What will my child be tested on?

The ISEB Common Pre-Tests are designed to identify attainment and potential. 

Attainment: The English and mathematics tests are designed in line with topics and knowledge that pupils will be taught in class. They therefore assess a child’s ability to recall what they have been taught and apply this knowledge to solve problems in core areas of the curriculum.

• English: questions on reading comprehension and grammar (including spelling)
• Mathematics: questions are based on the National Curriculum for Mathematics until the end of Year 5.

Potential: The Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning tests enable pupils to demonstrate their academic potential through a range of question types that may be unfamiliar to them. It is the pupils’ ability to analyse, think critically, find patterns and problem solve that is assessed. These abilities are important indicators of potential as they indicate a pupil’s ability to acquire new information and apply this to situations they have not previously come across.

• Verbal Reasoning: questions assess a range of English language skills including word meaning, comprehension, reasoning and logic.
• Non-Verbal Reasoning: questions assess non-verbal reasoning and spatial reasoning.

ISEB recommends pupils use the ISEB Test Walkthrough to familiarise themselves with the test platform, explore the accessibility features and see the styles of questions that might be asked during the test.

For further information about the content of the tests, you can download the ISEB Common Pre-Tests Framework.