17/09/2026
How do I help my child prepare for the 11+ exam?
This is a question many parents ask.
What should my child study?
Which topics and skills should we focus on?
Which practice papers should we use?
How often should my child study?
How many mock exams should they attempt?
And how do I know if they are actually making progress?
There is a lot to consider when preparing for the 11+ exam, and it can be difficult to know where to start or what to prioritise.
Here are some practical tips to help you navigate your child’s 11+ preparation successfully.
1. Know the exam your child is preparing for
11+ exams are not exactly the same everywhere. Find out which exam board or assessment your child will be sitting and understand the subjects, question types and skills involved.
Your preparation should be guided by the actual exam your child is preparing for, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
2. Assess your child before deciding what to teach
Before jumping into practice papers, find out what your child can already do.
Look at their strengths, weaknesses, misconceptions, speed and ability to apply what they know.
A child who is already strong in a particular area may need more challenging questions, while another child may need to revisit the fundamentals.
3. Focus on skills and understanding, not just completing papers
Practice papers have their place, but they should not become the entire preparation.
Your child needs to understand the concepts, develop their vocabulary, interpret questions, apply their knowledge and tackle unfamiliar problems.
The goal is not simply to get through as many papers as possible.
4. Review mistakes properly
Getting a question wrong is not the end of the process.
Ask: Why was it wrong?
Did your child misunderstand the question?
Did they lack the required knowledge?
Did they misread the information?
Was it a vocabulary issue?
Was it a careless error?
Did they run out of time?
The answer tells you what needs to be worked on next.
5. Build preparation around your child’s needs
There is no magic number of hours that every child must study each week.
The right frequency depends on your child’s current level, the time available before the exam, the areas that need attention and how well they respond to the workload.
Consistent, purposeful practice is more useful than overwhelming your child with work.
6. Introduce timed work gradually
Speed matters in many 11+ assessments, but children also need to understand what they are doing before they are expected to do it quickly.
Build accuracy and understanding first, then gradually introduce timed questions and timed sections.
7. Use mock exams strategically
Mocks can help your child become familiar with exam conditions and can provide useful information about timing, accuracy and stamina.
But doing mock after mock without reviewing the results misses the point.
A mock should tell you something about your child’s current performance and what needs to happen next.
8. Don't wait for the exam to reveal the gaps
A low mock score should not be the first time you discover that your child has struggled with a particular concept or skill.
Regular assessment and progress tracking can help identify gaps early enough to work on them.
9. Remember that confident children can have gaps too
11+ preparation is not only for children who are struggling.
A child may be performing above expected level and still have gaps, need greater challenge or need to develop their ability to apply what they know to unfamiliar questions.
The important thing is knowing where your child is now and what they need next.
10. Give your child time to develop confidence
11+ preparation can be demanding.
Alongside academic preparation, children need to develop confidence, resilience and the ability to approach unfamiliar questions without immediately giving up.
The aim is to help your child become a more capable and confident problem solver, not simply someone who has completed hundreds of practice questions.
Good 11+ preparation is intentional.
Assess where your child is.
Identify the gaps.
Strengthen the skills.
Challenge their thinking.
Practise application.
Review mistakes.
Track progress.
Then adjust the preparation as needed.
There is no need to guess your way through the process.
