece of writing.
This might be an excerpt from a non-fiction book or a piece of poetry.
Usually, they are given a printed copy to read, however, some schools will have a member of staff read the item out and your child will need to remember what they’ve heard.
English – Writing
Many schools will set a writing task. In this, your child will be expected to produce a piece of writing based on a title or idea given to them.
Spelling will be assessed, as will their correct use of grammar and the way they structure and format their writing and paragraphs.
The writing task can make up a significant part of the overall marks, therefore, preparation is important.
There may also be the requirement to produce a piece of creative writing and different schools each have their own objectives for this exercise so ensure your child is correctly prepared.
Verbal Reasoning
Questions within the verbal reasoning test may include those related to synonyms and antonyms, creating compound words and finding missing words, along with various other more specific question types.
It’s important that your child has a working understanding of the question types a school might set – seeing them for the first time during the actual exam is never a good idea.
Non-Verbal Reasoning
These questions include graphics where issues such as rotation, pattern change or variations of item count may be relevant and your child will need to quickly assess each question and select the appropriate answer.
Handwriting
One overriding point to note is your child will be required to write all of their answers as clearly as possible – the examiner can’t give marks for work they can’t read.
That being so it’s important they practice and work up to being able to write clearly and consistently at exam speed.
Interview / Conversational / Social Skills
Most schools will ask candidates to attend an interview.
This is usually with the head or a senior member of the school’s staff and is simply just a way for them to get to know a little more about your child’s character.
Be careful, therefore, not to ‘coach’ your child too much.
Some preparation is always helpful and we recommend that, but a child who’s been over-prepared so they provide ‘textbook’ answers to any questions will be seen as just that.
All schools are looking for confident children, but also ones that will fit in with the existing students whilst making a difference too.
General Knowledge
Some schools may ask a few general knowledge questions during the interview stage and so it’s important to ensure your child has a broad-brush understanding of some of the key issues that are prevailing around the time of their entrance tests.
Steady preparation is key
Understanding what subjects are in the 7+ entrance exam, for your particular target schools, is key.
Once you have a clear perspective on what your child will need to prepare for, and what they can put to one side, your pathway becomes clearer.
At first view, the above list of subjects might appear overwhelming. By following a steady approach, however, it’s possible for your child to be as ready as they can be by the time they sit their 7+.
Contact us
If you would like a free and without obligation discussion as regards your concerns about your child’s preparation for entrance exams please complete our enquiry form and we’ll call you back.
Alternatively, if you’d like to book a call with one of us you can do so here.